Close Reach - a frozen and soaked review!

by Jonathan Moore

Random House Publishing Group - Hydra (6 mai 2014)

200 pages - 3.15 $ (kindle edition)

Always good to know that Jonathan Moore was nominated for the Bram Stoker price (Brams: good old Dracula's daddy) (the master of Brrr). It herefore suggests a good novel... a creepy one. 

What that book's about

In a riveting tale of suspense and terror on the high seas,Bram Stoker Award nominee Jonathan Moore pits human beings against nature—and something far deadlier: one another.

Kelly Pratihari-Reid and her husband sail their yacht into Antarctic waters, thinking their gravest concerns will be ice and storms—and their cracked marriage. A British girl shrieking across a short-range VHF frequency ends that illusion. It’s coming, she screams. It saw us and it’s coming back! Her voice is drowned by a tide of signal-jamming static, and Kelly sees a target on the radar screen: A ship is coming for them.

Thus begins an unforgettable cat-and-mouse game across stormy polar seas and dire landfalls. Kelly’s pursuers will test her to the limits of her endurance—and beyond. For the ship in her wake is crewed by pirates, with a young leader trained to use the most sadistic tortures in pursuit of his ultimate objective . . . a goal as shocking as it is horrific.

What's about that book

One thing is for sure, this book has almost nipped in the bud my desires to leave one day one a cruise on my yacht - what with icy storms, pirates and other mishaps - what has totally nipped it is my distinct lack of a boat...

I am not a pro at navigation but the author and yes it shows (or rather read). The terms are technical but not in I-explains-everything-so-well-it's-becoming-bloody-boring kind of style. Kelly and her husband - Dean - make a long cruise and we sail with them, at the same time. Navigation maneuvers are present to describe the action of the protagonists and it's well done. Sailing enthusiasts will be delighted with this book because they can very easily imagine themselves on Freefall, the boat designed by Dean. Similarly, some more medical scenes are very well described and in a professional manner. The author has clearly enquired which gives an impression of professionalism that I like in novels (I don't like when an author is trying to make me believe that impossible things are real!) (it's just a case of "C'mon! that can't even exist")

Regarding the characters, I can not say too much as not to reveal the book but they are very well written. The pirates are detestable to wish and I enjoyed every problem they encountered (mwahaha). The pirates' victims are moving and we feel the horror of their situation. Dean is the good guy, always ready to help others at the risk of his life but rather subdued in the novel. As for Kelly, she is focused, efficient and her past allows her not only to be combative but also to be strong and resourceful.

As for the story, it changes constantly in a creepy game of cat and mouse. The beginning focuses on the pursuit and the collision at sea and, despite (or rather because of) the technical terms, I found it very well done. There was not a moment to stop and I really saw myself on the boat. Once the collision happened, the story takes place on land and Kelly will discover the pirates' purpose. A purpose she'll do everything to destroy. Some scenes are very hard and graphic and can bother some people but honestly, they serve to show the horror of the situation and in that, they are excellent (one should not forget Moore's nomination to the Bram Stoker price!) (it gives one an idea of his talent for horror) (you have been warned!)

In a nutshell

An excellent novel, technical and well done, a big bunch of horror, a plausible story (yes, pirates do exist...) A book that will appeal to sailing enthusiasts, horror enthusiasts or both! It's a 4/5 for me.

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

Of Fever and Blood

by Sire Cédric

Publishers Square (October 15, 2013)

369 pages - 7.99 $ (ebook)

After reading the first book L'enfant des cimetières and despite my mixed feelings due to the presence of children where I do not like to see them (see my review here), I wanted to try again reading Sire Cédric because, despite this concern, the book was very good. And as I don't like staying on an uncertainty, when the book Of Fever and Blood came out on NetGalley I took the opportunity to rediscover this so popular author. A thank you to Publishers Square and Open Road Media for the book!

The Blurb

This fast-paced, supernatural thriller is a race against time to defeat a deadly force.

Of Fever and Blood begins at the end of an investigation. Inspectors Vauvert and Svärta, an albino profiler, solve a series of sadistic ritual murders and the supposed culprits, the Salaville brothers, are killed in a standoff.

However, one year later, the killings start all over again, but this time in Paris. All forensic evidence point to the brothers, but how can that be?

Their investigation leads Svärta and Vauvert to Judith Saint-Clair, the deathly ill patient at a mental institution that also housed the Salavilles. They discover the incredible truth: Saint-Clair had manipulated the Salavilles into killing young women in order for her to accomplish magic rituals to stave off death. Nothing and no one will stop her from reaching her goal of eternal life . . . death is not an option.

What I think of it

I must say that the fantastic and even horror side is very present in the book. Yes, there is an investigation very well conducted but the supernatural elements take over. As such, I'm not sure if the category booksellers give this book (thriller) is the best. In fact, a new category should be created " thriller horror " or " horrific thriller "... in which books from this new generation of writers influenced by Stephen King as Sir Cedric or Maxime Chattam could be put into. In any case, this novel confirms the quality of writing of Sir Cedric, particularly to convey the horror.

About the book, I meet again with Vauvert with pleasure. The giant cop with a fine intelligence has grown since L'enfant des cimetières. If in the first book, he tried to do his job despite the aspects he did not understand and refused to believe in, in this second book, he's much more comfortable with supernatural elements. He accepts those elements as part of life and soon learned to write a police-report-that-can-be-read-by-chiefs. This time he teams up with Eva, a profiler cop from Paris, albino and quite broken because of a violent and muddled past that we discover as the story unfold. Eva is exceptionally competent, knows it and doesn't hesitate to follow her ideas to the great displeasure of Vauvert. If I struggled to appreciate her at the outset - because she seemed too cold and distant - as I discovered her story and, therefore, learned the reasons for her behavior it helped me to like her.

The story gets off like a bat out of hell as a young girl is kidnapped and finds herself locked in a house where the bloodstains are too numerous not to create a sense of immediate panic. Vauvert and Eva save her in extremis and everything seems to end well. Except that a year later, all start over again. Being struck by the story from the beginning created a tension that doesn't falter. Crime scenes are particularly gruesome - very well written in a fairly understated style - and strike a cord with demonic elements (hell and demons represent some kind of deap-rooted fear for most poeple).

If we know fast enough the motive behing the murders, there is a race against the clock to know WHO is the instigator and then WHERE is this famous person because he/she must be stopped as soon as possible to avoid more dead people. Throughout the book, there is a tension and a nervousness, well served by a realistic judicial proceedings. As in L'enfant des cimetières, I like to see Vauvert's efforts to make some situations credibles when they haven't one ounce of reality. In this novel, the police attempt to integrate these supernatural elements in their investigation by affixing a certain logic but when it's not possible, Vauvert doesn't hesitate to think outside the box, even if he finishes to be pursued by justice.

In a nutshell

A good novel one reads quickly, nervous and horrible. A winning trio altogether. I give it 4/5.

Good to know: Sire Cedric was awarded the 2012 Cognac Polar Prize for this book and the Cine+ Frisson 2011 Prize.

My thought on closing the book: brrr! it sends shivers down one spine!