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Camille Verhœven #1
Irène
El comandante Camille Verhoeven vive la vida perfecta: está casado con la maravillosa Irène, con la que espera su primer hijo. Pero su felicidad se resquebraja tras un asesinato inusualmente salvaje. Desde que la noticia se hace pública, la prensa lo acecha y cada uno de sus movimientos se convierte en nota de tapa.
Verhoeven descubre que el asesino ha matado antes. Cada uno de sus crímenes parece rendir homenaje a una novela negra clásica, por lo que los periodistas no tardan en darle un sobrenombre: "El Novelista".
Los mismos que pueden ayudar a encontrarlo se suman a la lista de sospechosos: un librero y un profesor universitario expertos en novela negra. La investigación se convierte así en un duelo intelectual, y en una aterradora carrera contra el reloj.
"Lemaitre, la sensación literaria francesa, mereció un Dagger Award por Alex, una novela fascinante que mezcla procedimiento policial, thriller y horror psicológico. Irène es aun mejor. Maneja la trama con un increíble pulso y la conduce hasta un final ingenioso y sobrecogedor".
Library Journal.
"La verdadera genialidad de esta novela son los giros que Lemaitre incorpora a la trama, poniéndola por encima del género y creando una nueva categoría en sí misma. Un libro que se convierte en una bomba de relojería brillante y diabólica a la vez".
Kirkus Review.
Verhoeven descubre que el asesino ha matado antes. Cada uno de sus crímenes parece rendir homenaje a una novela negra clásica, por lo que los periodistas no tardan en darle un sobrenombre: "El Novelista".
Los mismos que pueden ayudar a encontrarlo se suman a la lista de sospechosos: un librero y un profesor universitario expertos en novela negra. La investigación se convierte así en un duelo intelectual, y en una aterradora carrera contra el reloj.
"Lemaitre, la sensación literaria francesa, mereció un Dagger Award por Alex, una novela fascinante que mezcla procedimiento policial, thriller y horror psicológico. Irène es aun mejor. Maneja la trama con un increíble pulso y la conduce hasta un final ingenioso y sobrecogedor".
Library Journal.
"La verdadera genialidad de esta novela son los giros que Lemaitre incorpora a la trama, poniéndola por encima del género y creando una nueva categoría en sí misma. Un libro que se convierte en una bomba de relojería brillante y diabólica a la vez".
Kirkus Review.
400 pages, Paperback
First published June 7, 2006
509 people are currently reading
10113 people want to read
About the author
Pierre Lemaitre
73 books2,116 followersPierre Lemaitre is a French novelist and screenwriter. He is internationally renowned for the crime novels featuring the fictional character Commandant Camille Verhœven.
His first novel that was translated into English, Alex, is a translation of the French book with the same title, it jointly won the CWA International Dagger for best translated crime novel of 2013.
In November 2013, he was awarded the Prix Goncourt, France's top literary prize, for Au revoir là-haut (published in English as The Great Swindle), an epic about World War I. His novels Camille and The Great Swindle won the CWA International Dagger in 2015 and 2016 respectively.
His first novel that was translated into English, Alex, is a translation of the French book with the same title, it jointly won the CWA International Dagger for best translated crime novel of 2013.
In November 2013, he was awarded the Prix Goncourt, France's top literary prize, for Au revoir là-haut (published in English as The Great Swindle), an epic about World War I. His novels Camille and The Great Swindle won the CWA International Dagger in 2015 and 2016 respectively.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,669 reviews
December 31, 2020
I don’t usually do this because I seldom read books like this, but I’ll start with a content warning. If you are bothered by descriptions of the torture, dismemberment and mutilation of women, this book is not for you. I don’t have any of that in my review. But since the theme of this book is that a crazy killer is killing women by imitating killings in books, such as American Psycho by Bret Ellis, you get descriptions of each murder twice - in the original book and then how the killer imitated it. So beware.
This is the first of four books in a detective series by this French author, the Commandant Camille Verhoeven series. Our detective has to have quirks. Commandant Verhoeven has a bundle of them. He’s 4-feet 11-inches tall and we hear frequently how people react to his short stature and how his legs dangle off chairs. Somehow he has managed to marry a beautiful woman. She is expecting a baby and his life is fulfilled. In fact, the book is titled with his wife’s name. His mother, an artist, recently died and he’s having a hard time dealing with her estate. He’s an artist too and constantly sketches the victims’ faces, looking for something.
He has strained relations with all his co-workers and with his boss. He and his boss argue like ‘an old married couple.’ His several male assistants are quirky too. One sees his job as keeping Verhoeven calm. The other is a sponge who is constantly bumming cigarettes off people, stealing food and sticking friends with meal tabs. Another is physically huge but is always dieting. Another is a good-looking playboy. And someone is feeding confidential information about the murders to the press. Who is it?
A newspaper reporter becomes a major player in the story. He’s turning Verhoeven into a celebrity but he is so annoying to the Commandant that he becomes an adversary - almost like Professor Moriarty for Sherlock Holmes.
The Commandant knows the killer is toying with him, so he puts an ad in a newspaper. It works. He begins a correspondence with him or her.
A lot of thriller-type books claim to have a shocking ending. This book has a shocking ending. It’s a good read if you can handle the gore.
Unknowingly I read the second book in the series first (Alex), then the fourth (Camille). They are connected but you don’t have to read them in order. The other two I read do not have the amount of gore this one has. I would say, in order, I prefer the first (Alex, I gave it a ‘5’), this one (Irene), and third, Camille. But I think that the best book I have read by this author is not in the Verhoeven series. It is The Great Swindle. That book is about two wounded French WW I buddies trying to survive after the war. The Great Swindle won France’s Prix Goncourt.
Top photo of a French country house from frenchentree.com
The author from frenchculture.org
This is the first of four books in a detective series by this French author, the Commandant Camille Verhoeven series. Our detective has to have quirks. Commandant Verhoeven has a bundle of them. He’s 4-feet 11-inches tall and we hear frequently how people react to his short stature and how his legs dangle off chairs. Somehow he has managed to marry a beautiful woman. She is expecting a baby and his life is fulfilled. In fact, the book is titled with his wife’s name. His mother, an artist, recently died and he’s having a hard time dealing with her estate. He’s an artist too and constantly sketches the victims’ faces, looking for something.
He has strained relations with all his co-workers and with his boss. He and his boss argue like ‘an old married couple.’ His several male assistants are quirky too. One sees his job as keeping Verhoeven calm. The other is a sponge who is constantly bumming cigarettes off people, stealing food and sticking friends with meal tabs. Another is physically huge but is always dieting. Another is a good-looking playboy. And someone is feeding confidential information about the murders to the press. Who is it?
