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Anne Marie Laveaud Mystery #1
Un autre soleil
French judge Anne Marie Levaud has to rethink her murder investigation techniques when she is assigned to the tiny French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe.
On a plantation in the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, a man's body is found in a pond, riddled with bullets. The victim is Monsieur Calais, a wealthy land-owner. Within twenty-four hours, a suspect is arrested. He had been making death threats against Calais, claiming that land had been stolen from him, and the gun used to shoot Calais was found buried on his property. This, coupled with the fact that the man had just returned from a forty-year exile in French Guyana for murdering his wife, is enough to convince the gendarmes of his guilt.
Anne Marie Laveaud, a French-born judge who has recently been transferred to Guadeloupe, is called in to make a ruling. With a keen sense of compassion for the accused, she must navigate the world of Caribbean justice—very different from what she was used to in France—to confirm her suspicion that all is not as it seems.
On a plantation in the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, a man's body is found in a pond, riddled with bullets. The victim is Monsieur Calais, a wealthy land-owner. Within twenty-four hours, a suspect is arrested. He had been making death threats against Calais, claiming that land had been stolen from him, and the gun used to shoot Calais was found buried on his property. This, coupled with the fact that the man had just returned from a forty-year exile in French Guyana for murdering his wife, is enough to convince the gendarmes of his guilt.
Anne Marie Laveaud, a French-born judge who has recently been transferred to Guadeloupe, is called in to make a ruling. With a keen sense of compassion for the accused, she must navigate the world of Caribbean justice—very different from what she was used to in France—to confirm her suspicion that all is not as it seems.
409 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
17 people are currently reading
215 people want to read
About the author
Timothy Williams
13 books15 followersTimothy Williams was born in Walthamstow, England in 1946. He went to Chigwell School, Essex and the Universities of St. Andrews and Manchester. He has taught at various schools and the universities of Poitiers, Bari and Pavia. He now lives and teaches in Guadeloupe.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
July 4, 2015
A few weeks ago I picked up a library book ‘The Honest Folk of Guadeloupe’ by Timothy Williams, attracted to it on the display as we know someone who lives in the French Caribbean on that very island. Realising it was the second book in a series I borrowed the first book, ‘Another Sun’, instead. When I got home I discovered that the author was born in Walthamstow (London, E17, UK) where I was born and still live, but has long lived abroad initially in Europe and now in Guadeloupe.
The BBC shows an enjoyable detective series called ‘Death in Paradise’, set on a fictitious Caribbean island but actually shot on Guadeloupe. It seems an idyllic location, despite the regular crimes solved by the actors. If you are expecting ‘Another Sun’ also to be a story which majors on relaxing Caribbean escapism, with romance and cocktails, this definitely isn’t the book for you. ‘Another Sun’ is a gritty murder mystery steeped in the colonial and racial politics of 1980s Guadeloupe.
Main character, Juge Anne Marie Laveaud, is assigned to investigate the murder of a local landowner. She encounters lack of cooperation from both locals and colleagues, with prejudice against both her sex and her skin colour. Working mostly on her belief that an injustice has been done, she eventually solves the case by uncovering evidence of decades old cover up and corruption.
I enjoyed the plotline, which kept my attention right to the end, but would have liked a bit more local colour. I was not left with a strong image of place or location. There was mention of tropical humidity and visits to the beach, but otherwise with a little adjustment the storyline could have transferred to almost anywhere. We got to know a little about Anne Marie herself, her relationship with her son Fabrice, her family background and also a little about Monsieur Trousseau, her registrar (greffier), but I found it difficult to find any of the characters especially endearing. I fully expect, as with any series, the characterisation and location information will continue to be developed.
