The Clearing

by Dan Newman

Available October 29, 2013

ISBN: 9781909223523

Format: Large (Trade) Paperback

336 pages - $ 16.99 CAN

I received an email informing me of Exhibit A's future release of this book. I liked the summary and I wanted to discover the author. So I ask and received and ARC (and was so happy to have a real book instead of an ePub!) This book is the last in the challenge R.I.P. VIII.

Synopsis

In 1976, four boys walked into a jungle. Only three came back alive.

Haunted by terrifying childhood memories he doesn't fully understand, journalist Nate Mason returns to the Caribbean island of St. Lucia where he grew up.

Back then, as the son of a diplomat, he was part of an elite social circle. But during a weekend of whispered secrets and dares in a decaying jungle mansion staffed by the descendants of slaves, Nate’s innocence was torn apart.

The survivors of that gathering blamed what happened on a myth, an unseen terror from the bush. No one believed them. But now. almost forty years later, is the truth finally about to come out?

Within hours of arriving back on the island, Nate becomes convinced he’s being followed. He soon discovers that his search for answers could cost him his sanity as well as his life, as he realises that some childhood nightmares never go away.

Can childhood nightmares haunt you for the rest of your life? How much do you need to believe in a monster for it to become real? The Clearing is a dark and atmospheric psychological thriller, full of intrigue, terror and superstition, which examines our deepest fears of the unknown. A potent mix of the friendship and bravery of Stand By Me and the betrayals and fear of Angel Heart.

What I think of it

We follow Nate who returns several years later on the island - where he lived a dramatic story in his youth - to end a series of galleys in his life that are bound to the famous event. We follow him but at different times through flashbacks (at the time of the event when he lived in the island, at a crucial period of his recent past and nowadays). What may seem confusing actually let us understand the current events, the reason for his return to the island and to be closer to him. Because we discover the young boy, full of joy, excitement and terror, we learn to appreciate him, we want to protect him (I confess : the fact that I'm the mother of a pre-teen of the same age had a lot to play in this part !)

Facts, old and new, are discovered along the story. There's that idea that we can't understand the present without knowing the past and that premise is good. There is also a supernatural hand (it is an island!) Voodoo is never far away, odd situations are never exactly explained but are well designed to create a distressing condition for Nate who don't understand them because he's not native. Nor are we, so we very well put ourselves in his shoes, living a surreal adventure (have you ever get a chicken leg thrown in your face?). We do not understand but we feel very uncomfortable. So there is a rise of feelings of discomfort, fear and misunderstanding well conducted by the author, who knows the islands, having lived there.

There are some lengthy parts although the space does not falter. How so? It takes a lot of time for Nate to get to his goal and of course many things happen but at times I felt that the author could have not included some mishaps. Fortunately, the atmosphere of the book, how Newman tells the story and the back and forth in time are so well done that every time I began to find it long, the story bounced, the pace accelerated and I was reconciled with the book.

Nate wishes to return to the place of origin of his bad luck to solve all his problems. I admit that when I discovered why he wanted to go back I found it a bit superfluous. The fear experienced by the children is enough to explain their tell at the time and Nate's desire to return was largely explicable by his guilt associated with the event 25 years ago. The end is not as thrilling than is suggested by the story, even if the author manages to make it more enjoyable by adding a final touch of mystery.

One of the characters in the book (if you can talk about character) is the island itself. Certainly there are other people in the novel but in my opinion the island holds the upper hand with Nate. The author has described it as scary as a spot paradise. As much with a joyful atmosphere as a strange one and just as simple in relationships than full of several customs and beliefs that complicate things. We understand and share the joy of Nate who revisit some places, the longing for his childhood but also his fear. That island has two sides to its coin and it can turn very quickly!

In a nutshell

A good novel with its particular and pleasant atmosphere. A character we learn to like, an island that puts a spell on you. I give it a 3.5/5.

My thought on closing the book: what a good dive into the Culture of the islands!

