Families, I adore you!
Benjamin Stevenson is Australian, he practices stand up on stage, the novel on the keyboard. And all this can be seen, read, tumbles, collides in All my family members have already killed someone, a form of homage to the times of Agatha Christie and to the time when the practitioner of detective fiction followed Ronald Knox’s 10 commandments. Clearly and more contemporary, who liked the feature film Knives Out by Rian Johnson will have a blast in this self-referential story where the author says everything from the start (up to the number of pages where there will be deaths) before playing with the reader. A game that is played by two: we laugh on each “side” of this book depicting the great reunion, in the middle of a storm in an isolated hotel, of the Cunningham family in which, yes, everyone has killed. But not everyone is a murderer. Would that make a good TV series? Exactly, it’s coming. HBO simmers it.
Sonia Sarfati
All my family members have already killed someone
★★★★
Benjamin Stevenson, translated by Cindy Colin Kapen, Sonatine, Paris, 2023, 442 pages
Nordic, but not too much
Even camped a little south of the official territory occupied by the tenors of the Nordic thriller, last party, by Clare Mackintosh, is beaten by a strong Scandinavian breath. For this new novel, richer than the very well received Hostage, the British author looks close to her home, on the border between England and Wales. The village is called Cwm Coed; the lake, Llyn Drych; the victim, Rhys Lloyd. On the English side of the body of water, in this wild and beautiful nature, the latter has planted luxury chalets which are not unanimous. On this festive night of December 31, “fate” strikes: the man is found, floating in the clear but now murky waters of the lake. A local Welsh agent and a non-local English investigator are working the case. Mismatched tandem. Policemen damaged by life. We know the song. Until we no longer know her. Exotic in places and “bouncing” in intrigue, this chilly thriller leaves no time to hang up his skates.
Sonia Sarfati
Last party
★★★★
Clare Mackintosh, translated by Françoise Smith, Black Lab, Paris, 2023, 428 pages
The trap of beauty
Jack, the new fly fishing guide, finds himself immersed in the idyllic setting of the Kingfisher Lodge, in the highlands of Colorado. It’s a fabulous place — a wild, fish-filled river at the bottom of a wooded canyon — almost inaccessible, reserved for the “rich and famous” who come here to fish for trout, leaving behind the harshness of the world. A dream ! Especially since his client, Allison K, is not fishing for the first time, which makes the job even more interesting. But despite the beauty of the place, the luxury of the accommodation and the quality of the whole, something is wrong. This is due to the other residents of the place and to a few small details that do not stick. Jack investigates discreetly, in touch, binds to Allison and discovers the pot of roses. Terrible, unacceptable. All this is delivered in fascinating writing, well rendered by the translation and mixing contemplation and suspense. Add a breathtakingly beautiful setting… and you have a must-see author.
Michael Belair
Guide
★★★1/2
Peter Heller, translated by Céline Leroy, Actes Sud, Arles, 2023, 301 pages
cold revenge
In the middle of winter, from Montreal to Rivière-au-Renard via the upper town of Quebec, three bodies were found bearing the same clear clue: the drawing of a blue butterfly. As if the killer wanted to be identified even if nothing seems to connect the victims. Before stirring up the population by talking about a serial killer, the SPVM police officers led by the team of Detective Lieutenant Jack Barral embark on a frantic hunt. Soon the investigation allows to identify a slight common point between the three victims: a hockey team in a “garage league” somewhere at the end of the last century. Things speed up even more when the list of victims grows longer… A dense, systematic, very well conducted investigation. Olivier Challet knows all about it since he has already published a good half-dozen thrillers for teens with the same publisher. Here, he has gone straight into the big leagues with a solid story carried by credible characters. To be continued…
Michael Belair
playoff series
★★★1/2
Olivier Challet, Boreal “Black”, Montreal, 2023, 371 pages