French terms litter the book. This did not trouble me but some readers could find a glossary helpful. However, three unfamiliar English words sent me to the dictionary. I always enjoy learning new words, as long as there are not too many, so I have now discovered ‘steatopygours’, ‘threnody’ and ‘uxoricide’, plus the French term ‘greffier’
As a footnote, I need to record here that sometimes fact is stranger than fiction! At the end of June I was at a small local supper party. Someone had invited a guest she had met by chance who turned out to be Tim Williams, the author of this book, back in Walthamstow for a flying visit. At the time I was just a few chapters before the end of the book. As we were chatting over supper suddenly the penny dropped! I had been recording updates of my reading progress on ‘Goodreads’, which were automatically posting to my Twitter feed, so he had been aware that someone in Walthamstow was reading his book. However, the chance of us being two out of a dozen people in the same garden in an E17 population of, say, 100,000 is slim to say the least. It was a lovely evening and a pleasure to meet Tim. I look forward to eventually reading ‘The Honest Folk of Guadeloupe’, which I understand is set ten years after ‘Another Sun’. Perhaps too, one day, I might even get to see Guadeloupe for myself.
The BBC shows an enjoyable detective series called ‘Death in Paradise’, set on a fictitious Caribbean island but actually shot on Guadeloupe. It seems an idyllic location, despite the regular crimes solved by the actors. If you are expecting ‘Another Sun’ also to be a story which majors on relaxing Caribbean escapism, with romance and cocktails, this definitely isn’t the book for you. ‘Another Sun’ is a gritty murder mystery steeped in the colonial and racial politics of 1980s Guadeloupe.
Main character, Juge Anne Marie Laveaud, is assigned to investigate the murder of a local landowner. She encounters lack of cooperation from both locals and colleagues, with prejudice against both her sex and her skin colour. Working mostly on her belief that an injustice has been done, she eventually solves the case by uncovering evidence of decades old cover up and corruption.
I enjoyed the plotline, which kept my attention right to the end, but would have liked a bit more local colour. I was not left with a strong image of place or location. There was mention of tropical humidity and visits to the beach, but otherwise with a little adjustment the storyline could have transferred to almost anywhere. We got to know a little about Anne Marie herself, her relationship with her son Fabrice, her family background and also a little about Monsieur Trousseau, her registrar (greffier), but I found it difficult to find any of the characters especially endearing. I fully expect, as with any series, the characterisation and location information will continue to be developed.
French terms litter the book. This did not trouble me but some readers could find a glossary helpful. However, three unfamiliar English words sent me to the dictionary. I always enjoy learning new words, as long as there are not too many, so I have now discovered ‘steatopygours’, ‘threnody’ and ‘uxoricide’, plus the French term ‘greffier’
As a footnote, I need to record here that sometimes fact is stranger than fiction! At the end of June I was at a small local supper party. Someone had invited a guest she had met by chance who turned out to be Tim Williams, the author of this book, back in Walthamstow for a flying visit. At the time I was just a few chapters before the end of the book. As we were chatting over supper suddenly the penny dropped! I had been recording updates of my reading progress on ‘Goodreads’, which were automatically posting to my Twitter feed, so he had been aware that someone in Walthamstow was reading his book. However, the chance of us being two out of a dozen people in the same garden in an E17 population of, say, 100,000 is slim to say the least. It was a lovely evening and a pleasure to meet Tim. I look forward to eventually reading ‘The Honest Folk of Guadeloupe’, which I understand is set ten years after ‘Another Sun’. Perhaps too, one day, I might even get to see Guadeloupe for myself.
July 16, 2013
Guadeloupe may look like a tiny island paradise owned by the French, but under the lazy tropical sun, Guadeloupe is like a political powder keg. How can an outsider like Marie Laveaud have any hope of representing the law of France here, when the reality is so different?
The story
Marie Laveaud has moved to Guadeloupe with her son Fabrice and her husband Jean Michel. Marie immediately got work as a judge of inquiry, but Jean Michel, a native of the island, is not so lucky. He seems to apply for lots of work, but doesn't get anywhere. While this is worrying to Marie peripherally, she has landed the case of her life – the murder of Raymond Calais.
Raymond Calais is a beke from a wealthy family, who squandered the land he inherited. When he is found shot to death on his property, there is only one logical person to blame; Hegesippe Bray. Some of Calais's land was rightfully his, and while Bray had been in exile in South America for the murder of his wife, Raymond Calais had taken the land back. The case seems like a slam dunk; the murder weapon is engraved with Bray's name.