A newspaper reporter becomes a major player in the story. He’s turning Verhoeven into a celebrity but he is so annoying to the Commandant that he becomes an adversary - almost like Professor Moriarty for Sherlock Holmes.
The Commandant knows the killer is toying with him, so he puts an ad in a newspaper. It works. He begins a correspondence with him or her.
A lot of thriller-type books claim to have a shocking ending. This book has a shocking ending. It’s a good read if you can handle the gore.
Unknowingly I read the second book in the series first (Alex), then the fourth (Camille). They are connected but you don’t have to read them in order. The other two I read do not have the amount of gore this one has. I would say, in order, I prefer the first (Alex, I gave it a ‘5’), this one (Irene), and third, Camille. But I think that the best book I have read by this author is not in the Verhoeven series. It is The Great Swindle. That book is about two wounded French WW I buddies trying to survive after the war. The Great Swindle won France’s Prix Goncourt.
Top photo of a French country house from frenchentree.com
The author from frenchculture.org
November 27, 2023
UOMINI CHE ODIANO LE DONNE
Il primo delitto viete paragonato a questo quadro di Goya (Saturno che divora i suoi figli, 1821 – 23, conservato al Museo del Prado di Madrid).
Pierre Lemaitre ha cominciato a pubblicare alla tenera età di cinquantacinque anni. Questo è il suo debutto.
Recentemente è stato pubblicato Il serpente maiuscolo, un romanzo che si dice lui avesse nel cassetto da prima: ma rimane che questo è il suo primo passo ufficiale nel mondo della letteratura.
E l’editore italiano senza indugio ha pensato bene di stravolgergli il titolo: che in francese suona come un lavoro ben fatto, accurato (Travail soigné), e ha il suo perché. In italiano diventa invece il nome femminile che corrisponde a quello della moglie del commissario protagonista Camille Verhoeven, una scelta dissennata come si capisce leggendo (a discolpa di Mondadori va detto che la stessa decisione è stata presa, chissà perché, da tutti le edizioni straniere).
Anche questo quadro è citato come paragone all’efferatezza del delitto. Si tratta di Caravaggio, Davide con la testa di Golia. Questa è la versione conservata a Vienna, datata 1606-1607, che anticipa di un paio d’anni quella conservata alla Galleria Borghese di Roma.
Giorni fa ho letto un’intervista in contemporanea a Lemaitre e Massimo Carlotto. I due scrittori, oltre rispondere alle domande del giornalista, dialogavano tra di loro, alla distanza dei rispettivi monitor di computer (covid impera).
Il francese mi è sembrato di una generazione precedente a quella dell’italiano, anche se nato solo cinque anni prima: il nostro noirista hard boiled era sempre un passo avanti, calato nella contemporaneità, mentre il francese sembrava annaspare dall’alto della posizione raggiunta negli anni.
Carlotto immerge le sue storie sul territorio, basandole su approfondite inchieste, ricerche, analisi, sceglie spesso come fulcro del racconto un personaggio pieno di ombre, usa la sociologia, segue e insegue il tempo che scorre.
Lemaitre debutta invece con un classico commissario che per regola generale va reso “diverso”, va distinto dalla pletora già esistente in modo che si distingua e rimanga impresso: Camille Verhoeven è alto solo un metro e quarantacinque, fattore più unico che raro, ed è chiaro che questo elemento determina situazioni e comportamenti (alcuni esempi: i giochi di parole o gaffe sul guardare più in alto, rivolgersi più in alto, dall’alto della sua posizione, ecc.).
A questo elemento già consolidato ne aggiunge un altro altrettanto abusato – che a me ormai suscita minimo interesse: il “cattivo” della situazione è un serial killer.
Il commissario è ossessionato dalla violenza del delitto e continua a trovare riferimenti: qui il grandioso Conrad Veidt nell’eccellente film muto diretto Paul Leni “L’uomo che ride”, tratto dal romanzo di Victor Hugo.
Ma Camille Verhoeven non è alcolista, non è collerico, non è denso d’ombre, ama sua moglie che è felicemente in attesa del primo figlio. Con tutto ciò, non risulta stucchevole e men che meno scontato.
E in questo autentico polar anche l’assassino seriale si muove e agisce seguendo un filo conduttore che mi ha molto divertito, m’è parso del tutto originale, e distingue Lemaitre dall’affollato parco dei giallisti e dei noiristi. E davvero questa volta l’epigrafe da Roland Barthes è illuminante:
Lo scrittore è qualcuno che assembla le citazioni eliminando le virgolette.
Colpito dal sapiente uso dell’ironia che non risparmia al lettore scene raccapriccianti, ho iniziato e finito in un weekend di lettura tutto meno che matta e disperatissima questo romanzo non breve, mi è piaciuto e mi ha incuriosito al punto che credo mi spingerà a proseguire la conoscenza con l’autore d’oltralpe.
Il delitto del 1947 che è diventato celebre grazie al romanzo di James Ellroy “The Black Dahlia” La vittima si chiamava Elizabeth Short.
Il primo delitto viete paragonato a questo quadro di Goya (Saturno che divora i suoi figli, 1821 – 23, conservato al Museo del Prado di Madrid).
Pierre Lemaitre ha cominciato a pubblicare alla tenera età di cinquantacinque anni. Questo è il suo debutto.
Recentemente è stato pubblicato Il serpente maiuscolo, un romanzo che si dice lui avesse nel cassetto da prima: ma rimane che questo è il suo primo passo ufficiale nel mondo della letteratura.
E l’editore italiano senza indugio ha pensato bene di stravolgergli il titolo: che in francese suona come un lavoro ben fatto, accurato (Travail soigné), e ha il suo perché. In italiano diventa invece il nome femminile che corrisponde a quello della moglie del commissario protagonista Camille Verhoeven, una scelta dissennata come si capisce leggendo (a discolpa di Mondadori va detto che la stessa decisione è stata presa, chissà perché, da tutti le edizioni straniere).
Anche questo quadro è citato come paragone all’efferatezza del delitto. Si tratta di Caravaggio, Davide con la testa di Golia. Questa è la versione conservata a Vienna, datata 1606-1607, che anticipa di un paio d’anni quella conservata alla Galleria Borghese di Roma.
Giorni fa ho letto un’intervista in contemporanea a Lemaitre e Massimo Carlotto. I due scrittori, oltre rispondere alle domande del giornalista, dialogavano tra di loro, alla distanza dei rispettivi monitor di computer (covid impera).
Il francese mi è sembrato di una generazione precedente a quella dell’italiano, anche se nato solo cinque anni prima: il nostro noirista hard boiled era sempre un passo avanti, calato nella contemporaneità, mentre il francese sembrava annaspare dall’alto della posizione raggiunta negli anni.