Don't look back

by Karin Fossum

• Inspector Konrad Sejer #2
  Paperback: 324 pages - 13.35 $
  Publisher: Mariner Books (June 1, 2005)
  ISBN-10: 0156031361
  
  
  I bought this book after having heard of it by Sofia Marina (again, a big thank you Marina!) I didn't know this Norwegian author, but I appreciate more and more Scandinavian thrillers. So I thought that I did not risk too much by trying a new author! This book is the third book of my challenge RIP VIII .

Synospis

Don't Look Back heralds the arrival of an exotic new crime series featuring Inspector Sejer, a smart and enigmatic hero, tough but fair. The setting is a small, idyllic village at the foot of Norway's Kollen Mountain, where neighbors know neighbors and children play happily in the streets. But when the body of a teenage girl is found by the lake at the mountaintop, the town's tranquility is shattered forever. Annie was strong, intelligent, and loved by everyone. What went so terribly wrong? Doggedly, yet subtly, Inspector Sejer uncovers layer upon layer of distrust and lies beneath the town's seemingly perfect facade.

Critically acclaimed across Europe, Karin Fossum's Inspector Sejer novels are masterfully constructed, psychologically convincing, and compulsively readable, and are now available in the United States for the first time.

What I think of it 

Although the pace is slower than the thrillers that I love, I enjoyed the human side of this book. The author skillfully depicts us the different characters and especially Konrad Sejer, inspector, widower, who does his best to be a good father, a great grandfather and a dedicated dog owner. Even said dog gets to play a role in this book! This shows the importance given to the characters, relationships between them and their own demons.

The heavy atmosphere, the suspicion and the procedure required to make the investigation give us an addictive atmosphere. Like in English novels which atmosphere is so recognizable and sometimes bombastic, this novel makes us understand the relationships and the way small towns (or villages actually) interact. The isolation, the fact that everyone knows everyone, that it's so difficult to keep to yourselves your little secrets and the very present nature (the forest, the bottomless lake... ), give a very unique atmosphere.

About the pace of the book, despite the lack of action, Karin Fossum managed the feat of making the discovery of the corpse very stressful. Subsequently, the suspects will succeed based upon discoveries, unsaid things and spilling of secrets. I appreciated the smartness of the dialogues, interviews that never seem to be ones, trick questions formulated with precision. Here, nothing is fast, there is no action in each chapter but Konrad who worms truths out of suspects.

In a nutshell

A very good book that I highly recommend especially if you love unique atmosphere, well-constructed dialogues and reason over action. I give it a 4/5.

My thought on closing the book: that was well lead

L'enfant des cimetières

Sire Cédric

Science Fiction - Fantasy

Pocket - 2011

527 pages - $ 13.95

ISBN: 9782266203654 (2266203657)

I can't remember how I discovered this author, probably through fans of Maxime Chattam as both authors give in the fantastic kind... It seems that Sir Cedric is in any case a rising figure in France, so I was happy to discover his book that is my second book in the R.I.P. VIII challenge.

Synopsis

A gravedigger living near a cemetery is taken from a hallucinatory madness and kills his entire family before committing suicide.

A teenager, believing he's chased by shadows, threatens occupants of a hospital with  his weapon and kills Kristel, a painter. David photojournalist - and Kristel's partner - decides to discover the origin of this wave of sordid murders and suicides, which is increasing. Soon he will face the unimaginable...

What I think of it

There's undoubtedly strengths in this novel... but also some weaknesses that have hindered me.

About the strengths, Sire Cedric knows how to generate dizzy spell, anxiety and apprehension among his readers. I have experienced very unpleasant sensations several times while reading passages. I admit I even have hesitated to continue reading the book after some time in the night, because I was not sure of being able to sleep ! Sometimes there is an atmosphere like in Hitchcock's " The Birds": you know from where the danger comes, it's all around, but you do not know when it will attack... and that, that's nerve-racking!

I also liked the characters whose emotions are well transcribed, particularly the mourning of David, who seeks to find the origin of the evil which has taken his partner. Everything is done with subtlety, you feel his grief, his denial of his loss, his need to foresee if only an image of the woman he loves. It's nice to read, despite the pain. As for the anxiety or irrational fears that the other characters experience... it's sufficiently well written that I wanted to look under my bed ! When the young Villeneuve explains what he saw, you feel close to him, you hear him, you're part of his team (a not so winner team in the game of cat and mouse...), you begin to stress. Clearly, this is a strength of the author.