But the case takes a turn, and Marie finds herself alone against a large wall of bureaucracy when she suspects that Bray is innocent. She begins to uncover secret corruption, revolutionary communist plots, and the deep unsettled nature of her new home. But what can she achieve when everybody just wants her to let lie? And she doesn't know just how close to home the revolution will hit.
The style
Another Sun has a fantastic sense of place. The lazy fans turning on the ceilings, the way poor Marie Laveaud is covered in sweat all the time, the cool tiles and the glasses of juice all scream tropics. It's an incredibly tactile reading experience, and that I enjoyed very much.
I'll admit, there's a lot going on in the story line. I actually discussed the book with a French friend, just to try and get a handle on it, because colonialism is tough and very much place-specific. But armed with just a little bit of knowledge about the history of those islands made me feel equip to read the story, which was compelling no matter how much background you start with. Because it isn't just a murder. It's murder, which becomes a murder followed by a suicide, which may not be a suicide. And then there's the history and the motivation of everyone involved, and why they behave like they do, all speculated by characters and police reports. And then there's the things the locals want to keep hidden, that Marie has so much trouble finding out, not to mention the complications of politics and corruption and who her bosses know and what they actually want coming out of the investigation. The only thing worse than corruption is corruption when you dont' know how to play the politics because you're a stranger, and that is what Marie deals with throughout the story.
The isolation of Marie in her adopted country is masterfully written, as his her strained relationship with her husband, mother in law, and work colleagues. She will always be a stranger, and has to deal with that while representing the law in a country far less civilised than her own. It's a really compelling read, even though it's a bit of a challenge initially if you aren't au fait with Guadeloupe in the 1980s specifically.
Who is this book for?
It did make me want to holiday to the tropics, even at the risk of communist revolution. It is also a very interesting insight into these little Carribean islands. So I guess if you're into that kind of thing, this is the book for you.
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I love Soho as a publisher. Their crime is always just a cut above.
November 12, 2020
Didn’t enjoy this book.
But I finished it because I wanted to know who killed the bad guy Raymond Calais. & I wanted to know if the old man did actually hang himself while locked up in jail.
However, this book is so full of racial slurs that it left me cross eyed. I mean, it was tiresome reading all that racially hateful language. No ethnic group was spared.
Not recommended. At all.
But I finished it because I wanted to know who killed the bad guy Raymond Calais. & I wanted to know if the old man did actually hang himself while locked up in jail.
However, this book is so full of racial slurs that it left me cross eyed. I mean, it was tiresome reading all that racially hateful language. No ethnic group was spared.
Not recommended. At all.
Read
June 26, 2015I love taking trips to places I’ve never been and I think this is the first novel I’ve read set in Guadeloupe. It is an underdog tale with a twist.
“Another Sun” by Timothy Williams is a gripping story of a judge who takes it upon herself to prove a man innocent whom everyone else thinks is guilty. The twist is that the accused has no interest in helping his counsel because she is a woman and he is a man. This is a story of an area flavored by old politics, gender bias, and racial prejudices against a backdrop of French colonialism. The story is set in Guadeloupe in 1980 and Timothy Williams says that he has been working on this novel for 30 years meaning, I guess, that he started it back around the time that the story is set.
In the novel, the elderly Hegesippe Bray has been charged with the murder of a white landowner who was running him off his property. The landowner had few friends and most were glad to see him die. Still, justice must be done. The French view the case as open-and-shut, but not French judge Anne Marie Laveaud. The big question is whether or not the accused is guilty. The larger theme, though, is the political and historical structure of this little island within which Laveaud must navigate. Bray is a grouchy curmudgeon whom one has to eventually like. Laveaud grows on the reader as she pursues justice in her own objective way; you admire her tenacity. The feel of the novel is gritty like sand, which – I guess – is how crime novels should probably feel, especially when set on an island.
The UK Observer calls Timothy Williams one of the “Ten Best European Crime Writers.” The title is well-deserved. If you would like to spend a little time on an island this spring seeing if you can out-sleuth Williams, this book is up to the challenge. Few, I think, will predict the outcome before they get there.
