Chris Lloyd (4)Besprekingen

This is an extremely fast-paced detective story set in Paris in 1949, just as the Germans have invaded Paris and taken control. Our very flawed hero is Inspector Eddie Giral: and he's flawed and deeply damaged thanks to his experiences as a soldier in WWI. His complex character brings grit and substance to this book, as do the vivid descriptions of a city shocked and bruised by the shame and fear engendered by its capture. But as the book moved on, I got increasingly left behind. So many characters. So many plots, sub-plots and characters who were not what they had seemed. I accept that in wartime Paris, it must have been very difficult to know who you could rely upon, but I rather lost the thread. I liked that the characters were not one-dimensional, that Lloyd made clear that there really was no one who was a 'baddie' because he fought for the enemy, or 'goodie' because he was on the side of the angels. In fact it's not simply Giral who's complex, and we, like him, really don't know who to trust. If only the plot hadn't tumbled twist upon twist, I'd have enjoyed it more. Will I read more from this series? I don't know. I need time to digest this one first, that's for sure. And anyway, the next one's not been written - yet.

Historical fiction novel about life in occupied Paris during WWII for a police detective. An intricate story, very well done except for one glaring mistake. It has quite a few Britishisms in it which every 15 pages or so ruin the feeling of being in Paris. A bit of research by the author or editor to get the slang right would have made this a masterwork.

DNF'd, request again

A thoroughly enjoyable crime novel. It's the setting that makes this one work, the Catalan city of Girona, and the simmering tension between Spanish and Catalan identity and language. The strong female lead character is a bonus, although Elisenda is haunted by the death of her young daughter, and is fighting prejudice and misogyny in her own department. OK, the general cast of characters are pretty generic to crime fiction, but the plot rattles along at a good pace, the body count is suitably and gruesomely high, and it opens readers' eyes to a new city. Definitely worth a read, and I will be setting off on the next two books very shortly.