Cuarteto de asesinos

L'Opéra du Diable #1

by Hervé Jubert

Los cuatro asesinos más peligrosos de la Historia andan sueltos en un mundo recreado por ordenador. ¿Por qué les han vuelto a la vida? Roberta Morgenstern es una bruja y recibe el encargo de investigar, junto al joven Clément Martineau, un espantoso asesinato cometido en una ciudad histórica, es decir, un parque temático que reproduce exactamente la vida de una ciudad en un periodo determinado. Hay varias del mismo tipo y pertenecen al Conde Palladio. Londres en el siglo XIX ha sido el escenario del crimen, y todo hace sospechar que el asesino podría ser el mismísimo Jack el Destripador. Roberta y Martineau se desplazan allí e inician una investigación que, posteriormente, las llevará al Paris del siglo XVII, a Venecia en un periodo indeterminado y a la Tenochtitlan de Moctezuma. Van descubriendo una trama de asesinos históricos que han sido resucitados de la muerte por el maquiavélico Conde Palladio, quien hace muchísimo años realizó un pacto con el Diablo para escapar de una condena a muerte por un crimen pasional. Y la pregunta ¿por qué Palladio ha devuelto a la vida a esos asesinos célebres? Cuarteto de asesinos es la primera entrega de una trilogía a la que seguirá El tango del Diablo, que Roca Editorial publicará en octubre de 2005.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Steampunk, Mystery, Horror, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult

315 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Herve Jubert worked as a chauffeur, butcher's assistant, and drummer in a rock band before becoming a writer. He lives in the south of France.

Reviews

[Nala · Rating 3 out of 5]

Donc 2e lecture, 15 ans plus tard (damn.....)
Je me souviens avoir lu ce livre quand j'étais au collège/primaire, et je l'avais adoré. Je me suis dit pourquoi pas le relire.
Je me souvenais d'une héroïne drôle et sûre d'elle, indépendante et un peu rebelle sur les bords.
Eh bien je me souvenais bien, elle est toujours aussi cool, et je suis contente de savoir que le livre a bien vieilli pour ce 1er tome.
Quant à notre cher Clément Martineau, je me souvenais juste de lui comme un jeune écervelé. Il avait fait des choix qui m'avaient soulé à l'époque et j'en gardais un souvenir pas ouffisime.
Bon, il est toujours un peu con sur les bords, mais il est aussi très drôle, et mine de rien bien intelligent. Je le trouve beaucoup plus attachant lors de cette lecture, même si je crois me souvenir que dans le tome 2 il fait un truc qui m'avait bien saoulé.

L'histoire est bien, d'autant plus que je connais le gros plot twist, donc c'est intéressant de relire, en connaissant le gros secret mais en ayant oublié les détails. C'est bien écrit, c'est drôle, ça se lit facilement, en fait l'écriture est assez aisée pour une gamine de 13 ans mais les thèmes... Je pense que certains me sont passé au-dessus de la tête.

Maintenant un truc que j'avais pas aimé à l'époque, et que je n'aime toujours pas maintenant. En tout cas, quand j'avais 13 ans je trouvais ça bizarre, et maintenant je trouve toujours ça bizarre : Roberta et Rosemonde........ C'était son prof il y a 20 ans ??? Comment tu veux sortir avec ton prof ?? Comment ça t'as toujours un crush 20 ans plus tard ???? Je sais que Rosemond est le diable (le gros plot twist) et que Roberta n'est pas au courant pour le moment, et sûrement les sorciers ont un qui fait qu'ils ne vieillissent pas (???? Mais avec l'histoire de Palladio en fait si ??? donc comment le gonz à toujours la même tête ??? ROBERTA WAKE UP) mais je trouve ça toujours dérangeant. Vraiment la romance que j'aime pas trop.
Et pour Martineau et Suzie, je sais plus comment mais il fait un truc dans le tome 2 qui résulte en sa mort donc bon... Je m'attache pas trop.

Mais trop contente de retrouver le hérisson télépathe aussi, ça j'avais oublié, I love you Hans-Friedrich Gustavson.

[Lou · Rating 1 out of 5]

I bought this book because I wanted to read a different kind of book. But I couldn't connect with the story. It was too overwhelming and it looked like the sequel of another book because there were some details that I could not understand. The characters were ok and well described, although some words were very strange.
Also, in some parts, it seemed as if the author had wanted to cut the story too soon. In conclusion, I didn't like the book, but I give credit to the author for his efforts to write. And I definitely won't buy the other books of the series.

[Neko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un de mes livres de jeunesse favori et je suis très heureuse de voir qu’il à très bien vieilli. Tous les persos sont attachants + une des meilleures héroïnes féminines que j’ai eu le plaisir de suivre, quinze bonnes idées de lore à la minutes, parfait dosage entre aventure / fantastique/ policier. Je ne comprend pas qu’aucun service de streaming ne se soit encore emparé de ce bijou.

[Cognatious Thunk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting. It's written in an unexpected way (perhaps because it is a translation) which on the one hand I enjoy, and on the other distracts from the purpose of the words. If you like the Tuesday Next series, you should give this book a whirl.

[Jenna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Got about 30 pages in and bored. Not sure what aspect put me off but couldn't get into it.

[Ian · Rating 2 out of 5]

AGAIN STARTED OFF BRILLIANTLY BUT THEN LOST ITS WAY AND WENT DOWN THE TOILET!

[Rosetta Westbrook · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the bizarreness and imagination of this book - it is like no other I have read. If you can suspend your disbelief and are after three dimensional and witty characters then this is the book for you. I read this as a child, then re-read as an adult and I still love it just as much.

