Crossing the Line by Frédérique Molay

Paris Homicide Book 2
Le French Book (23 septembre 2014)
224 pages - 17,95 $

Crossing the Line is the sequel of the book The 7th Women. We meet back (and with pleasure) Chief of Police Nico Sirsky and his family, although less present in this novel. I feel lucky as I have the chance to receive the books from Le French Book. Their principle of editing is simple: if they love a book they translate and print it. Surprising as it may seem, it's thanks to them - and in English - that I discovered the best-known or the newest authors of France! 

The blurb

It’s Christmas in Paris. Chief of Police Nico Sirsky returns to work after recovering from a gunshot wound. He’s in love and rearing to go. His first day back has him overseeing a jewel heist sting and taking on an odd investigation. Dental students discovered a message in the tooth of a severed head. Is it a sick joke? Sirsky and his team of crack homicide detectives follow the clues from an apparent suicide, to an apparent accident, to an all-out murder as an intricate machination starts breaking down. Just how far can despair push a man? How clear is the line between good and evil? More suspense and mystery with the Paris Homicide team from the prizewinning author Frédérique Molay, the "French Michael Connelly." This is the second in the prize-winning Paris Homicide series.

Why read this book 

Firstly, I have to say that I preferred this book that I find better than the first one. And how is it better you may ask? I thought it was better mastered. The plot that I found a little too easy in The 7th Woman, is more complicated here. The story is more original. Admittedly, the message "I was murdered" in the tooth of a severed head is pretty original, thank you! 

I also appreciated that the mystery of Sirsky's ex-wife disappearance is elucidated. She disappeared at the end of The 7th Woman and I was wondering what happened to her (even though her ​​character quickly becomes secondary and that her disappearance allows Nico to delve into his relationship with Caroline). This speaks for the attention to detail of the author that I really appreciate. 

Let's talk details, Crossing the Line is full of it and it's Frédérique Molay's strength who knows how to provide us with a maximum of details without weighting down the story. We follow and understand the investigation and the different procedures either if they relate to autopsies or to the relationship between the different branches of justice. This attention to detail allows me to understand the French system, much more complex than I thought. For those who have seen the excellent series Engrenages (or Spiral in Canada), we can find the same atmosphere, the same conviviality, the same quality of detail. I also enjoyed getting to know the landscape of Paris and the (open) secret passages in the buildings. 

The team is as friendly as before, the characters always as well written and vivid. We follow their evolution, as if we were part of the team. One is a new dad, the other seeks his Christmas presents. It's nice, as when we have some news about friends we haven't seen for some time. Nico's family is less present (even if we meet them back over a nice dinner) and the story focuses more on Nico's son and his girlfriend Caroline but do not mind, it's the next step, after the presentation of the characters in the first book. 

In a nutshell 

A story that reads very quickly, a quality of detail that gives us the impression of being in the heart of the investigation, a staff as friendly as before whom we enjoy to spend some time with, it's a 4/5 for me.

Disclaimer: An e-galley of this title was provided to me by the publisher. No review was promised and the above is an unbiased review of the novel.

The Frozen Dead by Bernard Minier

St. Martin's Press

Minotaur Books; Reprint edition (Aug. 12 2014)

482 pages - 29.41 $

Frozen is the first novel by a former worker in the French customs administration. His book was widely praised by the press when released in France in 2011 and he released a second book Le Cercle in 2012 in which me meet back with the same character, Servaz a literate and sensitive cop.

The blurb

A suspenseful and chilling murder mystery set in a high-security asylum for the criminally insane and the snowy mountains of the French Pyrenees

The first victim is a horse: its headless, flayed body hangs suspended from the edge of a frozen cliff. On the same day as the gruesome discovery takes place, Diane Berg, a young psychiatrist starts her first job at a high security asylum for the criminally insane, just a few miles away. She is baffled by the slightly unorthodox methods the asylums's director uses, and then greatly alarmed when she realizes that drugs are disappearing from within the fortified institution while someone seems to be slipping out at night. 

