Bonne Femme

The Richard Carter Novels #1

by A.R. Simmons

Bonne Femme
Trust Betrayed and Dark Obsession

Three people. Two former soldiers, each with a mission, each waging a campaign. At the center of their conflict is a vulnerable young woman, alone and far from home.

Richard Carter has come back to Cartier trying to pull his life together, while Jill Belbenoit has come to finish her degree. He has seen her on campus, but doesn’t know her. When a former squadmate from Somalia, Mic Boyd, turns up unexpectedly and assumes a friendship that never was, Richard allows himself to fall into what he hopes will be only a brief association. The last thing he wants is a reminder of his tour in the famine-racked squalor of Africa.

Mic inserts himself into Jill’s life as well as Richard’s. As attractive women must do, she has learned to deal with unwanted male attention. Unable to disengage from one man, however, she obligates herself to the other. Now she must navigate out of both relationships. Jill reproaches herself for both her naiveté and her manipulativeness. Soon she will have much greater concerns.

Memories, dreams, and flashbacks torment Richard as he tries to discover if what he fears is real, while Jill must decide if he is only a damaged soldier suffering from PTSD, or dangerously delusional and obsessed with her.

Is his nightmare vision the product of a fevered imagination tortured by his war experience and his guilt? Or does he see what no one else can? Is he averting a horror or perpetrating one?

Where does Jill’s real danger lie? Can she trust him? Is the “godforsaken pile of rocks” called Bonne Femme a refuge from peril—or from reality?

458 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 19, 2013

About the author

AR Simmons grew up in the Missouri Ozarks. He walked a gravel road to a rural school evocative of “Walton’s Mountain.” His parents did factory work to buy things not provided by their subsistence farm which was passed down from his grandfather who cleared the land from the native forest. He and his wife (beta reader, illustrator, and muse) still live on that farm. So his roots run deep in the Ozark soil. Using the culture, language, and mores of this "Bible Belt" region, he writes culturally immersive stories of obsession set amidst the small-town and rural life that he knows and loves.

He began writing seriously with a suspense novel which he serialized around the turn of the millennium on his website www.bluecreeknovels. It took until 2013 for him to publish the first Richard Carter novel (Bonne Femme) as an e-book. The series now includes fourteen mystery/suspense stand-alone stories that also chronicle Richard’s life with each story spaced about a year apart. This required a year-by-year update to the technology available to the characters because time marches on.

PS. Simmons is a rather common drudge, so once considered changing his nom-de-plume to “Bess Sellers.”

Reviews

[Joshua Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

A.R. Simmons lays out a tale of obsession and danger in Bonne Femme! Richard Carter is trying to return to civilian life after a tour of duty in Somalia when he gets wrapped up in a love triangle with a woman named Jill and his old comrade Mic. Simmons packs in enough intrigue to satisfy any fan of a psychological thriller and the plot has enough twists to leave you wondering which way is up! If you like a tense thriller with plenty of drama, check this one out!

[Liv · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall: This book was unsettling, which is good considering it's a thriller. It was extremely captivating as well, and I found myself looking up and realizing it had been hours since I last checked the time. I love the changing of perspectives between Richard and Mic. It showed you how thoroughly thought out Mic's actions were as well as Richard's intentions. Especially on the island, I found myself start to question weather Richard was really doing the right thing, but he meant well. Jill was such a strong character, and I love strong female roles. In this type of book, the common female typically relies on a male to save her, but I felt Jill could have handled herself well. I found the dialogue a bit choppy, which may or may not have been the intention since English is not Jill's primary language. The only thing that bothered me a little is how untouchable Mic was. He committed countless murders and didn't leave a single clue, footprint, fingerprint, anything at all, EVER, to indicate that it was him. Even when he first started in high school. It was flabbergasting. Other than that, I found the plot action packed and quick, never a dull moment. The setting was well described. Jill and Richard's relationship was so adorable, even when it wasn't supposed to be. Their chemistry and interactions, while at first awkward, slowly became more relaxed and comfortable. The author did a fantastic job with this. overall, loved most of this book, it only minor issues for me.

Characters: Again, Jill was strong and amazing. Richard was so sweet and protective of Jill, I loved it. Mic was so creepy and smart. That sounds weird, but to be able to pull that off he had to be amazingly intelligent. Marta was hilarious and independent like her friend Jill. As far as character building, I would have liked a little more background/interaction between Jill and Marta vs. Jill and Mic/Richard, however every other major relationship was well described.