Carlotto immerge le sue storie sul territorio, basandole su approfondite inchieste, ricerche, analisi, sceglie spesso come fulcro del racconto un personaggio pieno di ombre, usa la sociologia, segue e insegue il tempo che scorre.
Lemaitre debutta invece con un classico commissario che per regola generale va reso “diverso”, va distinto dalla pletora già esistente in modo che si distingua e rimanga impresso: Camille Verhoeven è alto solo un metro e quarantacinque, fattore più unico che raro, ed è chiaro che questo elemento determina situazioni e comportamenti (alcuni esempi: i giochi di parole o gaffe sul guardare più in alto, rivolgersi più in alto, dall’alto della sua posizione, ecc.).
A questo elemento già consolidato ne aggiunge un altro altrettanto abusato – che a me ormai suscita minimo interesse: il “cattivo” della situazione è un serial killer.
Il commissario è ossessionato dalla violenza del delitto e continua a trovare riferimenti: qui il grandioso Conrad Veidt nell’eccellente film muto diretto Paul Leni “L’uomo che ride”, tratto dal romanzo di Victor Hugo.
Ma Camille Verhoeven non è alcolista, non è collerico, non è denso d’ombre, ama sua moglie che è felicemente in attesa del primo figlio. Con tutto ciò, non risulta stucchevole e men che meno scontato.
E in questo autentico polar anche l’assassino seriale si muove e agisce seguendo un filo conduttore che mi ha molto divertito, m’è parso del tutto originale, e distingue Lemaitre dall’affollato parco dei giallisti e dei noiristi. E davvero questa volta l’epigrafe da Roland Barthes è illuminante:
Lo scrittore è qualcuno che assembla le citazioni eliminando le virgolette.
Colpito dal sapiente uso dell’ironia che non risparmia al lettore scene raccapriccianti, ho iniziato e finito in un weekend di lettura tutto meno che matta e disperatissima questo romanzo non breve, mi è piaciuto e mi ha incuriosito al punto che credo mi spingerà a proseguire la conoscenza con l’autore d’oltralpe.
Il delitto del 1947 che è diventato celebre grazie al romanzo di James Ellroy “The Black Dahlia” La vittima si chiamava Elizabeth Short.
November 6, 2020
Son dos las ideas que me siguen dando vueltas una vez acabado este libro. Por una parte, la brutalidad de las descripciones (y aclaro que no soy fácilmente impresionable en este sentido) y, por otro, el giro que da la narración hacia el final, que hace imposible no cuestionarse toda la lectura y si realmente en algún momento se llegó a conocer de verdad a los personajes. Me dejó muy sorprendida por su originalidad y cómo permite explicar algunas partes que no me cuadraban del todo, como la relación de Irène y Camille.
Creo que es una de las mejores novelas del género que he leído últimamente. La lectura absorbe y atrapa, hasta llegar a la parte final en que se vuelve realmente frenética, con un desenlace que, a medida que avanzas las páginas, se torna cada vez más inevitable.
No le pongo las cinco estrellas exclusivamente porque algunas pistas cruciales salen casi debajo de la manga (aunque puede ser por la traducción) y porque, a mi gusto, las motivaciones del asesino no quedaron suficientemente claras. ¿Por qué realmente lo hizo y cómo escogió a su objetivo final? son aspectos que para mí no quedaron suficientemente sustentados.
Reto #7 PopSugar 2017: Un libro que sea una historia dentro de la historia
Respecto del reto… bueno… estoy segura que quienes hayan leído el libro entenderán la referencia.
Creo que es una de las mejores novelas del género que he leído últimamente. La lectura absorbe y atrapa, hasta llegar a la parte final en que se vuelve realmente frenética, con un desenlace que, a medida que avanzas las páginas, se torna cada vez más inevitable.
No le pongo las cinco estrellas exclusivamente porque algunas pistas cruciales salen casi debajo de la manga (aunque puede ser por la traducción) y porque, a mi gusto, las motivaciones del asesino no quedaron suficientemente claras. ¿Por qué realmente lo hizo y cómo escogió a su objetivo final? son aspectos que para mí no quedaron suficientemente sustentados.
Reto #7 PopSugar 2017: Un libro que sea una historia dentro de la historia
Respecto del reto… bueno… estoy segura que quienes hayan leído el libro entenderán la referencia.
November 7, 2023
Lectura de abril 2017.
Mi primera incursión en las novelas del afamado escritor francés Pierre Lemaitre y su comisario Verhoeven no me ha decepcionado en absoluto.
Como suele ocurrir en este tipo de relatos, más en los europeos que los americanos, hay descripciones escabrosas, que hacen que su lectura no sea recomendable para todo tipo de lectores. Dicho esto, la primera entrega del casi enanito inspector me ha parecido una de las mejores lecturas en cuanto a novela policial de los últimos años. Y no diré nada más. Me la lean.
June 12, 2025
Ya tenía ganas de leer al afamado escritor francés Pierre Lemaitre y más en concreto la serie de Camille Verhoeven. Y no me extraña que haya sido tan galardonado porque lo de escribir novela negra se le da realmente bien. Una vez finalizada Iréne solo me queda asentir y aplaudir.
Entiendo perfectamente que haya personas que le parezca lo contrario, debido a su dureza, a lo explicito en la descripción de las atrocidades, no es un plato para cualquier estómago. Por suerte la novela ofrece muchas más cosas.
Ah, importante decir que es autoconclusiva. Por lo que tengo entendido todas las de Verhoeven lo son, personalmente prefiero leerlas por orden de publicación.
Sobre la trama no quiero comentar mucho. Solo decir que hay una serie de asesinatos atroces y una investigación liderada por Camille Verhoeven, dicho así pues parece una novela del montón pero nada de eso.
De hecho, es todo un homenaje a la novela negra, a los clásicos. Se menciona y se cita a La Dalia Negra de James Ellroy que aprovecho para recomendarla, también a American Psycho de Ellis, meh, esta no la recomiendo tanto y otras novelas que no he tenido el placer de leer. Porque esta novela está metida dentro de esas novelas, que a su vez forman otra novela y... hasta aquí puedo leer. Una genialidad.
Valoro mucho su ritmo constante, es un libro que mantiene el interés de la primera a la última página y solo lo cambia en el tramo final para que te sea imposible soltarlo. Y aunque requiere que el lector esté atento a todos los detalles no es muy espesa.