Commandant Martin Servaz, a charismatic, Toulouse city cop fond of quoting Latin, can’t believe he has been called out over the death of an animal. But there is something disturbing about this crime that he cannot ignore. Then DNA from one of the most notorious inmates of the asylum, a highly intelligent former prosecutor who is accused of killing and raping several women, is found on the corpse... and a few days later the first human murder takes place. 

Servaz and his colleague, the mysterious Irene Ziegler, must use all their skill to solve the terrifying mystery, in The Frozen Dead by Bernard Minier.

What's good about it ?

The atmosphere is really oppressive. Everything is cold, white (because of the snow) or gray or ugly. The suspects include prisoners locked up in an asylum for the most horrific killers. There are a lot of strange people. This creates a rather morbid and creepy feel it must be said. In my case, it was too much. Each time a character takes the road to the asylum or the place of the first crime we're entitled to the overwhelming feelings of that character - sinister course - about the surrounding nature, the road and his feeling of discomfort or fear. So, admittedly, it helps to feel the sensation of discomfort. Yet to live in Quebec (which is not a country but a winter!), I mostly meet people who love their country and think that winter are beautiful with its snowy landscapes. I think it would have been more realistic to include some positive people, right? 

The story is well put together. There's even a twist towards the end that blew me away. The investigation is realistically resolved, the explanations stand and even the escape of a character suggests a possible sequel without a frustrating cliffhanger. The only concern is that the book is a bit long. That's a lot of pages for a thriller and it's very difficult to keep a steady pace as long. So to fill the pages, it is easier to write description (of feelings, landscapes, mundane acts...) This is where - in my case - the author loses me and I start skipping parts to find the dialogue or the action. Now I know that some readers enjoy taking their time in a story, they like to take the full measure of the atmosphere and decor. So, dear reader, if that's your case, this is the book for you. 

And what about the characters? Servaz the literate and sensitive cop is a little too sensitive for my liking, he is afraid of so many things that it's a miracle he's a cop! As for his way of reciting Latin sentences at all costs, I must say it's déjà vu and a little too cliche for my taste. It must be said that there are still several cliche in the characters but that doesn't spoil the story. Still, Servaz is a smart cop who leads good deductions and his team of geek cop is quite endearing. So it's a character that we'll like to follow.

In a nutshell

A well-crafted first novel, a story and an atmosphere murky at will but a story a tad longish, it's a 3/5 for me.

Disclaimer: An e-galley of this title was provided to me by the publisher. No review was promised and the above is an unbiased review of the novel.

Treachery in Bordeaux by Jean-Pierre Alaux and Noël Balen

Le French Book (May 29 2014)
The Winemaker Detective series - T01
144 pages - 13.95 $

The publisher Le French Book has a mission to publish in English French books they enjoyed. So once again I discovered French authors in English. As I am more and more fond of French novels, as their undeniable quality only confirms the rise of French crime fiction in the world, I decided to try my luck with this first volume in a series devoted to pleasures and wine. Knowing that I was born in Pessac (near Bordeaux), it was with pleasure that I discovered a region that I left before knowing it.

The blurb

In modern-day Bordeaux, there are few wine estates still within the city limits. The prestigious grand cru Moniales Haut-Brion is one of them. When some barrels turn, world-renowned winemaker turned gentleman detective Benjamin Cooker starts asking questions. Is it negligence or sabotage? Who would want to target this esteemed vintner? Cooker and his assistant Virgile Lanssien search the city and the vineyards for answers, giving readers and inside view of this famous wine region. The start of a 22-book wine-plus-crime mystery series that delves into the underworld of a global luxury industry. The world of wine is no more respectable than the world of finance. There’s money, deceit, death, crime, inheritance, jealousy—all the ingredients needed to distill a fine detective series. The series is a hit on TV in France.

What's good about it ?

You don't read that book, you enjoy and sip it while lounging in vineyards or admiring architecture and painting. This is clearly not a detective story like any other: it doesn't happen much... not even  a murder! This can be annoying for who thinks it's a classic novel detective. It's true that at one point I said to myself "but when will the action happens?" 