[Eveline80 · Rating 2 out of 5]

zu wenig flüssig zu lesen, zu schwierige wörter für mich

[Krishna Dabi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't go past half the book . It was very boring and confusing .

[Raquel Cacereño · Rating 1 out of 5]

Creo que falla la edición por la traducción, hay partes que no se entendían bien aunque creo recordar que la historia parecía ser interesante.

[Michael Patti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun young adult novel. Sci-fi meets fantasy in a strange, fun mix that doesn't seem too out of place.

[Guillaume · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'ai eu du mal a rentrer dans l'univers, trop flou, mais j'ai fini par être conquis.

[VMom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. Jubert writes with a fine sense of the absurd that never overwhelms the underlying story. It's set in a future where crime has been rendered almost obsolete by DNA tracers, and witches are on the unofficial payroll of the CID. A murder is discovered in one of the theme-park historic cities, where tracers are banned, and unlikely partners Roberta Morgenstein and rookie rich kid Clement Martineau are on the case.

Morgenstein is a joy to read about.

She was somewhere between forty-five and fifty-five, with a good life behind her, a life full of excellent meals, delicious liqueurs, and marshmallows. Not enough exercise. Well, none at all, except what came naturally. Roberta's love of comfort and a certain preference for making as little effort as possible had done nothing for her figure. Still, she'd come to terms with it.

What an unlikely heroine! But she moves through the story with dead-pan panache, competently foiling satan-worshipping villains and patiently fishing her puppy-like partner out of trouble while never passing up a shopping opportunity.

[Cat. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those that looked interesting as it crossed my desk while cataloging it. It is a YA book, the first of a proposed trilogy called "The Devil's Dances." It's the first time I think I've seen magic integrated into relatively modern day (maybe 5 years into the future?) as a pretty holistic part of society.

The plot surrounds the concept of pacts made with the devil. If one sells one's soul to the devil, he is bound to carry out his end of the bargain, if you do yours, right?

So when he doesn't, you need to summon him and collect your legal damages. And in this book, someone is trying to do that, with the help of Jack the Ripper (who--here at least--is a girl?), a French serial killer, and Montezuma (who is portrayed as a vicious murderer--something I don't think I'd've called him, but...).

The world Jubert has created is very interesting, and I do like the main characters: a new police recruit who seems to have some hidden affinity for magic, and Roberta Morgenstern, a middle-aged witch with a cat named Beelzebub.

Fun book. Perhaps I'll read the rest of the series. We'll see.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I wanted a break from the conventional fantasy story, and while I did get that break, it wasn't satisfying. Instead of having a bizarre, unfamiliar world with bizarre magic and bizarre characters, I found myself in a world that almost looked familiar...but I couldn't tell because I was never grounded in it or in the magic that dictated it. Many of the settings are based in real locations; the only one that felt real to me was Venice, but that's because I've been there and could therefore ground myself in my own memories. The other settings felt like pale sketches of themselves.

I would have enjoyed this book more had I not read the jacket flap. For some reason, I expected Jack the Ripper to be the antagonist of the book, so I was disappointed when the first section ended.

This was a worthwhile change of pace, but I don't think I'm going to continue reading this series.

[HeraSays · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not every day that one finds a nice, good book about a witty sorceress and a witless detective chasing resurrected murderers-slash-devil-worshippers through the streets of recreated historical theme parks. It was a bizarre plot set in a bizarre world, and I quite liked it.

Plus, the two main characters were a delight to read about. I enjoyed rolling my eyes at the annoying little detective, Martineau, who always managed to get himself in trouble, and applauding the witch, Roberta Morgenstern, for just being... herself.

"You could have told me sooner. What made you notice?"

She felt like replying, "Your general incompetence in ordinary life," but that wouldn't have been fair.

Like a boss, man.

[Ryan Mishap · Rating 4 out of 5]

A unique future setting for this series from a French author: it seems some disaster has befallen the world, for it is changed. There are still cities and such, but there are also immense theme parks around the world reproducing life in 1800's London or Aztec times. It is in the London theme park that Jack the Ripper appears to be back, and a witch is called in to investigate.

Inventive, a good detective mystery wrapped up in a fantasy world--these books are great and I can't wait for the third installment.

[James Hargest Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome to the future. Roberta Morgenstern and her intrepid assistant Clement Martineau are hot on the assassin's trail. This will lead them to medieval Paris, to Montezuma's Mexico, London and Venice. But it's not just tourists visiting this historical virtual city... Jack the Ripper too, has returned.
I found it very funny and I recommend it to other people to read too.
Do you believe in witches, sorceresses, sorcerers, wizards, demons, sorcery and other things? - Caitlin

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the premise of this book/series: kind of an Agatha Christy detective meets Fantasy amalgam. That said, it's unevenly written and doesn't quite make full use of the plot's potential. I like the main characters, and there are some great comic touches, but the story plays out in disjointed chapters which make for a less than ideal read.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A dark read that I think is geared more for older teens and adults.

It had some moments for me where I was captured and did not want to stop reading, but it just seemed a bit too farfetched for my taste.

[Willah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was CREEPY!!!

[Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was alright. Characters were okay and there were some good twists. I liked the way the modern world got mixed with history through 'amusement parks' of a kind but I found the story disjointed.

[lafon حمزة نوفل · Rating 3 out of 5]

No time to review right now. Will do it sometime tomorrow (I hope)

[Rhiannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kinda boring, really. But it's a murder mystery that has to do with many large cities in Europe

[Shari · Rating 3 out of 5]

I personaggi sono interessanti, la trama è interessante, e tutto sommato è un buon libro, solo molto, molto lento.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

scary...funny...creeped me out but it was so thrilling...revenge of jack the ripper...lol

[Samantha Doud · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the few murder mysteries I've read and it was amazing!