Los personajes, desde Verhoeven hasta el ayudante del ayudante están muy bien trazados. El propio Verhoeven es de lo más curioso, un tipo que apenas mide 1,45 que en su cabeza se define como un Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec pero sin deformidades pero eso no quita que que tenga una determinación de hierro y sea respetado por la gente que lo rodea.
Ya para terminar, la recomiendo, por supuesto seguiré leyendo el resto de la serie y me sorprende mucho, pero mucho mucho el título que se le ha dado a la novela.
August 11, 2017
BRUTAL!!! SENCILLAMENTE BRUTAL; tanto en violento como en magistral.
October 6, 2015
I believe this is the first book I've ever read that was written by a French author. I had no trouble with understanding the French justice system, place and character names, and other terms. As advised by Goodread friends, I've read this as the first in the trilogy, although it was not translated into English first.
This book has a truly unique set up, but I'm not going to tell you what it is. Suffice it to say, I'm still thinking about it! The main protagonist is diminutive in stature, but he has a giant personality and is very likable. His fellow investigators are well crafted and have idiosyncrasies that are endearing. I had a strong sense of dread when I began to realize where this book was headed, but that was only part of the big picture. The who, the how, and the why surprised me, but the what was shocking.
This was a very, very good book. The only reason for the 4 stars instead of 5 is that everything I've read indicates the second book is better, and I'm reserving the 5 stars for that book in anticipation. I hope that pans out!
This book has a truly unique set up, but I'm not going to tell you what it is. Suffice it to say, I'm still thinking about it! The main protagonist is diminutive in stature, but he has a giant personality and is very likable. His fellow investigators are well crafted and have idiosyncrasies that are endearing. I had a strong sense of dread when I began to realize where this book was headed, but that was only part of the big picture. The who, the how, and the why surprised me, but the what was shocking.
This was a very, very good book. The only reason for the 4 stars instead of 5 is that everything I've read indicates the second book is better, and I'm reserving the 5 stars for that book in anticipation. I hope that pans out!
December 27, 2024
Lemaitre es magistral. Sin embargo, esta novela es demasiado brutal para mí. Aunque, como he comprado la cuatrilogia, continuaré con la segunda parte.
El hecho de que el título nos haga vislumbrar lo que va a ocurrir no le quita un ápice de interés. Personajes potentes, sobre todo Verhoeven. Trama monumental, aunque muy dura. Ritmo lento al principio, que se transforma en muy rápido después.
El final no me ha gustado, demasiado escalofriante y brutal.
El hecho de que el título nos haga vislumbrar lo que va a ocurrir no le quita un ápice de interés. Personajes potentes, sobre todo Verhoeven. Trama monumental, aunque muy dura. Ritmo lento al principio, que se transforma en muy rápido después.
El final no me ha gustado, demasiado escalofriante y brutal.
August 25, 2025
Un criminal homenaje a la literatura negra. Textualmente se trata de eso: un asesino que imita los crímenes de novelas negras. En un singular ejercicio de amor por la literatura, un tipo que anda suelto por ahí decide imitar los asesinatos más sangrientos que ha podido leer. Bueno, al menos, eso es lo que parece, qué se yo. Y tras él va Camille Verhoven, un poli duro, pequeño y resistente por fuera, pero un tipo asombrosamente sensible en la intimidad.
Una historia de la que es muy difícil despegarse, con un último tercio vertiginoso y con un final que...qué decir del final, merde, merde, merde.
Lamaitre se las arregla para que Camille (que no es especialmente gracioso, ni lo que la mayoría entiende por "agradable" ni excesivamente heroico) sea querible y con algunos flashbacks logra que el lector conecte emocionalmente con él.
De ninguna manera apto para almitas sensibles. Si no tienen problemas con las descripciones minuciosamente truculentas ni con la violencia explícita, y disfrutan de los juegos literarios y de este negro género, pues aquí tienen una gran lectura.
Una historia de la que es muy difícil despegarse, con un último tercio vertiginoso y con un final que...qué decir del final, merde, merde, merde.
Lamaitre se las arregla para que Camille (que no es especialmente gracioso, ni lo que la mayoría entiende por "agradable" ni excesivamente heroico) sea querible y con algunos flashbacks logra que el lector conecte emocionalmente con él.
De ninguna manera apto para almitas sensibles. Si no tienen problemas con las descripciones minuciosamente truculentas ni con la violencia explícita, y disfrutan de los juegos literarios y de este negro género, pues aquí tienen una gran lectura.
April 8, 2014
After the phenomenal success of Pierre Lemaitre’s Alex on its release last year, it was with some relish that I embarked on Irene. I think it’s probably a fairly moot point that I am adding my still, small voice to the general acclaim that Irene has garnered since its release but here are my thoughts.
Quite simply this book is terrific, in the first instance with the superb characterisation of the central detective protagonist, Commandant Camille Verhoeven, the diminutive but dogged police officer on the trail of an insidious serial killer, dubbed The Novelist. Verhoeven is a man composed of a plethora of insecurities, not only by his small stature, but also with the imminent arrival of his first child, and the no small matter of guiding his police through a knotty and increasingly difficult investigation. As we are immersed deeper into his private and public persona, there are few police protagonists that become so indelibly fixed in your imagination, and more importantly raise your empathy so effectively. As the investigation escalates and equally Verhoeven’s fears surrounding the support he is offering to his beloved wife Irene, near the end of her pregnancy, your engagement with him is as palpable as the attendant tension of the central murder plot. I loved the balance that Lemaitre achieves between the stalwart doggedness of this character, the natural sarcasm and humour that arises from his character, and the utter fear that overtakes him as all that he holds most dear is threatened by this barbaric killer.
Lemaitre is an incredibly clever writer and what I was most overawed by is his humility and reverential treatment towards other seminal works of fiction within the crime genre. It is quickly revealed that the killer- The Novelist- is recreating scenes from cult crime novels (be warned- some are exceptionally violent), and throughout the course of the book, Lemaitre also pays homage to some of the finest crime novels produced, with a reverential tone and an altruistic attitude to writers that is rarely encountered. Likewise, there is an enhanced reading experience, as this book has led me to re-reading a couple of the titles mentioned whilst also introducing new authors to me. Crime connoisseurs will be delighted…
The twist in the book, which I will desist from revealing what it is or where it occurs, was brilliant in its execution. With the benefit of hindsight there are small hints and teasers for the more eagle-eyed amongst us, only one of which I latched on to, but just wait for the grand reveal- in no way a twist that I have ever encountered before…
I think that I can safely echo my fellow reviewers in thanking Pierre Lemaitre for producing two such exemplary crime novels, both with Alex and Irene. His control of the narrative, plotting and characterisation is beautiful in its execution, and with his more literary writing style, produces a reading experience that truly engages the reader and immerses you fully in the trials and tribulations of his protagonists. Quite simply- perfect.
