Once for this time...

I won't review a book but show off with my interview!

Marina Sofia, whom you can find on Twitter or on her delicious blog, findingtimetowrite, is featuring interviews with avid readers of crime fiction. And I had the great pleasure to answer her questions this month. 

Marina Sofia is a writer, a poet, who also review crime fiction on the Crime Fiction Lover website. She's a book lover and a crime fiction fan. We almost meet each other at Quais du Polar in France. Well, she saw me as I was a volunteer and didn't allow her to go into a room already too full of people (it was YOU! she told me) (I'm happy to see she's not mad at me!) Now I wish I could remember our first encounter (I guess I just have to go back there and meet her again!)

On the first of december, I was her guest. So if (or more "as" mwahaha) you want to know a little bit more about me or you don't but you'd like to read her posts which go from poetry to pictures, interviews, reviews, etc (everyone of you should find some kind of delight!), you just have to go there.

The Bleiberg Project by David Khara

(Consortium Thriller Book 1)

Le French Book (April 22 2013)

280 pages - 4,48 $ (kindle edition)

One again, it's because of Le French Book that I discover a French author. And I'll say that it's because I love their books that I tried The Bleiberg Projet as spy stories are not what I choose first. But it must be said that the fact that it speaks of history also helped me to choose this novel...

The blurb

Are Hitler’s atrocities really over? For depressive Wall Street trader Jeremy Corbin, absolute truths become undeniable lies overnight. He finds out his long-lost father is dead and boards a plane to Zurich with a Nazi medallion in his pocket, a hot CIA bodyguard next to him, and a clearly dangerous Mossad agent on his tail. What was his father investigating? Why was his mother assassinated? Can the conspiracy be stopped? An instant sensation in France -- Blue Moon Award for Best Thriller -- Over 130,000 copies sold

What's good about it?

The relentless pace of the story. This book is short and intense. From the very beginning, we are drawn into the story. It starts with Jay that we follow throughout and in the first person. I thought that it was cool to live the story with the other two protagonists but when through the eyes of Jay, it brings the kind of dark humour I like. Jay is assisted by a Mossad agent, Eytan, a giant who hides a dark secret (secret that one quickly understands) and a CIA agent, cute enough to give Jay back a certain taste for living. The story is told from different points of view and moves from the third person to first person when it comes to Jay, but this is done very well and helps to make the story lighter when Jay let out some very ironic remarks.

The story is well done, the indices are given throughout the story, even if we discover things by ourselves and before the protagonists (which I always find a bit of a shame) (but which can be flattering: yeah ! I found the answer before him!) (in the same time, him being a character, it's pretty silly to be best) (but one finds his delight where one can, right?) The three accomplices find themselves chasing the missing elements to allow them to save the world and their lives. With that, if I tell you that there's some CIA, Mossad and other hidden but global organizations involved... it gives you a good idea of the tension in this book. For fans of global conspiracy, genetic mutation and other experiment, you'll love The Bleiberg Project! (anti-GMO will also find compelling arguments)

We meet a bunch of characters, from the protagonists - Jay the trader-moron who proves intelligent, funny and humble enough eventually, Eytan the enigmatic character that you would like to know more, especially given his past and Jackie the CIA secret weapon: small but mighty! - to the historical figures (Himmler, Hitler and other Nazis eager for scientific experiments and to create the perfect creature). Because yes, we go from one era to another, from one gang of merry men to another, it sprays with bullets, it bursts and it's breathtaking.

And kudos for the translator, Simon John! I don't know what the book is like in French but the tone of the English version was excellent!

In a nutshell

An excellent book that reads quickly, a fast-paced story and a devastating humor. The Bleiberg Project was a great success and it's well deserved. It is a 4.5 / 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.

Hush by Anne Frasier

Belfry Press (Sept. 24 2010)

Kindle Edition

394 pages - 3.99 $

I have to say that once again, the cover attracted me, because it is quite disturbing. Then this book is the new edition of a book that has already been successful in the past. So I thought that I did not risk much by reading Hush!

The blurb

What's your greatest fear? 

It's criminal profiler Ivy Dunlap's job to unravel the psyches of the most dangerous men alive. None haunts her dreams more than the killer who took her son's life sixteen years ago, then silently disappeared into the dark. Now an urgent request for help from the Chicago police has reawakened Ivy's greatest nightmare. The Madonna Murderer has returned to fulfill his calling. This time Ivy understands the killer and will face her greatest fear to stop him from killing again. 

What's good about it?

I liked the combination of cop and criminal psychologist whose true identity is hidden (even if the identity is mostly hidden from the cops, since we understand very quickly who she is). The characters are well written and complement each other well. The writing is fluid, it's an easy and quick reading. There's nothing complicated, we are dealing with a psychopath that we discover very early in the book. Yet Hush has a few surprises here and there. The possibility that Max's son is Ivy's is very well done, the mystery lingers (well, I won't give you the answer, you need to read the book!)