Quotes: Since I read this on my Kindle, I have to type the quotes out.
"'There is no such thing. When you take it into your own hands, it stops being the law'".

"'There's never be justice in this world, Dave. But there is mercy, I suppose'".

Recommend?: Yes. I give it 4/5 stars. If you want to have a little trouble sleeping at night, this is the book for you!
Huge thanks to the author for sending me a copy to read and review!
Salaam,
Lived One Thousand Lives

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bonne Femme is a chilling thriller about a young woman who is catapulted into a violent nightmare that goes from bad to worse in the blink of an eye.

Jill Belbenoit is a college student from France. She's intelligent and focused, until that fateful day when a lack of judgement leaves her fighting for her life. Richard Carter and Mic Boyd were in the same Marine Squadron and experienced the unthinkable in Mogadishu. Richard doesn't consider Mic much of a friend, but when Richard sees that Jill is drawn to Mic he decides to tag along. Richard has had a crush on Jill since the first moment he laid eyes on her, but of course she falls for Mic. However, when things with Mic go south Jill seeks Richard's help in getting Mic to leave her alone. Richard soon learns a sickening truth about Mic and must make a rash decision that will leave Jill wondering who her real enemy is.

Bonne Femme is a frightening tale filled with horrifying crimes with danger lurking at every turn. The characters are complex and the plot disturbing, yet powerfully consuming. The author is a skilled storyteller and easily draws a reader in and keeps them on edge until the very end. Just when I thought a killer would be caught, the author would add a twist more shocking than the last. I felt the story was well organized and never short on action. I am looking forward to reading other books in this series.

I would recommend picking up a copy.

[Lynda Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't need to read very much of this one to realise it was in no way for me !! It is a VERY blokey book going into what marines' jobs entail and war stories, etc. There was nothing in the synopsis to let us know we'd be visiting Somalia during the famine and I'd not have downloaded it in the first place had I realised. Another big complaint is that is in no way intended for a Brit audience, nor any other readers aside from Americans or Mexicans, I would say. It's chock-full of American slang. Some I managed to find explained on Google, some I didn't and I was getting cheesed off needing to keep on stopping to look in the first place.
He talks about a truck that Jake braked. Turns out it should've read jake-braked. No wonder I was baffled. I was scouting about wondering who on earth Jake was !! Then "...brought his speed up until the big Merc planed her off," "He wondered where they were when he was in the Mog," "...he flicked out the coal and field-stripped the butt" and finally "We were searching the hooches". These examples of English are like no English I've ever read !!
He lost the apostrophe in appearance sake but that was it for punctuation mistakes which was commendable.

[Dorthy Contini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. I don't usually choose to read suspense novels, but chose this because it's written by my former high school teacher. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will download more of his books.

[Pearl Kirkby · Rating 5 out of 5]

(My sincere apologies to the author for neglecting to post my review on other than my blog before now.)

Just a note: As I have stated in several other reviews, there are genrés which I don't normally read because of certain life experiences I have endured during my time on this earth - crime novels are amongst those genrés. However, this story revolves around two former Marines - one of whom was 'released' from service under a General Discharge. Those of us who have have been married to (as I was) - or have experience with - a member of the Armed Forces who suffers from severe PTSD have unique insight and understanding to the mindset of either the protagonist, Richard, or the antagonist, Mic, in this book. Fortunately, my husband was a "Richard", rather than a "Mic".

My take on the story:

Richard Carter is basically a good and honourable man who became as entrenched in the mindset that "War is Hell" as any other combat veteran has. The horrors that he witnessed are not uncommon, and nor is his revulsion to those memories and diminished feelings of self-worth as a returning 'warrior'. As part of his solution to trying to re-integrate as a civilian, he is pursuing an education in criminology at the local college.

While there, another student - a captivating young lady from France (Jill Belbenoit) - catches his eye. Convinced that she would not be interested in him, Richard pines for her at a distance. It is during one of his moments of distraction that a former squadmate from his deployment to Somalia shows up: Mic Boyd, whom Richard has always disliked on an instinctual level. Nonetheless, when he is approached, Richard accepts Mic's invitation to join him for a beer at the local pub, just to 'catch up on things'.