Quite simply this book is terrific, in the first instance with the superb characterisation of the central detective protagonist, Commandant Camille Verhoeven, the diminutive but dogged police officer on the trail of an insidious serial killer, dubbed The Novelist. Verhoeven is a man composed of a plethora of insecurities, not only by his small stature, but also with the imminent arrival of his first child, and the no small matter of guiding his police through a knotty and increasingly difficult investigation. As we are immersed deeper into his private and public persona, there are few police protagonists that become so indelibly fixed in your imagination, and more importantly raise your empathy so effectively. As the investigation escalates and equally Verhoeven’s fears surrounding the support he is offering to his beloved wife Irene, near the end of her pregnancy, your engagement with him is as palpable as the attendant tension of the central murder plot. I loved the balance that Lemaitre achieves between the stalwart doggedness of this character, the natural sarcasm and humour that arises from his character, and the utter fear that overtakes him as all that he holds most dear is threatened by this barbaric killer.
Lemaitre is an incredibly clever writer and what I was most overawed by is his humility and reverential treatment towards other seminal works of fiction within the crime genre. It is quickly revealed that the killer- The Novelist- is recreating scenes from cult crime novels (be warned- some are exceptionally violent), and throughout the course of the book, Lemaitre also pays homage to some of the finest crime novels produced, with a reverential tone and an altruistic attitude to writers that is rarely encountered. Likewise, there is an enhanced reading experience, as this book has led me to re-reading a couple of the titles mentioned whilst also introducing new authors to me. Crime connoisseurs will be delighted…
The twist in the book, which I will desist from revealing what it is or where it occurs, was brilliant in its execution. With the benefit of hindsight there are small hints and teasers for the more eagle-eyed amongst us, only one of which I latched on to, but just wait for the grand reveal- in no way a twist that I have ever encountered before…
I think that I can safely echo my fellow reviewers in thanking Pierre Lemaitre for producing two such exemplary crime novels, both with Alex and Irene. His control of the narrative, plotting and characterisation is beautiful in its execution, and with his more literary writing style, produces a reading experience that truly engages the reader and immerses you fully in the trials and tribulations of his protagonists. Quite simply- perfect.
October 10, 2020
Me adentro en Irene (2006) , la primera novela de la saga Verhoeven, de Pierre Lemaitre (1956-), después de haber leído y disfrutado de la segunda entrega, Alex... y eso no ha sido una buena idea: hay cosas muy importantes en Irene que ya conocemos después de haber leído Alex. Aun así, me encuentro con otra novela de género negro de altura que he disfrutado hasta el final, porque la prosa y el ritmo de Lemaitre son realmente excelentes.
Irene es exceso por todos los lados, el autor busca impactar dentro del género negro: los personajes, las pistas, los muertos se suceden sin descanso en esta primera obra de la saga de modo más acumulativo que complejo como sucede en Alex.
Y el final nos abre todo un abanico de posibilidades en la personalidad de nuestro comisario protagonista, Camille. No se puede decir más para no destripar este buen comienzo de una saga que merece la pena leer si eres aficionado a este género.
Irene es exceso por todos los lados, el autor busca impactar dentro del género negro: los personajes, las pistas, los muertos se suceden sin descanso en esta primera obra de la saga de modo más acumulativo que complejo como sucede en Alex.
Y el final nos abre todo un abanico de posibilidades en la personalidad de nuestro comisario protagonista, Camille. No se puede decir más para no destripar este buen comienzo de una saga que merece la pena leer si eres aficionado a este género.
April 22, 2018
Terminei agora (2 horas da madrugada, mas era impossível não o fazer...);
Preciso dar-lhe já as estrelas para começar a tentar esquecê-lo (e minimizar o receio de violentos pesadelos).
O início, o meio e, principalmente, o final são um pavor!
Enfim...tudo tormentos que um apreciador de policiais exige de um livro do género.
Um assassino que recria cinco cenas de clássicos da literatura policial (não devo dizer quais porque poderá ser um teste à memória do leitor que os tenha lido - eu li dois, mas não os reconheci, felizmente) é o enredo principal deste extraordinário romance, completado por personagens carismáticas e cativantes (como eu gosto do comissário minúsculo!) e uma narrativa que nos arrasa com os nervos (a descrição dos crimes, embora não seja exaustiva, é de fugir...aos gritos).
Pierre Lemaitre é mesmo muito bom!
Preciso dar-lhe já as estrelas para começar a tentar esquecê-lo (e minimizar o receio de violentos pesadelos).
O início, o meio e, principalmente, o final são um pavor!
Enfim...tudo tormentos que um apreciador de policiais exige de um livro do género.
Um assassino que recria cinco cenas de clássicos da literatura policial (não devo dizer quais porque poderá ser um teste à memória do leitor que os tenha lido - eu li dois, mas não os reconheci, felizmente) é o enredo principal deste extraordinário romance, completado por personagens carismáticas e cativantes (como eu gosto do comissário minúsculo!) e uma narrativa que nos arrasa com os nervos (a descrição dos crimes, embora não seja exaustiva, é de fugir...aos gritos).
Pierre Lemaitre é mesmo muito bom!
December 6, 2016
Jaysus where to start without tipping yer hat........ brutal for sure at times! humourous too in it’s own caustic/sarcastic way, fluffy..... Nope this isn’t for yous, no kitties here unless there ½ strangled, castrated with a blunt razor, slung in a sack & drowned in boiling salt water...... I think you get the picture..... An example..... The autopsy report scene which I mentioned in an update is delivered in a cold direct manner & leaves nothing out with one or two lines which made me sit up with a wtf moment, who THINKS this sort of stuff, where does that come from, it made me guffaw out loud a few times in that very shocked manner, when you know you shouldn’t be laughing and its jus a nervous reaction......! And for sure I know I kinda like my tales Grim n dark when the mood suits....... but this at times is another level.
The story though is in stark contrast throughout with Camille’s (yes thats a boys name.....?) home life being blissful & jus about perfect in every way & then there’s the horror of his work environment which is at times shocking in its content...... the book really does assault yer senses / feelings throughout as it constantly jumps between his home / work life.
The hero himself Camille Verhoeven is a somewhat outlandish character too, at first, an anti-hero in some ways due to his stature but he more than grows on you..... I didn’t think I would warm to him at the start? The support acts are also well fleshed out & have their only peculiarities which all add to the essence.
As to the killer I won’t say much as its’ a crime novel but he is one of the more chilling Ive come across PLUS I actually guessed who it was...... thats a first!.... but it didn’t detract from the reading & there’s a bit of second guessing involved as well towards the end.......
