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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
an ok story, a bit plodding, and the clues and cues felt obvious and overworked. maybe it's the translation i didn't like; it seemed to be very literal and left too much french idiom and syntax which, when done well, creates a sense of place but, when done badly only serves to distract. sorry.
I read ‘summertime, all the cats are bored’ last night and enjoyed it. Sebag was an interesting guy without relying on the usual dark past back story for a crime story! His career had stalled (read, been ruined) when he took paternity leave and shared parental leave when his daughter was born, which was an interesting spin! There was an emphasis on this being down to the traditional values of the French police but it seemed like a wider comment on the French attitude to fathers taking a more equal role in parenting. The relationships with his children and wife were super vivid and genuine - but kind of painful at times to be honest. Deffo recommend.
I couldn't not buy this book when I realised that it was set in my favourite part of France. I liked the character of the inspector and the mystery was intriguing with a tense ending.
A police procedural translated from the French, set in Perpignan, near the Spanish border. A young Dutch woman is kidnapped, and Inspector Gilles Sebag is on the case. I particularly enjoyed the setting - lots of drinking of pastis, and descriptions of the scenery. The story itself was absorbing enough, if cliched. I was surprised though that it was written in this century, given all the male detectives and the rotating gaggle of female secretaries, whose non-speaking roles seemed limited to handing out documents or coffee while being very conscious of the effect their miniskirt or blouse is having...
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Good writing. Not my usual genre; I was looking for something different. Enjoyed it but didn't stick with it! I will come back to it and rate again once I'm finished but it's been on my nightstand for a year so it's time to stop pretending.
This first novel won the SNCF Crime Fiction Prize and the City of Lens First Crime Novel Prize.
The setting is in and around Perpignan on the French Mediterranean coast. Tourists are abundant and small crimes are the normal police cases at this time. Sebag and Molino are partners in the local police force. Sebag's children are just going off on vacations with groups or friends, and his wife Claire, who is a teacher has the whole summer off. She is going on a cruise with some friends while he continues to work.
When a Dutch woman is found murdered on a nearby beach, closely followed by the disappearance of another young Dutch woman, the media jumps on the two as connected.
The kidnapper, when he makes contact, seems to have chosen Sebag as his preferred contact, the Sebag finds himself obsessed by the case, something he has seldom felt lately in his police work.
There are a variety of police here, all after the solution to the case, but not necessarily working with the same assumptions. Sebag's focus seems to be a longshot, but as the facts keep falling into line with his proposed theory, the rest of the force begins to be convinced.
The personal side, where we see Sebag's struggles with his marriage and his own issues, make him come alive. This is a great addition to the crime oevre, and I already have my order in for the next book in the series. Which is pretty nice, seeing I picked this book up mostly for the title.
The setting is in and around Perpignan on the French Mediterranean coast. Tourists are abundant and small crimes are the normal police cases at this time. Sebag and Molino are partners in the local police force. Sebag's children are just going off on vacations with groups or friends, and his wife Claire, who is a teacher has the whole summer off. She is going on a cruise with some friends while he continues to work.
When a Dutch woman is found murdered on a nearby beach, closely followed by the disappearance of another young Dutch woman, the media jumps on the two as connected.
The kidnapper, when he makes contact, seems to have chosen Sebag as his preferred contact, the Sebag finds himself obsessed by the case, something he has seldom felt lately in his police work.
There are a variety of police here, all after the solution to the case, but not necessarily working with the same assumptions. Sebag's focus seems to be a longshot, but as the facts keep falling into line with his proposed theory, the rest of the force begins to be convinced.
The personal side, where we see Sebag's struggles with his marriage and his own issues, make him come alive. This is a great addition to the crime oevre, and I already have my order in for the next book in the series. Which is pretty nice, seeing I picked this book up mostly for the title.