Hush follows the traditional structure of the thriller, all the ingredients are there and well used. It's a race against time against the madness of a killer with a lousy and weird sense of empathy. Hush, it's also the traditional story of a love/hate relationship between mother and son, repeatedly used in thrillers, but still effective. So nothing very surprising, but still a good book because of Anne Frasier's     quality of writing.

In a nutshell

A good novel, a race against time and well-written characters. It 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.

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.

Train d'enfer pour ange rouge and Deuils de miel by Franck Thilliez

Pocket (Nov. 4 2013)

832 pages - 17.95 $

A little extra for this book which has two books inside, bought at the Quais du Polar festival in Lyon this year and signed by Franck... Brilliant! This book is the first in the series with Franck Sharko and explains Eugenie's presence, which had me a little disoriented reading Syndrome E. Ideally, one should therefore start with this book to discover Sharko, in absolute terms, it is not that bad because the discovery of his story afterwards do not detract from the pleasure of reading his adventures. I don't think it's already translated in English thoughj (a shame indeed) but let's hope they'll be!

The back cover announces that: 

Launched at a breakneck or approaching silently, death walks on the bloody track. Lille, Paris suburb... Terminus. One way for criminal insanity. Commissioner Sharko does not travel light. At each stop: death. Slow. Brutal. Barbarian. Gathered here for the first time, his first two investigation in the heart of darkness, where honey and tears have the bitterness of spilled blood. 

But what are the stories? (It's my own translation, so it might not be like that in the English version)

Hell Train for Red Angel 

A corpse is found by the police near Paris. The victim was decapitated, her eyes gouged out and placed in their orbit, members suspended by hooks... Commissioner Franck Sharko is responsible for the investigation. This murder interests him especially as his wife, Suzanne, disappeared 6 months ago and she could be, right now, in the hands of the same kind of madman. Soon indices are sent directly by the murderer to Sharko, by email and on his laptop... The killer is close. He knows that Frank is helped by a profiler and a pro IT with his investigation. Another body of a woman who died of her wounds is found in a disused slaughterhouses, horribly tortured and whose agony was filmed for months. From the SM Parisian clubs to the very closed environment of French porn king, Sharko traces the killer who is always one step ahead... 

Mourning of honey

One year after the tragic death of his wife and daughter, the Commissioner Sharko is back in service for a strange case: in the Church of Issy les Moulineaux, a woman fully shaved is found dead, butterflies on the skull. A cryptic message carved in a stone guide Sharko to other atrocities and murders increasingly wild. Despite his open wound and visible addiction to various substances, Sharko embarks on the trail of what looks more and more like a serial killer. The more he advances in the investigation, the more he realizes he must stem the tide as soon as possible. Completely exhausted, he must also deal with the nocturnal visits of a little girl who seems to have supernatural powers... 

What's good about them?

It has been rightfully said that "with Thilliez, it's safe." And indeed, you'll get your thrill, travel, horror and so on. These books are not really for the faint hearted. It's very far from the Victorian novel! Here, there is blood, bodies torn, cut, rotting: that's hardcore!. The horror of the killings is particularly distressing as Sharko's wife is missing (in the first book) and we can't help, as Sharko, to draw a parallel between the victims and her, fearing that she's living the same thing. Franck faces a particularly diabolical killer who's closed to him. 

I won't spoiled anything by speaking about Sharko's wife's death as it's written in the second book blurb that is even more tortured. Frank loses it and not a little. We follow him as he goes down (literally) into hell, always with the most atrocious crimes and the arrival of characters as endearing  as strange. 

One thing is certain, you will be taken by these two books which suspense won't stop till the end, with an super endearing cop - that we learn to like with his strengths and especially his weaknesses - with two very well-crafted and fast-paced stories and, as always, Thilliez's attention to detail, well explained, his extensive research on various topics he serves us on a silver platter because it must be said, he's the champion of popularisation! His novels are based on a subject slightly more complicated or unknown and he makes it all very easy to understand. I especially like learning new things while reading and with him, it's coming up! 

Two small problems have hampered my reading though which surprised me even more as I had not had that feeling with his other books, but this slight annoyance disappeared along my reading (or I got used to it... go figure!) Almost all descriptions are metaphors and other figures of speech, which I think is perfectly suited to the literary novel, but a little less in a thriller, where I expect a little more nervous writing in connection with the story. But then again, it might just be a cause of "too much is like too less". And I find the ellipsis in dialogue series so-so. Just tell me the character is out of breath, exhausted, hesitating, etc. I... I do not... need to... put the... "..." all the time... to force me to... make a... pause... 

In a nutshell 

Two excellent books to devour, not to put in all hands for a descent into the Parisian underworld, a sprinkling of religion and voodoo à la arachnid sauce, it's a 4/5 for me.

A Penny for the Hangman by Tom Savage

Random House Publishing Group - Alibi - (Oct. 7 2014)
259 pages - 2.99 $ (epub)

The catchy title and the publisher: Alibi made ​​me ask this title on NetGalley. Although I must say that the blurb in which the female journalist is in a bikini made ​​me fear that it was a kind of book à la San Antonio (not my cup of tea), it is not absolutely not that kind of book.

The blurb

In Tom Savage’s chilling novel of suspense, an ambitious reporter is beckoned to an island paradise for the story of a lifetime. But this scoop might just be the death of her.