One other thing that springs to mind.... you may well require a dictionary reading this as a fair few words cropped up that i’d never heard of before let alone knew what they meant even in the context given..... yes I hear yous!..... I appreciate I’m no literary genius but even so.... “solipsistic” anyone?
Oui, très apprécié et sera de retour pour море, quatre étoiles!
The story though is in stark contrast throughout with Camille’s (yes thats a boys name.....?) home life being blissful & jus about perfect in every way & then there’s the horror of his work environment which is at times shocking in its content...... the book really does assault yer senses / feelings throughout as it constantly jumps between his home / work life.
The hero himself Camille Verhoeven is a somewhat outlandish character too, at first, an anti-hero in some ways due to his stature but he more than grows on you..... I didn’t think I would warm to him at the start? The support acts are also well fleshed out & have their only peculiarities which all add to the essence.
As to the killer I won’t say much as its’ a crime novel but he is one of the more chilling Ive come across PLUS I actually guessed who it was...... thats a first!.... but it didn’t detract from the reading & there’s a bit of second guessing involved as well towards the end.......
One other thing that springs to mind.... you may well require a dictionary reading this as a fair few words cropped up that i’d never heard of before let alone knew what they meant even in the context given..... yes I hear yous!..... I appreciate I’m no literary genius but even so.... “solipsistic” anyone?
Oui, très apprécié et sera de retour pour море, quatre étoiles!
December 21, 2019
Aviso: OPINIÓN IMPOPULAR.
Aunque tiene una resolución bastante original, el libro se me ha hecho eterno y me he visto desbordada con tanta descripción de crímenes (todas ellas bastante explícitas y desagradables), tantos personajes y tantos datos. Me guié por las buenas críticas que tiene la novela, así que debe ser que soy yo la rara que no conecta con la historia, pero para gustos los colores.
Sin duda, de este autor me quedo con Vestido de Novia.
Aunque tiene una resolución bastante original, el libro se me ha hecho eterno y me he visto desbordada con tanta descripción de crímenes (todas ellas bastante explícitas y desagradables), tantos personajes y tantos datos. Me guié por las buenas críticas que tiene la novela, así que debe ser que soy yo la rara que no conecta con la historia, pero para gustos los colores.
Sin duda, de este autor me quedo con Vestido de Novia.
March 15, 2017
No início de ”Irène” o escritor francês Pierre Lemaitre (n. 1951) cita Roland Barthes
O escritor é alguém que combina citações eliminando as aspas.
, e no final menciona ”Este livro presta homenagem à literatura sem a qual ele não existiria.”; referindo ainda que ”Ao longo das páginas, talvez o leitor tenha reconhecido algumas citações por vezes ligeiramente alteradas.”; revelando o nome dos vinte escritores que foi citando.
”Irène” é o primeiro livro de uma tetralogia – que em Portugal apenas foi editado em 2015 depois do segundo volume intitulado ”Alex” (5*) (um dos melhores policiais publicado em 2012) - e que se revela como um inigualável policial, violento e original, com um detective improvável, o comandante Camille Verhoeven, inteligente, meticuloso e perseverante, um homem que detesta gracejos, e que mede apenas 1,45 m de altura – acabando por explicar o porquê dessa atrofia física, segundo ele, causada pela sua mãe, uma artista pintora.
Não é por acaso que Camille ao olhar para a sala onde visualiza o cenário do primeiro crime: ”Veio-lhe imediatamente à memória Saturno Devorando Um Filho de Goya, do qual reviu por um instante o rosto demente, os olhos desorbitados, a boca escarlate, a loucura, a loucura absoluta.”(Pág. 23)
Saturno Devorando Um Filho de Francisco de Goya
Pierre Lemaitre escreve um romance policial violento, por vezes, atroz, com sequências e cenas descrita com um detalhe gráfico e cinematográfico excepcional; de uma forma desesperante e angustiante, relatando raptos, torturas, violações, mutilações, desmembramentos e muitos outros métodos de crueldade, no caso, quase sempre com mulheres; propiciando-nos uma leitura stressante, mas, simultaneamente, estimulante, que nos incita e desafia a continuar, num jogo de horror e de citações literárias – porque cada um dos assassinatos é uma cópia de homicídios retratados em outros romances de escritores conhecidos como: ”O Crime de Orcival” (sem edição portuguesa) de Émile Gaboriau, ”Roseanna” de Maj Sjöwall e Per Wahlöö, ”Ladilaw” (sem edição portuguesa) de William McIlvanney, ”A Dália Negra” de James Ellroy e ”Psicopata Americano” de Bret Easton Ellis; existindo outras citações e referências a obras literárias em diferentes fases da investigação policial.
Apesar da violência implícita e aterrorizante, há em ”Irène” uma inesperada história de amor que insere momentos de beleza e ternura; com Pierre Lemaitre a retratar admiravelmente as relações entre a investigação policial, o poder judicial e a imprensa, com um enredo, que tal como o romance, acaba por ser um puzzle, agrupando diversos estilos e inúmeras formas narrativas.
Indescritível e sangrento...
"O sucesso inverossímil da literatura policial mostra, até à evidência, a que ponto o mundo tem necessidade de morte. E de mistério. Se o mundo corre atrás das suas imagens, não é por ter necessidade de imagens. Porque isso não é tudo." (Pág. 266)
"O homem precipita-se sobre as imagens de morte porque quer morte. E só os artistas têm meios para as apaziguar. Os escritores escrevem sobre a morte para os homens que querem morte, fazem dramas para acalmar a sua necessidade de drama. o mundo quer sempre mais. O mundo não quer somente papel e histórias, quer sangue, sangue verdadeiro. (...) Quer o real, quer a verdade. Quer sangue." (Pág. 266)
”Irène” é o primeiro livro de uma tetralogia – que em Portugal apenas foi editado em 2015 depois do segundo volume intitulado ”Alex” (5*) (um dos melhores policiais publicado em 2012) - e que se revela como um inigualável policial, violento e original, com um detective improvável, o comandante Camille Verhoeven, inteligente, meticuloso e perseverante, um homem que detesta gracejos, e que mede apenas 1,45 m de altura – acabando por explicar o porquê dessa atrofia física, segundo ele, causada pela sua mãe, uma artista pintora.
