Camille: The Commandant Camille Verhoeven Trilogy

MacLehose Press; 3 edition (May 5 2015)
26.99 $


Pierre Lemaitre is one of the authors-that-one-should-absolutely-read! I was astonished by Alex (like many people indeed). I really liked Irene for which he was awarded the first novel prize of the Festival de Cognac and a nomination for the CWA Daggers International 2014. And I just finished the trilogy with this book, Camille.


Camille, a small in size but big in personality cop, is driven in a well twisted story and there's mayhem in his life and in the book. The narration is a multiple POV and we pass from Camille to the suspect (and both are sometimes found in the same place at the same time) and the other characters, the story alternates between the 3rd person (almost everyone), and the first person (the suspect) - it makes one giddy! We are caught in a rhythm that does not lessen, in a pitiless trap in which Camille has landed himself, taking us with him. The story is told over 3 days with hours as chapter titles. It's brilliant, because we feel his discomfort, his feeling of always being a step back behind the suspect and we can't do anything to avoid it.

But who hate so much Anne Forester as to try to finish her off, even after the robbery? And is it a simple robbery? Verhoeven, too busy with his desire to protect Anne, doesn't understand what is happening... at least up to a point... He's still Verhoeven! But then he's almost alone, since (oops! I almost said why... But no, I will not spoil the other novels or this one by the way)

And I've said it with Alex and Irene, but as a reminder: Pierre Lemaitre has a different writing style, very literary, very Michel Audiard-esque and so enjoyable that for that alone, his books must be read (and I do hope the translator did a great job for you guys). His character descriptions alone are worth the reading. He also has the art and writing of combining extreme violence with derision / cynicism / utter irony.

The icing on the cake? The story is really good. So yes, some readers do not like the end (I won't spoil anything about that because if you read me it's probable that you have read other review...) But I have to say that the end makes sense, it goes along with the book, it ends well the trilogy and still leaves room for a possible sequel!

What the blurb?

In the highly acclaimed and award-winning novels Alex and Irene Pierre Lemaitre created a memorable character, Police Commandant Camille Verhoeven, who will seek justice at any cost. Now, in Camille, Verhoeven faces his most harrowing case yet, and the ultimate reckoning for the diminutive yet tenacious protagonist.

Anne Forestier finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time when she is trapped in the middle of a bank robbery. Shot three times, she is lucky to survive - and morbidly unlucky to remember the face of her assailant.

Followed home from her hospital bed, Anne is in grave danger. But one thing stands in her favor - a dangerously vengeful partner, carrying the scars of devastating loss, who will break all the rules to protect the woman he loves: Commandant Camille Verhoeven.

Following the horror of Irene and the thrills of Alex, Camille is the heart-stopping final chapter of Lemaitre's multi-award-winning trilogy. Drawn once again into a labyrinthine web with answers ever out of reach, Camille must draw on all his talent to face an enemy who threatens everything he holds dear.

In a nutshell

I really recommend you to discover, read or reread Pierre Lemaitre! A sharp and very effective writing, a very well done plot and a character, Camille, that we hope to read again about one day, it's a 5/5 for me.

Irène by Pierre Lemaitre

(T. Frank Wynne)

MacLehose Press; UK airports ed edition (March 6, 2014)

Shortlisted fort the CWA Daggers International 2014

Thanks to Marina Sofia, on Twitter, I've read Alex by Pierre Lemaître. What a discovery! A true literary shock for the quality of the writing and the story! I looove twists you don't expect, being led around by the nose with a story that come to a bluffing conclusion and  Pierre Lemaitre gives me all that. I would even say that he gave me faith in the French writing thrillers. Yes, it's a strong statement but true nonetheless. And how that and why? you might say. After reading many, many English writers, I'm used to reading novels which writing matches a thriller - in my opinion (for the best writers at least...) A nervous writing with a bit of dark humor, cynical, ironic, whatever as long as it's there (the humor) as well as to lighten the story as to give it more depth. I like writing that allows me to get into the story, to feel nervousness, anxiety, stress, that takes me on the edge of my seat turning the pages faster than my eyes allow it because I want to know WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN? But, too often, French authors writing seems too academic, too "I-put-all-the-strings-of-a-good-thriller" very appropriate for a literary novel, but less so for a thriller. Lemaitre, for once, is very aptly name: he mastered the genre. In short, you'll understand that this is again a favourite of mine!

The blurb

In this first book of Lemaître’s ‘Verhoeven’ trilogy, the weight of horror-filled noir from both the US and Europe motivates a serial killer whose murders seem to enact violence taken from both obscure writers, to such notables as Ellroy, Ellis, and the Swedish duo Sjöwall and Wahlöö. Lemaître’s own characteristic horrors ask us to reflect on the influence of crime writing, in a clever, complex, meta-fiction about books and butchers.

Why you should read it?