My Review of Another Sun on Killer Nashville
My Other Reviews on Killer Nashville
“Another Sun” by Timothy Williams is a gripping story of a judge who takes it upon herself to prove a man innocent whom everyone else thinks is guilty. The twist is that the accused has no interest in helping his counsel because she is a woman and he is a man. This is a story of an area flavored by old politics, gender bias, and racial prejudices against a backdrop of French colonialism. The story is set in Guadeloupe in 1980 and Timothy Williams says that he has been working on this novel for 30 years meaning, I guess, that he started it back around the time that the story is set.
In the novel, the elderly Hegesippe Bray has been charged with the murder of a white landowner who was running him off his property. The landowner had few friends and most were glad to see him die. Still, justice must be done. The French view the case as open-and-shut, but not French judge Anne Marie Laveaud. The big question is whether or not the accused is guilty. The larger theme, though, is the political and historical structure of this little island within which Laveaud must navigate. Bray is a grouchy curmudgeon whom one has to eventually like. Laveaud grows on the reader as she pursues justice in her own objective way; you admire her tenacity. The feel of the novel is gritty like sand, which – I guess – is how crime novels should probably feel, especially when set on an island.
The UK Observer calls Timothy Williams one of the “Ten Best European Crime Writers.” The title is well-deserved. If you would like to spend a little time on an island this spring seeing if you can out-sleuth Williams, this book is up to the challenge. Few, I think, will predict the outcome before they get there.
My Review of Another Sun on Killer Nashville
My Other Reviews on Killer Nashville
October 29, 2012
ANOTHER SUN is as formally clever and socially engaged a crime novel as I've read. Williams' narrative trick of leaving out internalized detail and dialogue forces the reader to key in on those other communicative traits, like physical proximity, hand gesturing and facial expression. What remains is a firsthand and thoroughly chilling sense of the banality of human violence and the absolute void of knowledge we call "our fellow man."
Colonial politics, race and gender issues all feature centrally in this very inventive novel. Soho has a history of publishing great Caribbean literature and Timothy Williams, who has lived for decades on the island of Guadeloupe, is as direct a continuation of this legacy as any other novel from Soho in years. It's a difficult thing to address such messy subjects and manage to keep a reader at the edge of their seat.
I'm proud to work on this book and I highly recommend it.
Colonial politics, race and gender issues all feature centrally in this very inventive novel. Soho has a history of publishing great Caribbean literature and Timothy Williams, who has lived for decades on the island of Guadeloupe, is as direct a continuation of this legacy as any other novel from Soho in years. It's a difficult thing to address such messy subjects and manage to keep a reader at the edge of their seat.
I'm proud to work on this book and I highly recommend it.
October 17, 2014
Thoughts coming shortly
August 29, 2014
I found the story to be slow, with too many pieces of the puzzle suddenly revealed at the end, with an ending that just wasn't that surprising. This book was disappointing for me.
September 20, 2023
The author taught in the French Caribbean for thirty years, and draws upon his deep knowledge for this first in a two-book series set in Guadeloupe in 1980. The story revolves around the murder of a prominent landowner and businessman, which is given to Juge d'Instruction Anne Marie Laveaud for investigation. In the French system, this type of judge gathers evidence on the commission of an offense and decides whether to refer the persons charged to the trial court -- sort of a combination of an American police detective and a little bit of a district attorney. And so she becomes the book's protagonist.
Identity is at the heart of the book -- Judge Laveaud is a woman in male-dominated field in a very male-dominated country, a factor in almost every interaction. She's white -- but also pied-noir (born in Algeria) and Jewish, so not considered fully French, especially as her husband is a black Guadeloupean. Race and ethnicity is hugely important in the country, with the "beke" (white descendants of white settlers) controlling power and wealth, and some blacks fighting for independence from France, not to mention all the descendants of indentured workers from India, and all the mulatto variations of the above. Each character's place is carefully delineated within the strata of society based on these elements, and these social relationships are a major theme of the book.