Não é por acaso que Camille ao olhar para a sala onde visualiza o cenário do primeiro crime: ”Veio-lhe imediatamente à memória Saturno Devorando Um Filho de Goya, do qual reviu por um instante o rosto demente, os olhos desorbitados, a boca escarlate, a loucura, a loucura absoluta.”(Pág. 23)
Saturno Devorando Um Filho de Francisco de Goya
Pierre Lemaitre escreve um romance policial violento, por vezes, atroz, com sequências e cenas descrita com um detalhe gráfico e cinematográfico excepcional; de uma forma desesperante e angustiante, relatando raptos, torturas, violações, mutilações, desmembramentos e muitos outros métodos de crueldade, no caso, quase sempre com mulheres; propiciando-nos uma leitura stressante, mas, simultaneamente, estimulante, que nos incita e desafia a continuar, num jogo de horror e de citações literárias – porque cada um dos assassinatos é uma cópia de homicídios retratados em outros romances de escritores conhecidos como: ”O Crime de Orcival” (sem edição portuguesa) de Émile Gaboriau, ”Roseanna” de Maj Sjöwall e Per Wahlöö, ”Ladilaw” (sem edição portuguesa) de William McIlvanney, ”A Dália Negra” de James Ellroy e ”Psicopata Americano” de Bret Easton Ellis; existindo outras citações e referências a obras literárias em diferentes fases da investigação policial.
Apesar da violência implícita e aterrorizante, há em ”Irène” uma inesperada história de amor que insere momentos de beleza e ternura; com Pierre Lemaitre a retratar admiravelmente as relações entre a investigação policial, o poder judicial e a imprensa, com um enredo, que tal como o romance, acaba por ser um puzzle, agrupando diversos estilos e inúmeras formas narrativas.
Indescritível e sangrento...
"O sucesso inverossímil da literatura policial mostra, até à evidência, a que ponto o mundo tem necessidade de morte. E de mistério. Se o mundo corre atrás das suas imagens, não é por ter necessidade de imagens. Porque isso não é tudo." (Pág. 266)
"O homem precipita-se sobre as imagens de morte porque quer morte. E só os artistas têm meios para as apaziguar. Os escritores escrevem sobre a morte para os homens que querem morte, fazem dramas para acalmar a sua necessidade de drama. o mundo quer sempre mais. O mundo não quer somente papel e histórias, quer sangue, sangue verdadeiro. (...) Quer o real, quer a verdade. Quer sangue." (Pág. 266)
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May 18, 2023
Irène by Pierre Lemaitre - crime fiction containing multiple scenes of butchered female flesh, bones and guts to be read only on an empty stomach. Consider yourself warned.
I'm piggybacking on what Goodreads friend Jim Fonseca writes in his review of this Lemaitre novel: "I don’t usually do this because I seldom read books like this, but I’ll start with a content warning. If you are bothered by descriptions of the torture, dismemberment and mutilation of women, this book is not for you."
And here's the first line of William Grimes' New York Times review: "Beware of crime writers citing Roland Barthes. They cannot be trusted." (Lemaitre begins with a Roland Barthes quote: The writer is someone who arranges quotes and removes the quotation marks.). Yet, Sue Turnbull in her Sydney Morning Herald review concludes by saying, "Trust Lemaitre: he knows what he's doing."
So, what should we make of Pierre Lemaitre and his blood-splattered Irène?
Let's begin with historical context: in the US back in the 1930s, 40s, 50s and 60s, crime novels found their way to pulp fiction racks at the local dimestore, novels like Double Indemnity by James M. Cain and Dark Passage by David Goodis. And, in France, novels like Vertigo by Boileau & Narcejac and The King of Fools by Frédéric Dard. All these novels were short and tightly constructed, running about 150 pages with any description of violence brief and sharp. This tradition of short and tight continued through the 70s, 80s and 90s with such authors as Jean-Patrick Manchette and Pascal Ganier. However, at the turn of the millennium, things shifted: crime novels became much longer, usually running to over 400 pages and the descriptions of violence detailed and elaborate, prime examples: Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Jo Nesbø's The Leopard - and Irène, a 400+ pager overflowing with violence excruciatingly detailed and painstakingly elaborated.
I abhor violence both in life and in literature. Yet I found Irène a gripping, fascinating read on three counts. Firstly: similar to crime fiction by the authors mentioned above, Lemaitre focuses on existential crisis where his men and women are forced to make moral choices in the teeth of extreme, intense, frequently chaotic events. Secondly: novels, American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis and The Black Dahlia by James Elroy among their number, play a pivotal role in Lemaitre's unfolding plot and cause the tale to twist and twist again (a meta-twist, of sorts). Since I'm particularly attracted to fiction where books, reading, writing and writers are key, I eagerly kept turning the pages (and listening to the audio book expertly narrated by Peter Noble). Thirdly, Lemaitre's pacing is prestissimo from beginning to end. There's hardly time for anyone in the book to take a deep breath.
Pierre Lemaitre sets the stage: forty-year-old Parisian crack detective Commandant Camille Verhœven, a man 4' 11” tall (Toulouse-Lautrec was 5' 0'), is about to embark on a case where the criminal commits acts of unspeakable savagery modeled on scenes from novels. And this mephistophelian villain entices Camille into an unnerving cat and mouse game. Such crimes, such hellish games are exactly what Camille doesn't need at this time in his life as his beautiful wife Irène is over eight months pregnant with her first child – a boy.
Pierre Lemaitre has it all going here: his characters are fully formed and memorable, as are his scenes, dialogue - and, when it kicks in toward the end, his action and more action. Yet, for me, what makes Irène special is the connection Lemaitre creates between the world of actual crimes and the world of the novel.
If what I've noted here is at all inviting, you'll surely want to give this Pierre Lemaitre humdinger a whirl.