I appreciate that the so imposing cop with so boorish manners is not a caricature of the asshole cop without finesse. Instead Vauvert proves to be able to take into account what the majority of people refuse to believe. He does not necessarily believe in spirits, demons and other supernatural aspects but as he puts it: "What I think does not matter, replied Vauvert, I'm trying to prevent people from dying. That's my job." There is a duality between the scientific evidence and what the victims experience. The fact that the characters do not believe in supernatural phenomenon in principle but seek a logical and technical explanation makes the esoteric side even stronger.

What I dislike about the book concerns two points, probably less important to some people but it bothers me a lot. Very often when it comes to demons, there is sex, or at least some sensuality and this book does not lack it. But the inclusion of children in the sex scenes, THAT, it bothers me. I think it's sick and regrettable. The author is very good to make us feel emotions so if he wanted us to feel a mixture of desire and embarrassment, the fact that there are women and men of all ages who are shadows or rotted corpses in the scene is enough, right?

The second weakness relates to certain shortcuts used by the author to advance the story. Honestly, when do we have seen a person who has coincidentally ALL the ingredients for magical protection? Because frankly, if the devil comes home today, I 'm screwed! Apart from the salt... I have no other ingredients. There are other shortcuts in the book, but fortunately, they are not so numerous. It's just that when reading, I've been saying a few times... Duh! as if it was that easy!

In a nutshell

A novel which reads very quickly, whose plot includes several tracks that come together, well done with some weaknesses. I do not know if I can recommend it, especially because of the children (unacceptable in my case), but it will appeal to fans of the genre. I give it a 3/5.

My thought on closing the book : It's a shame, those small gaps...

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!)

R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril, VIII

For the first time on my blog, I'm going to participate to a challenge, created by Carl whose blog is here.

En français ici

Carl explains how the challenge was created :  

" Eight years ago I became aware of reading challenges and wanted to start one of my own, hoping to find others who shared my Autumnal predilection for the works of Edgar Allen Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Bram Stoker and other authors contemporary and classic who captured the spirit of gothic literature. All these years later we are still going strong, welcoming September with a time of coming together to share our favorite mysteries, detective stories, horror stories, dark fantasies, and everything in between.

I welcome you to join us. "

The challenge takes place between the 1st of September till the 31 of October. In those autumnal months, what's better than some chilling reads ? The challenge blog is here, where bloggers can put the link to their reviews. 

Here's the different king of readings for that challenge: 

Mystery.

Suspense.

Thriller.

Dark Fantasy.

Gothic.

Horror.

Supernatural.

Two very simple rules : 

1. Have fun reading (and watching).
2. Share that fun with others.

I chose to participate to Peril the first for which you have to : 

Read four books, any length, that you feel fit (the very broad definitions) of R.I.P. literature. It could be King or Conan Doyle, Penny or Poe, Chandler or Collins, Lovecraft or Leroux…or anyone in between.

For those of you that may want to participate but don't feel like reading four books, suffice to know that there are others challenge (read two books, read one book, watch a film or a series...) Isn't that great ?

As I have a lot of books in my TBR (like a lot really...) here's the ones I decided to read:

I'm sure to begin with Alex by Pierre Lemaitre (as I've already began the book !) 

L'enfant des cimetière by Cédric Sire (another French one) that  looks really dark and the kind to put in a fantastic gothic thriller... I don't think I'll be bored with this one! 

Then a book by Chris F. Holm (yay!) Dead Letters, a collection of short stories (which is a challenge by itself as I don't read short story normally... which proves how much I love his work!)

And Don't look back by Karin Fossum, a Norwegian author I never read but of whom I heard a lot of excellent things! 

And voilà ! With that my autumn should be thrilling! That's a period of time when I enjoy the most rainy days!

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Edit : I wanted to read Dead Letters by Chris F. Holm but the size of the text was too small for my mini ebook so I changed for The Clearing by Dan Newman