Another major theme is Guadeloupe's relationship to "the mainland" -- as a full "departement" of France, it wields some minor power in French politics. The status quo government of Giscard d'Estaing dumps subsidies into the islands to prop up the economy and keep people happy enough to vote for the status quo come the next election. All of this is the background against which Judge Laveaud works to poke at the motivations for the murder -- especially when the suspect initially brought in by police is found dead in his cell. She smells something fishy and presses for answers which threaten to upset the status quo. Unfortunately, the book drags quite a bit, and while the insights into Guadeloupe's history and society are interesting, the narrative gets quite complicated along the way. Readers with an interest in the island or France's colonial legacy may want to check this out, but as a murder mystery, it doesn't quite deliver the goods. As such, I won't be picking up the sequel.
Identity is at the heart of the book -- Judge Laveaud is a woman in male-dominated field in a very male-dominated country, a factor in almost every interaction. She's white -- but also pied-noir (born in Algeria) and Jewish, so not considered fully French, especially as her husband is a black Guadeloupean. Race and ethnicity is hugely important in the country, with the "beke" (white descendants of white settlers) controlling power and wealth, and some blacks fighting for independence from France, not to mention all the descendants of indentured workers from India, and all the mulatto variations of the above. Each character's place is carefully delineated within the strata of society based on these elements, and these social relationships are a major theme of the book.
Another major theme is Guadeloupe's relationship to "the mainland" -- as a full "departement" of France, it wields some minor power in French politics. The status quo government of Giscard d'Estaing dumps subsidies into the islands to prop up the economy and keep people happy enough to vote for the status quo come the next election. All of this is the background against which Judge Laveaud works to poke at the motivations for the murder -- especially when the suspect initially brought in by police is found dead in his cell. She smells something fishy and presses for answers which threaten to upset the status quo. Unfortunately, the book drags quite a bit, and while the insights into Guadeloupe's history and society are interesting, the narrative gets quite complicated along the way. Readers with an interest in the island or France's colonial legacy may want to check this out, but as a murder mystery, it doesn't quite deliver the goods. As such, I won't be picking up the sequel.
December 23, 2018
I wanted to enjoy this novel so much. Alas, I found the characters uninteresting, the dialogue disjointed and plot confusing.
Guadeloupe is not described as an exciting designation of sandy beaches, friendly Caribbeans and fun partying. On the contrary, readers find themselves on an island where there is corruption, resentment, poverty and rampant racism.
The story is set in 1980 -France still has a firm hold on their colony. The "'haves" are white and from France and the "have nots" are the islanders. The islanders are a mix of blacks - the descendants of slaves, those of mixed race, migrants and I think original islander Indians. According to the dialogue throughout the novel, that in 1980, no one liked anyone outside their own race. In is apparent, "White" establishment French regard the non-whites inferior while the "colonists" resent and detest them back.
The mystery involves a white part French judge investigating the murder of a well detested white land owner. The suspect is of course a black former convict. Both their entire lives and their family's lives are entangled and twisted into a massive convoluted mess making the investigation (and following the plot) difficult.
I picked up this novel to fulfill one of my World Challenge slots.
Guadeloupe is not described as an exciting designation of sandy beaches, friendly Caribbeans and fun partying. On the contrary, readers find themselves on an island where there is corruption, resentment, poverty and rampant racism.
The story is set in 1980 -France still has a firm hold on their colony. The "'haves" are white and from France and the "have nots" are the islanders. The islanders are a mix of blacks - the descendants of slaves, those of mixed race, migrants and I think original islander Indians. According to the dialogue throughout the novel, that in 1980, no one liked anyone outside their own race. In is apparent, "White" establishment French regard the non-whites inferior while the "colonists" resent and detest them back.
The mystery involves a white part French judge investigating the murder of a well detested white land owner. The suspect is of course a black former convict. Both their entire lives and their family's lives are entangled and twisted into a massive convoluted mess making the investigation (and following the plot) difficult.
I picked up this novel to fulfill one of my World Challenge slots.
