Too Far From Antibes

by Bede Scott

It is 1951, and Jean-Luc Guéry has arrived in Indochina to investigate the murder of his brother, Olivier, whose body was found floating in a tributary of the Saigon River. As an avid reader of detective fiction, Guéry is well aware of how such investigations should proceed, but it is not immediately clear that he is capable of putting this knowledge into practice. In addition to being a reporter for an obscure provincial newspaper, he is also a failed writer, an incorrigible alcoholic, and a compulsive gambler who has already squandered a fortune in the casinos of the Côte d'Azur. Despite his dissolute tendencies, however, and his aversion to physical danger, Guéry does eventually manage to solve the case. In order to do so, he is obliged to enter a world of elaborate conspiracies, clandestine intelligence operations, and organized crime - only to discover, in the novel's final pages, that the truth behind his brother's murder is far stranger than he could have imagined.

Written in the style of Graham Greene and Eric Ambler, Too Far From Antibes is a 'retro' thriller that brilliantly evokes the city of Saigon during the early 1950s, when it was a centre of intrigue, insurgency, and empire.

Genres: Crime

266 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 1, 2022

About the author

Bede Scott lives in Singapore, where he is an associate professor in the School of Humanities at Nanyang Technological University. He is the author of On Lightness in World Literature (2013), Affective Disorders: Emotion in Colonial and Postcolonial Literature (2019), and Too Far From Antibes (2022).

Reviews

[Sizarifalina · Rating 4 out of 5]

One thing I find interesting about books published by Penguin is that I get to explore places in South East Asia. Places that I have never heard of. I get discover new cultures and its histories too.

This book provides a map of Saigon in 1950s that helped me a lot .

At first I find the plot not that different from any other murder mystery books. Most of the plot revolves around Jean-Luc Guéry (Guéry) But as the story unfolds, I started to find it interesting and wanting to know more. The plot can be quite confusing at times as I am unfamiliar with some words (French ) and Saigon. With the help from very elaborate descriptions of the plot, characters and settings I started to enjoy the book.

The book were told from Inspector Levlerc’s point of view and also Guéry’s . It started when Guéry met him at Sûreté Headquarters. Guéry was desperate to find how his elder brother , Olivier Guéry had died and wanted to talk to Inspector Arnaud. Unfortunately Inspector Arnaud was on leave. Since the authorities stopped investigating his late brother’s murder case, he decided to do so. He then told his experiences to Inspector Leclerc.

Guéry is a unique character. He jotted down musical notations of the songs he heard during his investigation. He was described elaborately by the author which made me understood why he did what he did. Since Guéry sees the world differently from people in Saigon, his characters slowly changed as he investigated more. He was the type of guy who makes people feel comfortable to talk to that leads him to getting more information about his late brother.

The setting was in Saigon during the Anti-French Resistance War ( 1946 - 1954) . Hence with the lack of man power and technology, I got to experience how a murder investigation was back then. Very old school. There were a lot of people being killed so Guéry’s investigations were often discouraged by the locals and were asked to leave Saigon immediately by some. This made the plot more interesting.

There were parts in the book that I feel that are not needed. Some characters and incidents were described in detailed but had no significance in the progression of the plot.

[Isabelle Sim · Rating 5 out of 5]

lawrence osborne goes to vietnam, and finds a much funnier narrator who is not afraid to call the main character stupid

[K.V. Martins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really liked this book. The setting of Saigon in the 1950s was fascinating. Well told story, and I loved the flawed main character of Jean-Luc Guéry, who arrives in Saigon to find out how his older brother, Olivier, died.

[Yuki Ling · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a big thriller fan but I would say most of those I've read are set outside of Southeast Asia, so this was a pretty refreshing read that's different from my usual appetite.

Set against a backdrop of political instability and insurgency, Jean-Luc Guéry has arrived in 1950s Saigon to investigate the murder of his brother, Olivier. The author did a neat job at transporting readers to the tumultuous period such that you could visualise yourself alongside Guéry as he navigates the streets of Saigon. There was some use of French terms and historical references so I did find myself turning to Google for more context as I read hahah.

That said, the overall prose is very easy to follow and the plot is similar to that of a typical murder-mystery. What's most unusual was in fact the main character, Guéry, who is described as an incorrigible alcoholic, a compulsive gambler and a failed writer – basically an all round "nobody". We're told from the onset that Guéry manages to solve the mystery (something that the police had failed to achieve). In a sense, you'll end up rooting for the underdog and see how someone as unassuming as Guéry can have the capability of uncovering the truth behind the murder. He has some close shaves with danger and you can't help but feel nervous for him AND wonder how exactly he will pull off this mission.

Rating this 3.5 stars for the interesting backdrop and satisfying reveal – I found the twists unexpected and appreciated how things fell in place nicely. Thanks Penguin Random House for sharing an ARC with me!

