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redheadstorm's review
5.0
So take a wild guess which book I picked to start off my 2015 reading season with?! (oh the sweet anticipation of the selection process) I knew that the release date for book #3 in Frédérique Molay's Paris Homicide series is just around the corner so I was "saving" the book in order to (savor it and) be able to rave about it around the time of its publication so that other readers would be able to grab their copy of the book right away. (it is NOT a sweet torture waiting for the next book in a series you love)
My enthusiasm for the series, for Frédérique Molay's writing style and imagination, for the character of Nico Sirsky (swoon) has not diminished one bit and The City of Blood gave me enough fuel to feed my anticipation of book #4 now. This time around the story leads us into the world of Parisian art and artists. During the excavation of a modern art installation at La Villette park the workers dig up more than just art - discovery of human remains will have the Police Chief Nico Sirsky and his team trying to uncover many long buried secrets. As in the previous two books in the background there is a subplot regarding Nico's family/private life.
There are many things I enjoy about this series and the murder mystery aspect of it is just one element. I love learning new things about Paris, its history, its landscape. I think I might even end up creating a little "Paris Homicide book series tour guide to Paris" in order to make sure I cover all these places next time I go for a visit. At one point in the book Nico and one of his colleagues have to go to a gay bar/club in order to hunt down some information relevant to the investigation and I must say that was probably one of the most entertaining moments in the series. It felt so very French to me. Obviously I cannot recommend this series enough, especially for all the lovers of police procedurals.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I can honestly say that I am extremely grateful to Le French Book for supplying me with the books from this series because I am sure that my eagerness and impatience could've been detrimental to my health. Now I'm off to find out how long till book #4.
My enthusiasm for the series, for Frédérique Molay's writing style and imagination, for the character of Nico Sirsky (swoon) has not diminished one bit and The City of Blood gave me enough fuel to feed my anticipation of book #4 now. This time around the story leads us into the world of Parisian art and artists. During the excavation of a modern art installation at La Villette park the workers dig up more than just art - discovery of human remains will have the Police Chief Nico Sirsky and his team trying to uncover many long buried secrets. As in the previous two books in the background there is a subplot regarding Nico's family/private life.
There are many things I enjoy about this series and the murder mystery aspect of it is just one element. I love learning new things about Paris, its history, its landscape. I think I might even end up creating a little "Paris Homicide book series tour guide to Paris" in order to make sure I cover all these places next time I go for a visit. At one point in the book Nico and one of his colleagues have to go to a gay bar/club in order to hunt down some information relevant to the investigation and I must say that was probably one of the most entertaining moments in the series. It felt so very French to me. Obviously I cannot recommend this series enough, especially for all the lovers of police procedurals.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I can honestly say that I am extremely grateful to Le French Book for supplying me with the books from this series because I am sure that my eagerness and impatience could've been detrimental to my health. Now I'm off to find out how long till book #4.
katherineep's review
4.0
I loved the concept of this book. An art exhibit that is buried to be dug up 30 years later with great fanfare? That's brilliant and then when a skeleton is discovered in the remains of the buried art exhibit during the very public exhumation of that exhibit? Also brilliant! Now Nico and his colleagues have a 30 year old murder to investigate but are shocked when a recent series of murdes seem to have a tie in to the skeleton.
While the murders are very brutal and everything is clearly dealt with there's a distance to the book itself that will keep you turning pages but won't give you nightmares. The writing style approaches the murders from almost an academic perspective even though everyone is involved is very motivated to solve the murders. The book reminded me very much of early Aaron Elkins books which I gobbled up by the handful years ago.
It was fascinating to get a look into the French legal system, attitudes on art, on homosexual lifestyles, and just day to day life in Paris. There's a subplot with Nico's mother that I ordinarily would object to but the author did a fantastic job tying in to Nico's motivations to solving the murders.
My only complaint is that it was a little hard to keep the characters strait but I suspect that it is because I'm starting the series on the 3rd book. I think I would've enjoyed it more if I'd started at the beginning.
Full Review: http://iwishilivedinalibrary.blogspot.com/2015/01/city-of-blood-blog-tour-review.html
While the murders are very brutal and everything is clearly dealt with there's a distance to the book itself that will keep you turning pages but won't give you nightmares. The writing style approaches the murders from almost an academic perspective even though everyone is involved is very motivated to solve the murders. The book reminded me very much of early Aaron Elkins books which I gobbled up by the handful years ago.
It was fascinating to get a look into the French legal system, attitudes on art, on homosexual lifestyles, and just day to day life in Paris. There's a subplot with Nico's mother that I ordinarily would object to but the author did a fantastic job tying in to Nico's motivations to solving the murders.