September 2, 2025
Fantastic novel. SoHo Crime at its best - less discovered authorized writing top-notch crime/mystery set in unique settings (can’t think of another mystery in English set on this island). The descriptions of the setting really take the reader there. The characters themselves are vivid, despite a lack of detailed physical description. Their actions, their movements, their dialogue come together to paint a very poignant image of each. I also love mysteries where there are no true heroes or heroines - each character in this book is imperfect (and significantly so) - but I still would enjoy having dinner with them. The author weaves the island’s history, its past and present relationships with France and the United States and communist countries, its racial issues, its socio-economic issues, and much more seemingly without effort. I can’t think of a mystery in which I’ve leavened so much. Looking forward to book two!
July 26, 2021
Meh, not really a great read and I was looking for something fun and captivating. Didn't really like the characters and found the story hard to follow overall, then the end of the book just ends. There are a few paragraphs about who the killer is, but leaves a lot open if the killer will be brought to justice as she was the wife of the deceased. Lots of issues with politics and bribes in Guadeloupe. There is a second book "The Honest Folk of Guadeloupe" which seems to carry on from where the first book ended. Murdered Raymond Calais, his wife killed him due to Raymond telling him one of her children was stillborn, I think it was because he was dark in colour. He wanted the child killed but the maid gave the boy to another woman, only years later does Mrs. Calais find out. Hégésippe Bray, the Calais family Mrs. Suez-Panama, her son Marcel (the child).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 14, 2023
I read this book whilst I was on holiday in beautiful Guadeloupe. I found it to be captivating, perhaps because the author so successfully recreates the flavour of the island.
The plot was complicated and the characters were interesting, although so.e were undeveloped. I think that this is natural in a plot driven book.
However it was confusing at times, so my advice is to pay attention to the seemingly minor characters!
This book would make an exciting film!!
The plot was complicated and the characters were interesting, although so.e were undeveloped. I think that this is natural in a plot driven book.
However it was confusing at times, so my advice is to pay attention to the seemingly minor characters!
This book would make an exciting film!!
July 26, 2025
This book does evoke an atmospheric Guadeloupe, but as it’s described, I don’t think I’ll be visiting any time soon. Although there is a mystery, it seems to get lost in the descriptions of people and places. I found none of the characters sympathetic and the end of the book was quite disappointing.
November 18, 2020
Superb novel, the writing is as good as the Trotti series, the descriptions of Guadeloupe bring the islands to life, so vivid.
The story is complex and brings in many elements outside of European society.
Highly recommended.
The story is complex and brings in many elements outside of European society.
Highly recommended.
October 11, 2018
I liked the idea but not necessarily the execution. May try the second in the series to see if it comes together more smoothly.
October 17, 2021
Giving 2 stars only because I actually finished it. Otherwise, a mediocre murder mistery. A nice bonus is the historical facts it has sprinkled throughout the book.
June 7, 2023
Death in Paradise crossed with Spiral!
April 7, 2025
3.25 stars
I read this one more for the insight into another time and place, and less for the mystery. The setting was completely new to me, so it was very intriguing.
I read this one more for the insight into another time and place, and less for the mystery. The setting was completely new to me, so it was very intriguing.
December 20, 2024
Set on Guadeloupe. 363 pp. This book was a bit of a slog for me; not sure why. I think maybe I didn't focus on it enough to let it "get" to me. But maybe the different culture was a little tough to feel part of? Not sure, but I know it didn't really work for me and I won't be reading any more of these.
Requested the cover art be added: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Another Sun (An Anne Marie Laveaud Novel, Book 1) by Timothy Williams
Requested the cover art be added: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Another Sun (An Anne Marie Laveaud Novel, Book 1) by Timothy Williams
January 16, 2020
"Another Sun" by Timothy Williams follows Anne Marie, a juge d'instruction, which seems to be (in the Guadeloupian judicial system) a weird combination of the American detective and prosecutor. It's also up to her to decide if the cases assigned to her bear enough evidence to go to court. Her backstory is never completely fleshed out, but its clear that she is a transplant to Guadeloupe, that she has the appearance of a white woman, is probably Jewish, and at one point lived with her family in Algeria. She's married to a man who appears of African decent, and is (I think?) a native of Guadeloupe. They have a young son together. At the beginning of the book she is assigned the case of Calais, a rich white landowner who nobody seems to like, and who was murdered and left to decompose in a local pond. As with most mysteries, the initial suspect is thought to be innocent by our protagonist, and the majority of the book consists of her trying to figure out who actually committed the crime.