At about this point, the author inserts some of Richard's more troubling memories of Somalia...and here, dear reader, is the first indication that something is very wrong, and extremely dark, about Mic.

Mic shows up on campus again, and this time notices Richard's infatuation with Jill. Mic's ensuing comments about women in general are another clue into his disturbing psyche. He adopts an almost competitive attitude about how easy it would be to have his way with Jill; he introduces himself (and Richard, as a sort of side-kick) and proceeds to seduce her. Despite his apparently low opinion of women in general, he has a certain 'bad boy' vibe which seems to attract them. Richard, of course, is chagrined when, very quickly, Mic and Jill become a couple.

It is only a matter of time that Jill breaks things off with Mic. We are not apprised of the reasons why until later in the story (although the reader is given a good idea of what those reasons likely were), only that Mic is not about to accept her decision; she finally turns to Richard to intervene. This does not go over well with Mic...and things only get worse from here. When Richard confronts him, Mic details the violence he will perpetrate on Jill...before he kills her.

Richard goes to Jill and tries to convince her just how seriously she should take the threat, but for some reason she simply will not believe Mic is that dangerous. She refuses Richard's help in keeping her safe even though he pleads with her to accept him in a protector's role. She insists that such extreme steps are unnecessary and nearly rebuffs him completely, even as the friend she has begun to regard him. Even so, the friendship continues, albeit tenuously.

Mic continues to taunt Richard with verbal images of what he has in store for Jill, until finally he (Richard) decides to take protective measures, whether Jill agrees or not. He would kidnap her and take her somewhere remote, isolated and uninhabited and keep her there until either she understood the danger, or the danger was past. He abducts her and carries her to the island of Bonne Femme.

And here I stop the summary, else I give it all away.

The way that Mr. Simmons paints images with his words is skillful to the point of being able to physically impact the reader. I cannot remember any book that I’ve read that instills such graphic images, without the verbiage to go with it. And even though there is the occasional point-of-view switch between the characters, it all flows smoothly. He has a way of easing those transitions not only by his talent with syntax and structure, but also by delineating between memories and internalized thoughts through the use of in-text formatting.

There are very few issues - non-issues, really - that I have with "Bonne Femme". For one, the blurb introduces the three main characters as "Two former soldiers, each waging a campaign." and "...a vulnerable young woman, alone and far from home." In this, we are given a brief description of the protagonist, Richard, as a returned 'soldier' and Jill, as the potential victim, but there isn't any hint of the darkness in the antagonist, Mic. If I were to rely strictly on the blurb, I'm not so sure that I would have chosen to read "Bonne Femme" unless Crime/Thriller was my usual reading genré. However, with the author's talent for weaving suspense, I'm sure that he might be able to prickle our senses by adding even a single, ominous line to the blurb, should there ever be a 2nd Edition!

The other issue is the character of Jill, who just seemed a bit - confusing. She has a strong spirit, dogged determination, a highly developed moral sense and great intelligence...but seemed to have a significant lack of common sense, something like a cross between Erin Brockovich and Snow White. While I really LIKED her character, sometimes I just wanted to slap her silly! Maybe a little bit more of that internalized thought process for why she refused to believe her life was seriously in danger?? (sorry, AR!)

I have followed the author, A.R. Simmons, for some time now; in my humble opinion, the fact that I was able to read this entire book (even though the criminal element of the story is very discomfiting to me) without skipping any pages at all is proof that here is one more author who knows what he's doing.

I look forward to reading Book 2: "Cold Tears" and following up on Richard and Jill.

[Philip Newey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bonne Femme, is a thriller, featuring the character Richard Carter. It is the first in a series of novels, but is a self-contained story. We are introduced to Richard, who is an ex-marine. Richard becomes strongly attracted to Jill Belbenoit, a French student studying at the college in which he is enrolled to study criminology. To his surprise a former colleague from the marines, William McCulloch Boyd (Mic), who served with him in Somalia, also turns up in town. Richard does not particularly like this man, and suspects him of having done some fairly questionable things while in Somalia. Nevertheless, he spends time with him. Although Mic clearly has a nasty side, he is also able to turn on the charm when he desires, and he and Jill become involved for a time. When Jill wishes to break it off with Mic, she approaches Richard for some help, and the drama unfolds from there.