My only complaint is that it was a little hard to keep the characters strait but I suspect that it is because I'm starting the series on the 3rd book. I think I would've enjoyed it more if I'd started at the beginning.
Full Review: http://iwishilivedinalibrary.blogspot.com/2015/01/city-of-blood-blog-tour-review.html
booksuperpower's review
3.0
The City of Blood by Frederique Molay is a 2015 Le French Publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book has been translated from French to English by Jeffrey Zuckerman.
This is the third book featuring the elite Paris crime squad headed by chief of police Nico Sirsky. In this installment, the squad is caught of guard when the excavation of a long buried banquet unearths a dead body along with it, while being filmed live for national television.
The case is an unusual one to say the least. Forensics will have their hands full dealing with a thirty year old skeleton, nicknamed “ Skeletor”. I enjoyed the forensic explanations and the way the author handled what could be rather dry reading - or disturbing to some, with a little humor, keeping the tone as light as possibly while detailing causes and times of death.
As it so happens, the son of a famous artist disappeared thirty years ago and so it stands to reason, the body is mostly likely his. Now the man's family will have to be told and all his old friends, lovers and colleagues will be interrogated. There may be one or two other metaphorical skeletons unearthed along the way as result.
In the midst of the investigations, Nico's mother suffers serious health issues and Carolyn must keep him updated as the case heats up.
My thoughts:
The laws in France are just a little different than here in the States when it comes to the statutes of limitations. For serious crimes, even murder, the limit is ten years. However, there are loop holes when new evidence comes to light. So, when it becomes clear the person buried all those years ago was indeed murdered, Nico and his team try to solve the case. A certain odd discovery about the body however, leads Nico to believe whoever killed him may be the same person the media has dubbed “The Paris Butcher”.
Sadly, this case was just too predictable for me. I love Nico, the insights into his personal life, and the Paris setting. I feel like I am actually in Paris when I pick up a book from this series. But, I figured this one out by the half way point. That isn't to say I had the culprit pinpointed, but I pretty much figured out what happened and the motive was fairly obvious. Not only that, this particular scenario has been done many times before in a thousand different ways, making the story not only predicable, but a little lifeless too. The sharp dialogue with the team and most notably with Carolyn is missing too. There is one scene in the book that was pretty funny and I had to admit I got a visual that had me laughing out loud.
Although, I found this chapter in the series a little lukewarm, I am still a fan and hope the next book picks up speed just a little bit.
I do appreciate the work the translator did with the book and as always it is very impressive.
3 stars
This book has been translated from French to English by Jeffrey Zuckerman.
This is the third book featuring the elite Paris crime squad headed by chief of police Nico Sirsky. In this installment, the squad is caught of guard when the excavation of a long buried banquet unearths a dead body along with it, while being filmed live for national television.
The case is an unusual one to say the least. Forensics will have their hands full dealing with a thirty year old skeleton, nicknamed “ Skeletor”. I enjoyed the forensic explanations and the way the author handled what could be rather dry reading - or disturbing to some, with a little humor, keeping the tone as light as possibly while detailing causes and times of death.
As it so happens, the son of a famous artist disappeared thirty years ago and so it stands to reason, the body is mostly likely his. Now the man's family will have to be told and all his old friends, lovers and colleagues will be interrogated. There may be one or two other metaphorical skeletons unearthed along the way as result.
In the midst of the investigations, Nico's mother suffers serious health issues and Carolyn must keep him updated as the case heats up.
My thoughts:
The laws in France are just a little different than here in the States when it comes to the statutes of limitations. For serious crimes, even murder, the limit is ten years. However, there are loop holes when new evidence comes to light. So, when it becomes clear the person buried all those years ago was indeed murdered, Nico and his team try to solve the case. A certain odd discovery about the body however, leads Nico to believe whoever killed him may be the same person the media has dubbed “The Paris Butcher”.
Sadly, this case was just too predictable for me. I love Nico, the insights into his personal life, and the Paris setting. I feel like I am actually in Paris when I pick up a book from this series. But, I figured this one out by the half way point. That isn't to say I had the culprit pinpointed, but I pretty much figured out what happened and the motive was fairly obvious. Not only that, this particular scenario has been done many times before in a thousand different ways, making the story not only predicable, but a little lifeless too. The sharp dialogue with the team and most notably with Carolyn is missing too. There is one scene in the book that was pretty funny and I had to admit I got a visual that had me laughing out loud.
Although, I found this chapter in the series a little lukewarm, I am still a fan and hope the next book picks up speed just a little bit.
I do appreciate the work the translator did with the book and as always it is very impressive.
3 stars
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