Williams does a good job of setting the stage for the mystery. I learned a lot about the history and people of Guadeloupe, along with other former colonies in the Caribbean. He does not take his readers for idiots--its left to us to figure out any French words, and to put many of the puzzle pieces together. Williams merely tells the events, he does not explain them. In some ways this is nice...its fun to try to piece a good mystery together, but in other ways its very, very annoying. Little details from the first few chapters that are repeatedly referred to are never explained. The ending also felt both unexpected and unfinished...almost as if it is assumed that all readers will read the next book in the series. I have nothing against series books, but I feel each book should have some semblance of stopping point or ending. Finally Williams did not develop his characters in any meaningful way.
Overall given a rating of 1.5 stars or "below average".
Williams does a good job of setting the stage for the mystery. I learned a lot about the history and people of Guadeloupe, along with other former colonies in the Caribbean. He does not take his readers for idiots--its left to us to figure out any French words, and to put many of the puzzle pieces together. Williams merely tells the events, he does not explain them. In some ways this is nice...its fun to try to piece a good mystery together, but in other ways its very, very annoying. Little details from the first few chapters that are repeatedly referred to are never explained. The ending also felt both unexpected and unfinished...almost as if it is assumed that all readers will read the next book in the series. I have nothing against series books, but I feel each book should have some semblance of stopping point or ending. Finally Williams did not develop his characters in any meaningful way.
Overall given a rating of 1.5 stars or "below average".
May 15, 2013
Honestly, I couldn't find anything to like about this book. I read a positive review on another site, which is why I picked up Another Sun, but now having read it I think the reviewer must have been either a friend of the author or an employee of the publisher.
The book is chock-full of French and French-Caribbean words, terms and phrases that are never explained. The characters work for various organizations with French names that are also never explained, so it is unclear who is working for whom and what they do. No emotions or thoughts are ever expressed by any of the characters, so it is impossible to engage with their stories. And while the author weaves a complicated mix of plots and sub-plots, really, who cares what happens to these people?
Oh, and did I mention that the main characters all have an annoying habit of never answering a question directly? This can be a clever device for an author to use to make the reader fill in the blanks, but it becomes tiresome when used over and over again.
Another Sun is a thoroughly unlikable book. I regret the time I spent reading it.
The book is chock-full of French and French-Caribbean words, terms and phrases that are never explained. The characters work for various organizations with French names that are also never explained, so it is unclear who is working for whom and what they do. No emotions or thoughts are ever expressed by any of the characters, so it is impossible to engage with their stories. And while the author weaves a complicated mix of plots and sub-plots, really, who cares what happens to these people?
Oh, and did I mention that the main characters all have an annoying habit of never answering a question directly? This can be a clever device for an author to use to make the reader fill in the blanks, but it becomes tiresome when used over and over again.
Another Sun is a thoroughly unlikable book. I regret the time I spent reading it.
July 10, 2015
Things I enjoyed about this book:
- the insight into gender, race and political issues in Guadeloupe
- the inclusion of historical events and the effects on present-day life on the island
- the sensual descriptions of Guadeloupe
Things that disappointed me:
- the lack of character development - you get glimpses of each character but many questions are left unanswered
- the unsatisfying ending, which left me none the wiser about the motives of the main culprit
- the general feeling of negativity in the author's portrayal of Guadeloupe - this may be an unfair comment but it's the impression I'm left with
- the sometimes confusing progression from chapter to chapter
I don't know, I might give this another go at some point. I will also read the sequel when I can; I'd like to see if there is more explanation and character development. Although I found this book unsatisfactory, the main character was still intriguing and I'd like to know more about her.