Maybe because this is the first volume, the authors spend time describing Cooker's living environment, people around him, the decor, his tastes (for painting and wine), we participate in the writing of his book (to the point of reading some passages) and learns more about the history of the region (or country I meant!) It may seem long to some, especially as the book is short. This clearly leaves little time for the plot, but that's part of the charm of this particular novel. 

There's comfort food... and there's comfort books and Treachery in Bordeaux is one of them. No horrible murder, rampage, disillusioned cop, but a mystery that is solved, a cozy atmosphere and an apology for the art of living, of enjoying life, of good food and good wine. The atmosphere is very French, which can charm or not the non-French. 

In a nutshell

A very nice little book with a cozy atmosphere, a simple and well done mystery. For those who enjoy the pleasures of life. This is a 3.5 / 5 for me.

Disclaimer: An e-galley of this title was provided to me by the publisher. No review was promised and the above is an unbiased review of the novel.

The 7th women by Frédérique Molay

(Paris Homicide Book 1)
Le French Book
254 pages - 9.95 $ (kindle)

Once becomes habit one might say... here I am, reading French thrillers in English! It's great to see that French authors are translated into English, it proves that the French thriller is doing well and it can appeal readers from everywhere. So I read this book in English, with the editor The French Book that mean to translates French books they loved.

The blurb

There’s no rest for Paris’s top criminal investigation division, La Crim’. Who is preying on women in the French capital? How can he kill again and again without leaving any clues? A serial killer is taking pleasure in a macabre ritual that leaves the police on tenterhooks. Chief of Police Nico Sirsky—a super cop with a modern-day real life, including an ex-wife, a teenage son and a budding love story—races against the clock to solve the murders as they get closer and closer to his inner circle. Will he resist the pressure? The story grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go until the last page, leading you behind the scenes with the French police and into the coroner’s office. It has the suspense of Seven, with CSI-like details, giving a whole new dimension to Paris.

What I think of it

I liked the build up of the novel. Initially a simple investigation for a particularly gruesome murder. Then the search for a serial killer and eventually a race against time to save the seventh victim. The book reads quickly and the reading is fluid. The beginning is very technical and we're involved in the initial autopsy as if we were there (which is not necessarily appreciated by everyone). All procedures are clearly explained, whether forensic or police procedures. We feel here a keen eye for detail and the desire / need for accuracy of the author. This will delight fans of the genre who will find a wealth of information. 

The characters are very realistic, it really feels like we're in in the 36 quai des orfèvres and a part of the team, which is always nice when you read a book. As we stay with the team all steps through the investigation, it easy to feel a sense of belonging with those officers. A small problem in my case, the sudden and a bit too fiery love story with the boss of the Crim'. It seems to me that a guy who managed to climb all levels and is found at that young age (38 years old) chief of this famous police division has a little more lead in the head or at least better control of his emotions and will not smooch the woman of his heart at the office... 

I have also a little less liked the fact that from the first murder, the criminal psychologist of the group defines the murderer as a serial killer who has a big problem with his mother. He resent women, surely, seeing what he does them but why not his former teacher, ex wife, neighbor-who-frustrates-him, etc.. This is somewhat simple or cliche like in movies and series dedicated to the genre. Sure, for those who read thrillers from time to time, it is very well done. For those who read thrillers regularly, it might feel like déjà vu.

And a good point for the author who portrays the cops as sensitive persons who care for the others, which is not always like that. Sirsky is particularly kind for the other, always making sure everyone is ok but he's the hero so it's for the better, but the other cops too are. Often, cops are seen like tough or cold people, not here. I find that refreshing and maybe more realist, right?

In a nutshell 

A good first novel for this author, a promising start to the series, a quick and captivating read, this is a 3.5 / 5 for me.


Disclaimer: An e-galley of this title was provided to me by the publisher. No review was promised and the above is an unbiased review of the novel.