[Justin Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully brisk, old-fashioned thriller written with light comedic touches. Read it in two sittings.

[Kushagra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guery is comedically entertaining and my mental image of him resembles Emperor Norton to some extent. I thought I caught the twists, but wait, turns out that there's always more. Really fun to read and a great light-hearted book :D

[Karen]

Hugely engrossing, frequently funny, fast paced and extremely engaging, TOO FAR FROM ANTIBES was most definitely a standout read in 2023.


https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi...

[Magda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really great read. Well written, good plot, interesting historical backdrop. Well crafted. I was impressed

[Sometimes IRead · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ll be really upfront and say that this isn’t the kind of book that is chock full of action or even intrigue. I mean, I guessed the twist before it happened. Guess that’s just goes to show that action really isn’t necessary for a thriller. In fact, Too Far from Antibes by Bede Scott reminded me of one of those old tv shows where it’s literally just a few people sitting around talking. Not to say that that’s all that happened in Too Far, but it certainly felt like it, what with the diegesis and a very self-aware narrator. It took me years to appreciate this genre of tv show so I suspect that I’m showing my age when I unabashedly pronounce that I enjoyed this read very much. Perhaps it was the fact that narrator and protagonist were two separate characters, but it did not feel that exposition heavy to me. Also, the usage of this narration device helped me tamp down my incredulity at Jean-Luc’s actions. Fly out to Saigon with no plan and inappropriate clothes for the weather? Totally in character for someone whose approach to life has been to have another cigarette and round at the roulette table.

One thing that I thought was interesting was how Scott repeatedly drew parallels between the genre of noir detective novels and Jean-Luc’s bumbling investigation into his brother’s death. Jean-Luc could possibly fit the bill of protagonist in the genre but as the narrator reminds us, this is Jean-Luc we’re talking about. No sudden burst of strength to fight off attackers, just a ridiculous cervical collar to show for his non-efforts. No fancy sleuthing, just unsophisticated bumbling around. All this meta-level smartness did make me wonder, what exactly is the point Scott is trying to make? Or is there really no point, and we should all just have another drink?

Diversity meter:
-

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ngaio Marsh awards: On longlist for Best Novel (2023)
Narrated by a Saigon Police officer it is the story of a French reporter who came to Saigon from Antibes to investigate his brothers death. He is a bit of a reprobate who drinks and smokes to excess while exploring the city looking for clues. While investigating he is constantly warned to “go home” which he studiously ignores even after being badly beaten and manages to find a string of clues that eventually reveal the truth.
Well written.

[Eyqa Zaque (The Hundred Pages) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main feature of this book is the fact that it was a common journey but had been told in a retro yet dramatic way. No matter how eager the main character want to find his brother murderer and the reason beyond, he had been told to put an end to his investigation as it was not what it actually may seem. It had been repeated multiples times by multiples encounters through out the books, to the point that I too believe what is wrong with this guy - so eager to find the murderer and reason even though he is not that actually fond of his brother that much? Yet it rise another question, was it something he need to retrieve from his brother? With that curiosity in mind, I must say it was an exciting adventure, finding clues, interpret it, and this book not only satisfy my crave for retro writing but also the sense of humor between the words give me a good laugh.

Character development not that much, but the main character did have a good time especially when he found two or three sets of clue that will actually point out the true before the end. The story have a way with words, kind of bring you back to the setting, the old and classic Vietnam, where war in between, living and dying is just usual things in the folks view and socializing is the same mean as surviving. I feel overwhelmed towards the main character at the end, to know that this journey that could mean so much to him had a different ending, but it is what it is, life is not always go like what we want it to be. No clear resolutions on what the character will do next as this-supposed-to-be-exciting adventure had come to a bummer.

I do recommend this book those who will enjoy classic and literature reading as I said earlier this book has its own ways with words.

Thank you Penguin SEA for giving an ebook review copy in exchange with a honest review.

[Raghuveer Parthasarathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suspense in 1950s Saigon, echoing Graham Greene (as the book jacket tells us); not as interesting as Greene, but that’s a high bar. An enjoyable read, especially because of the sympathetic protagonist who tries to accomplish something meaningful by figuring out why his brother was murdered.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a brilliant book - excellently researched, elegantly constructed and excitingly, vividly told! It really brings the atmosphere of Saigon in the 1950s to life, as if you had been there yourself. I just couldn't put it down!

[Taran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable! A cut above being a standard-issue thriller thanks in part to a well-developed sense of place, but mostly through some smart comedy and interesting metatextual elements. You can tell the author had a lot of fun writing this

[Wendy Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

52 Book Challenge 2024 prompts:

#9 - A Character-Driven Novel
#10 - Told in Non-Chronological Order
#14 - A Grieving Character
#30 - Picked without reading the blurb