- the insight into gender, race and political issues in Guadeloupe
- the inclusion of historical events and the effects on present-day life on the island
- the sensual descriptions of Guadeloupe
Things that disappointed me:
- the lack of character development - you get glimpses of each character but many questions are left unanswered
- the unsatisfying ending, which left me none the wiser about the motives of the main culprit
- the general feeling of negativity in the author's portrayal of Guadeloupe - this may be an unfair comment but it's the impression I'm left with
- the sometimes confusing progression from chapter to chapter
I don't know, I might give this another go at some point. I will also read the sequel when I can; I'd like to see if there is more explanation and character development. Although I found this book unsatisfactory, the main character was still intriguing and I'd like to know more about her.
March 6, 2013
A murder mystery embroiled in political corruption is set in the sun-drenched Caribbean Island of Guadeloupe that has a tense colonial connection to France.
French Algerian Judge Anne Marie Lavaud is entrusted with unraveling the mystery but as she navigates the tangled web of the case she finds her own life coming apart in the process.
Cast, color, voodoo, and political unrest are a great part of the island and contribute to this compelling narrative.
Williams has created a complex thriller full of twists and turns that leave us with a surprising conclusion. His writing is smart, creative and ingenious.
Read it for the setting alone.
French Algerian Judge Anne Marie Lavaud is entrusted with unraveling the mystery but as she navigates the tangled web of the case she finds her own life coming apart in the process.
Cast, color, voodoo, and political unrest are a great part of the island and contribute to this compelling narrative.
Williams has created a complex thriller full of twists and turns that leave us with a surprising conclusion. His writing is smart, creative and ingenious.
Read it for the setting alone.
February 6, 2015
Hard for me to rate. What if a very talented landscape artist were to paint an ugly landscape and because the artist is very talented and true to his/her subject, all we see is the essence of its ugliness, because that's all it really is.
Is that a good artist? Some would say yes, some would say no. Me, I'm on the fence.
Well, I enjoyed reading the book, although with the sense of being a voyeur, watching somebody alone in an alien land with no one to trust and no way to help. And the ending? There wasn't one, just a place where it stopped.
So where does that leave us? As for me, I will read the next one. And then, maybe, I will decide ..how I feel about it?
Is that a good artist? Some would say yes, some would say no. Me, I'm on the fence.
Well, I enjoyed reading the book, although with the sense of being a voyeur, watching somebody alone in an alien land with no one to trust and no way to help. And the ending? There wasn't one, just a place where it stopped.
So where does that leave us? As for me, I will read the next one. And then, maybe, I will decide ..how I feel about it?
March 6, 2015
This was not one of my favorite mystery novels to read. Thank goodness for the short chapters, which kept me going. What was missing for me was the usual depth of character in most of the other books I have read. The information about the culture and politics of the locale was useful. There was so much withheld from the reader that when the ending parts came, the conclusions of who was culpable and why almost seemed to come out of left field. And the ending totally left me dangling, though I don't think I'll read the next installment. I may read another book by this author. Converging Parallels, the first in the Commissario Trotti series
September 23, 2015
Very interesting from the perspective of racial division however, it seemed really sudden and convenient the way things fell into place. The detective didn't seem to come up with one piece of evidence on her own. Seriously the strangest mystery i have read in that respect. Also was she pregnant or what? and I feel like either i didn't download the very end or it ended suddenly. I feel like this was planned for a series but not sure since any crime she solves will just be swept under the rug by the powerful anyway. Left me with a serious case of the WTF happened?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 10, 2013
Set in Guadeloupe, an overseas department of France, this novel is set in the 1980s. The author takes on the legacy of colonialism, ethnic tensions, and political unrest. The mystery is a complex web of all these different threads. I found it a trifle bit hard to follow the chapter transitions a couple of times. The ending is interesting and that's enough to say about that.
A good read.
A good read.
April 7, 2013
Very difficult to read because of all the French words. Nasty cliff hanger!!!!
May 20, 2013
Fascinating for setting, good mystery, complex, engaging characters. Like a good wine.
October 29, 2015
Very enlightening regarding culture and beliefs in Guadalupe. The dynamics between races, the old families and those from France is very telling. Not sure if I want to go there!!!
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