In case my praise was not enough, dear reader, this book is a gem. I won't talk much more on the quality of Pierre Lemaitre writing, except to say that his short chapters are addictive, that you'll have trouble closing the book after reading a chapter (they're short, why not read a small final chapter before sleep? and bam, it's 3 am!) I like the mix between very good and french slang, it creates a contrast that makes realistic dialogues, it keeps us on our toes. I just hope the traduction is as good as Lemaitre's writing for you folk! (I've read it in French)

Ideally, you should read this book first, since it explains a lot of Camille's character in view of what he experiences in Irène. In absolute terms, if like me you read Alex before, it's not more serious than that, it even makes Camille more human, backwards. Camille is an atypical Commissioner as it's always good to have an atypical cop in a thriller but this time it's not his love of booze, gambling and women that makes him human, but his size. He's very small and has an aura inversely proportional to his size. His colleagues all have a trait that differentiates and humanizes them and the way Lemaitre presents them is excellent. All in finesse, humor, mockery, I love when an author portraits his characters in another way, not just physically. 

As for the story, at first you thing that this is a good story, nervous, fast-paced and then, bam!, a twist you won't see coming! For that alone, this book should be read. I really enjoyed being had that way. The surprise is really good. Lovers of Victorian novels and psychological thrillers may pass their way... Irène is sometimes gruesome. 

In a nutshell 

What do you mean you did not already read it or went out to buy it? It's a 5/5 for me.

Alex

by Pierre Lemaitre

MacLehose Press (June 3, 2014)

352 pages - 12.92 $

ISBN-10: 1623651247

Nouveau sur le blog : pour la version française, cliquez sur l'onglet ci-dessus)

It's thanks to Marina Sofia on Twitter, whose excellent blog is here that I discovered Pierre Lemaitre. No longer living in France, I 'm not really aware of the authors in the hexagon and as I read mostly in English ... it does not help matters. But Marina, she knows these authors and she is a great source of information. So I decided to read Alex after hearing so much about that book from her and read her review here on Crime Fiction Lover (thanks! Marina).

Alex is also my first book of the R.I.P. VIII challenge !

Synopsis

Upon winning the prestigious 2013 Crime Writers Association International Dagger Award, the judges praised Alex by saying, “An original and absorbing ability to leash incredulity in the name of the fictional contract between author and reader . . . A police procedural, a thriller against time, a race between hunted and hunter, and a whydunnit, written from multiple points of view that explore several apparently parallel stories which finally meet.”

Alex Prévost—kidnapped, savagely beaten, suspended from the ceiling of an abandoned warehouse in a tiny wooden cage—is running out of time. Her abductor appears to want only to watch her die. Will hunger, thirst, or the rats get her first?

Apart from a shaky eyewitness report of the abduction, Police Commandant Camille Verhoeven has nothing to go on: no suspect, no leads, and no family or friends anxious to find a missing loved one. The diminutive and brilliant detective knows from bitter experience the urgency of finding the missing woman as quickly as possible—but first he must understand more about her. 

As he uncovers the details of the young woman’s singular history, Camille is forced to acknowledge that the person he seeks is no ordinary victim. She is beautiful, yes, but also extremely tough and resourceful. Before long, saving Alex’s life will be the least of Commandant Verhoeven’s considerable challenges.

What I think

Phew! One thing is sure , this book leaves no one indifferent !

Talking characters. Here we have Alex, victim or executioner? We do not know much about her until the end, and yet we feel for her a range of emotions! Her character is excellently written. She remains a mystery, but she seems fragile, very sure of herself, cold, she seems to suffer. You won't know if you like her or hate her or if you're concerned for her or if you think that she has it coming. I started to love her, then I did not know what to think of her. I wanted to blame Alex, but it was at odds with what I had felt for her before! And at the end! the end is incredible, again a change of context, another way of seeing things, it is even more confusing than it was. Pierre Lemaitre is really good in mixing your feelings! Facing Alex, we have cops: Camille, a (very) small in size, but (very) tough in determination Police commandant, Louis, the distinguished cop and Armand the generous stripper cop (you must read the book to know how that can be!) A trio not trivial, with a strong bond. This book bring some very engaging and realistic characters.

The plot changes along the course of the story, we're looking for a victim, then for a hangman, we're looking for the reason behind all that's happening, we're seeking justice. The characters remain the same but the roles change. The context plays a growing role in the explanation. Everything must be understood and will be... at the end !

Another important point in this book, which deserves to be mentioned because it is quite rare in thrillers. Reading the back cover, I saw the Figaro and Le Monde reviews - two French newspapers - the journalists spoke of a literary novel ... ok. So I started this book with a slight fear: will the bombastic style upstage the plot? Well not at all, on the contrary. The writing is fluid, often funny, tragic, cold and never boring. Indeed the quality of the writing is closer to literary style than thriller style. But you'll find literary flights, as well as slang dialogues, short shock sentences and very long sentences, sometimes only impactful words. It seems that Lemaitre is as strong to play with our feelings as he is to play with words .

In a nutshell

A very nice discovery for me. I loved the story as much as the writing style. I highly recommend this book ! I give it a 4.5/5. 

My thought on closing the book : Oh damn, it serves ... right (you 'll have to read the book to know who!)