There are some very good things about this book. The characters are complex and ambiguous. Richard, in particular, is not your typical ‘hero’ type. He is deeply troubled by his own past, seems to have no clear purpose in life, and his behaviour borders on the obsessive and irrational at times. Jill is slightly less well rounded, perhaps evidence that the author is more at home in a male rather than a female mind. The point of view adopted is third person intimate, but swaps between the three main characters, Jill, Richard and Mic, sometimes very quickly. The author takes us inside the mind of each of these characters, and, occasionally, one of the minor characters. I sometimes felt uncomfortable with the thoughts that the author put in Jill’s mind. At other times I found her quite believable. Perhaps the thing I found least plausible was Jill’s apparent status as a virgin. Nor did I understand why this was necessary for the plot. Mic is presented as a fairly typical, grandiose psychopath, with a charming exterior covering dark deeds and thoughts.

I need to say more about Richard’s character. I found myself a little unsure about how the author wanted the reader to see him. I have said that he is not a typical ‘hero’. Some of his behaviour appears to me to be irrational, obsessive and unjustifiable. I also found his attitude towards the women in the story more than a little creepy. At the very least his attitude is paternalistic and controlling, seeing himself as their protector and defender. Witness these thoughts: ‘Despite what she said, Richard knew that failure to respond to the provocations would weaken her faith in his ability to protect her. It also ate at his self-esteem. A man had to fight when his woman was threatened.’ By and large, he is not particularly good at protecting them. I was not sure how the author viewed him. Were we, as the readers, expected by the end of the novel to see the events on the island—the ‘Bonne Femme’ of the title; I won’t give the plot away—as necessary if unconventional? Were we (and Jill) expected to dismiss them as a minor ‘mistake’? I suppose I am disappointed that the author lost sight of the potential for making Richard a potentially much darker and more ambiguous character. By the end of the story he has become much more the conventional (if flawed) hero.

If I have quibbles with the plot, this is probably because the novel is simply too long. I think the pace and quality of the novel would have been greatly improved if some of the fat had been trimmed. The earlier scenes on the island go on for far too long, and become somewhat repetitive. When that episode is finally brought to an end, it is not clear to me why this happened at that particular time. What makes this the ‘right’ time? And what, in the end, is achieved by this episode? It dominates the novel for several chapters; then this major event is permitted to simply fade into the background as other events overtake the protagonists. From about two-thirds of the way through, I felt that the story became much less interesting as a psychological drama and began to morph into a much more traditional thriller/detective story. Some of the investigative scenes were probably superfluous. There were also a few minor details of the plot that could have been better handled. One in particular stands out. At one point in the story, Jill and her friend Marta make a trip to Europe. As far as I can recall there was no prior discussion of this. It comes out of the blue. Furthermore, Jill is away from only the 10 September to 13 September, which is hardly enough time for such a trip.

Having made these observations, some of the individual scenes, particularly those involving Mic the psychopath, are very well-written, with a high degree of suspense, tension and real and potential violence. The final scenes between Mic and Richard are very good indeed.

I suppose my biggest disappointment with the novel is with the central character. Had this not been the first of a series (hence we know that Richard lives and goes on to tackle other ‘cases’) the author would have given himself much more room to play. Richard could have been killed; or he could have turned out to be almost as deeply disturbed as Mic. These were at least possibilities with which the author could have toyed. There was the potential to bring the reader to the edge of his or her seat, to introduce surprising and terrifying twists and turns to the plot. Because the reader ‘knows’ that Richard will make it through, these opportunities were lost.

As always, I find the scoring process difficult. There is much in this book that lifts it above average. But there are also serious flaws. Oh for half stars! I want to give it 3.5 stars; the question is, do I round it up to 4 or down to 3? On balance, I think it falls slightly on the plus side. Four stars.

[Richard A Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this story is much longer than it needs to be, the author makes up for that with some of the craziest, yet realistic characters I’ve read in a while. The reader isn’t led to feel a particular way about anyone, just given a wealth of detail (maybe too much) and left to form their own conclusions. You really get wrapped up in their plotting and borderline insanity. Exotic locales, strong females, not-so-evil villains and irrational heroes; a lot of fun to read.

As is standard practice in this industry, I received a free review copy.