Fifty years ago, on the Caribbean island of St. Thomas, two teenagers born to privilege were convicted of slaughtering their parents in cold blood. Today the men are free and a Hollywood movie has been made about the murders. For Karen Tyler, an eager New York journalist, the case is irresistible. She has been invited to the Virgin Islands for an interview that’s too good to pass up . . . and sounds too good to be true.

Karen packs her bikini and her digital recorder and follows an ingeniously designed trail that leads her to a wealthy, mysterious figure. The man claims to be one of the notorious boys, but Karen soon learns that all is not as it seems. On this isolated utopia of sun and surf, a young reporter far from home fights for the truth—and for her life. Because the shocking secret behind the infamous atrocities has remained hidden all these years. And the killing isn’t over yet.

What's good in that book?

This book was a blast! The pace does not fail, there is always something intriguing or disturbing. The stressful informations are revealed along the story. The narrative is interspersed with extracts from the diary of one of the teen killers, excerpts from police reports, minutes of the trial, testimony... and a disturbing correspondence from Karen. From the start, we know that another tragedy occurred on the island and she is in danger. From the start, we follow her story by being afraid of the end. Stress increases bit by bit because of the dialogues and the trap that closes on her. 

The characters are well written with shady guys, rogues (and I'm not talking about the bad guy...), naive or clever ones, there's something for everyone. There are still some cliché (both affluent teens are necessarily exceptionally beautiful and intelligent) but this does not hinder the story, it is not what stands out most about this book. What stands out most is the countdown to an end that we know/sense/guess horrible. 

Extracts or inserting text into a story - whether to give information or returns in the past - are not always easy to write in a book because they cut too abruptly the story or that they're hard to understand what they bring up to the final moment. But Tom Savage pass the exercice in style with brio. The extracts are timely writen to provide an explanation when the story needs it or sow a little anxiety and stress because the revelation brought only confirms us in our fears. 

In a nutshell

A good and stressful book that reads in one go, Tom Savage plays with our nerves and we ask for more! It is 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 Burning by Jane Casey

Maeve Kerrigan Novels

Minotaur Books; Reprint edition (May 8 2012)

368 pages - 13.86 $

It's been a while since I have this book in my To Be Read pile (TBR) on Netgalley and I finally decided to start it... and I finished it in a few days! I admit that the romantic side in a detective series bothers me, it's not my kind of reading but ultimately I do not regret it. 

The blurb

In this first in Casey’s thrilling, romantic mystery series for adults, meet Detective Constables Maeve Kerrigan and Rob Langton 

The Burning Man. It’s the name the media has given a brutal murderer who has beaten four young women to death before setting their bodies ablaze in secluded areas of London’s parks. And now there’s a fifth.

Maeve Kerrigan is an ambitious detective constable, keen to make her mark on the murder task force. Her male colleagues believe Maeve’s empathy makes her weak, but the more she learns about the latest victim, Rebecca Haworth, from her grieving friends and family, the more determined Maeve becomes to bring her murderer to justice. But how do you catch a killer no one has seen when so much of the evidence has gone up in smoke?

Maeve’s frenetic hunt for a killer in Jane Casey’s gripping series debut will entrance even the most jaded suspense readers.

What's good in that book

I should say at once that once again, the blurb provided by the publisher does not really stick to the story! (I wonder if the person who writes the blurb actually reads the books...) 

Maeve investigate the fifth victim because 1) her boss asked her to and 2) because they have found evidences that differ from the other murders. Point. If her male colleagues make fun of her, it's not because she has empathy for the victim but because she is a woman in a man's world. Point (bis). This topic is rather well treated in fact, Maeve having learned to defend herself and to respond to attacks from her colleagues which changes from some of the other novels. Here, the author does not dwell on machismo, gender relations and sexual harassment at work with long speeches. She treats the subject as a fact and shows the difficulties faced by Maeve through sometimes rough dialogues! 

Maeve investigate the latest victim, whose body we discovered early in the book. In view of certain elements, the detectives want to know if the victim is one of the Burning Man or not. Throughout the story, we thus learn more about Rebecca, her friends, her family, her past. The other four victims, meanwhile, are only vaguely described. I must say that I knew before the end who killed Rebecca (and yet, I never try to know in advance, because I like to be surprised) (for those who like to rack their brain to find the culprit, it can be frustrating). The story is well done, the results of the investigation are revealed as you go. There is a bit of luck in the discovery of the culprit, a little action, some wounded, in short, you do not get bored. 

If you worry about the romantic part of the book, it's very light, so this is not a problem for those who do not like affectations. The author puts a lot of humor in the relationships, which makes the story less romantic but more real. Good to know also, the book is mainly narrated throught the point of view of Maeve and Louise, Rebecca's best friend. The chapters are identified, so there is no possibility of confusing the characters which is fine because the author has not quite managed to create different voices for the two women (but I may be biased after reading Lauren Beukes, champion of the characterization).

In a nutshell

Some likable characters, a story well done, realistic dialogues and a bit of humor, it's 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.