Reviews

The Hanged Man: A Mystery in Fin de Siecle Paris by Gary Inbinder

iam_griff's review

3.0

I enjoyed this mystery & found it highly entertaining. Gary Inbinder paints a vivid picture of a 1890s Paris as Inspector Achille Lefebvre is pulled into a case which could be a simple suicide, but turns out to be so much more. I think I would’ve given this book more stars if I knew French, which isn’t exactly the books fault. Also the case is a bit of a slow burn without a terrible amount of action. I would still recommend to others if looking for a good mystery.

davidwemyers's review

2.0

Frankly I think two stars is a bit generous. I did enjoy the setting, turn of the century Paris was an interesting place, and one the author clearly has knowledge of. I also enjoyed that it was brief.

Call me old-fashioned, but I like to get to the end of a mystery and have the mystery be... you know, solved. Ideally through some combination of doggedness and brilliance by the protagonist. Without getting too much into spoilers we know pretty much the same amount about the motivations of the antagonists on page 10 as we do on page 210. Their plot is simplistic and obvious, and our hero discovers it basically by having lowlifes follow them around and snitch on them. Perhaps the book was trying to subtly make some larger point about the day to day tedium and banality of police work...

cspiwak's review

3.0

This is the second I’ve read on the series and I felt it wasn’t as good as Devil in Montmartre. Characters are good, plot, tied to French history, with, for me , a little bit too much international intrigue.ill try another, but if he continues in the spy versus police procedural, probably not for me