French crime novelist Pierre Lemaitre, born 1951
October 30, 2019
Πάλευα 12 μερες να το διαβασω... Και εξηγούμαι. Είχα διαβάσει το Αλεξ οταν πρωτοβγηκε και το βρηκα έξυπνο, αρκετα παρανοικό και καλογραμμένο. Φυσικά οταν βγηκε το Ανν έτρεξα να το παρω. Ψάχνοντας λίγο πριν το διαβασω ανακαλυψα πως η σειρά των βιβλίων έχει ως εξης: Ιρεν Αλεξ και τελευταίο το Ανν με ένα ακόμα τρίτο βιβλιο που δεν έχει κυκλοφορήσει στην Ελλάδα. Αφησα έτσι στην άκρη το Ανν μέχρι να έρθει το Ιρεν στα χέρια μου μιας και στο Ανν αναφέρεται ο δολοφονος του Ιρεν. Τωρα που τελειωσα το Ιρεν ανακαλυπτω οτι και στο Αλεξ αναφέρονται γεγονότα και καταστάσεις απο τη ζωη του Καμιγ τα οποία θα προτιμουσα να τα είχα διαβασει με τη σειρα τους. Και δεν μιλάω για κάποια συνήθεια που αλλαξε ο ηρωας. Πχ έπινε καφεδες και τωρα πίνει τσαι. Μιλάω για σποιλερ. Ξερω από την αρχη ποιος ηρωας τη βγαζει καθαρη και ποιος θα δει τα ραδίκια αναποδα. Εχουμε και τους ψυχανάγκασμους μας και ταράζεται το μεσα μας με κατι τετοια. Στο βιβλίο τωρα. Η γραφη είναι επίπεδη. Χωρις νεύρο και ένταση. Περιγραφές και αναλύσεις με κουρασαν. Ενιωθα σαν να διαβαζω αρθρο σε εφημεριδα απο δημοσιογράφο που βαριεται οικτρα να γραψει. Εγιναν στην αρχη κάποιοι φονοι πολυ βίαιοι. Ο τρόπος που χρησιμοποιει ο Λεμετρ για να τους περιγραψει με εκανε να αναρωτηθω. Γιατί τόσος σαδισμός? Γιατί τόση ωμότητα? Μου περιγραφεις με ιατρική λεπτομέρεια πως την εκοψε κομματάκια λες και μου δινεις συνταγη για χοιρινό πρασοσελινο στην κατσαρόλα. Τι να νιώσω η αναγνωστρια? Ωρες ωρες ήμουν σχεδόν σίγουρη ότι ο συγγραφέας είναι ελαφρως μισογυνης. Το βιβλιο απέκτησε ενα κάποιο ενδιαφέρον οταν ο δολοφονος ηρθε σε επαφη με τον αστυνομο Καμιγ. Εκει μεσα απο τα γράμματα που στέλνει πας να να αναλύσεις κάπως την ψυχοσύνθεση του αλλα και παλι κατι λείπει. Τα θύματά τα τρωει το μαυρο χωμα αφου βασανιστουν. Και σχεδόν σε όλο το βιβλίο έχουν ξεχαστει γιατι ο Καμιγ γυρνάει γυρω γυρω κάνοντας συνδέσεις μεν, αλλα γραμμενες τοσο αδιάφορα που κατεφυγα στην διαγώνια αναγνωση μπας και ξεμπερδέψω. Τέλος το κινητρο του δολοφονου δεν με έπεισε. Η κατάληξη του δολοφονου με άφησε με ένα τεράστιο γιατί να αναβοσβήνει πανω απο το κεφάλι μου σαν ταμπελα NEON.
August 23, 2015
I don't know where to begin with a review. This is a fabulous book, one of the best for me this year. I'm not going to write a long review because I think each reader needs to follow the story as it's written and wait for the ending. Not for the faint of heart just a truly unique novel.
P.S. The second book in the trilogy is Alex and is rated as the best one. I don't know how that is possible. I'm gonna need more stars.
P.S. The second book in the trilogy is Alex and is rated as the best one. I don't know how that is possible. I'm gonna need more stars.
January 9, 2021
¿Puede una novela de género policial hacerte llorar? Pues este lo intenta, por lo menos. Ni siquiera estoy segura de si me ha gustado, he tenido la impresión de que Lemaitre se pasa, se pasa pero en cierto modo nos gusta, qué se le va a hacer.
Supongo que este autor es el exponente de un género sobre-explotado que busca nuevas vías para impresionar a una audiencia que ya tiene muchas batallas lectoras a sus espaldas. De entrada, el protagonista: ya no tenemos el detective típico, machote y altote, sino al pobre Camille Verhoeven, casi un enanito, lleno de amor a su mujer y con una relación traumática con su madre. Ay, ay, ay... Y un killer que la tiene tomada con él. Temblemos.
Lo que le da más encanto a la historia es que está planteada como un homenaje a los clásicos de la novela negra - que es el patrón que el asesino en serie apodado 'El novelista' va siguiendo. El comandante Verhoeven se asesora con un librero y un profesor universitario, que en algún momento entrarán también a formar parte de la lista de sospechosos.
Lemaitre escribe muy bien, no sólo literatura de género, y nos arrastra en esta historia, hasta el final. Un poco demasiado tremendo todo para mi gusto, pero ya entiendo que hoy en día el lector pide sensaciones fuertes. No sé...
Supongo que este autor es el exponente de un género sobre-explotado que busca nuevas vías para impresionar a una audiencia que ya tiene muchas batallas lectoras a sus espaldas. De entrada, el protagonista: ya no tenemos el detective típico, machote y altote, sino al pobre Camille Verhoeven, casi un enanito, lleno de amor a su mujer y con una relación traumática con su madre. Ay, ay, ay... Y un killer que la tiene tomada con él. Temblemos.
Lo que le da más encanto a la historia es que está planteada como un homenaje a los clásicos de la novela negra - que es el patrón que el asesino en serie apodado 'El novelista' va siguiendo. El comandante Verhoeven se asesora con un librero y un profesor universitario, que en algún momento entrarán también a formar parte de la lista de sospechosos.
Lemaitre escribe muy bien, no sólo literatura de género, y nos arrastra en esta historia, hasta el final. Un poco demasiado tremendo todo para mi gusto, pero ya entiendo que hoy en día el lector pide sensaciones fuertes. No sé...
February 21, 2022
Buen thriller/novela negra
Me ha enganchado desde sus primeros compases, haciendo que aumentara incluso el ritmo de lectura a medida que iba avanzando por su historia. Cuando pasa eso sabes que estás ante un buen exponente del genero.
Aunque la trama se ve venir de lejos, por motivos que se hacen obvios incluso tras leer el primer capitulo, la verdad es que me ha gustado.
Merecidas 4 estrellas
Me ha enganchado desde sus primeros compases, haciendo que aumentara incluso el ritmo de lectura a medida que iba avanzando por su historia. Cuando pasa eso sabes que estás ante un buen exponente del genero.
Aunque la trama se ve venir de lejos, por motivos que se hacen obvios incluso tras leer el primer capitulo, la verdad es que me ha gustado.
Merecidas 4 estrellas
April 6, 2019
Ο ντετέκτιβ Καμίγ Βεροβέν έρχεται αντιμέτωπος με μια σειρά αποτρόπαιων δολοφονιών. Ακόμη από την πρώτη συνειδητοποιεί ότι πρόκειται για ένα φριχτό και ιδιαίτερα διαφορετικό έγκλημα. Ανακαλύπτονται τα τεμαχισμένα πτώματα δύο γυναικών, τα μέλη των οποίων βρίσκονται τελετουργικά τοποθετημένα σε ένα διαμέρισμα στο Παρίσι. Δίπλα τους βρίσκεται ευδιάκριτο ένα δακτυλικό αποτύπωμα. Στην πορεία γίνεται η ανακάλυψη κι άλλων φρικιαστικών και χωρίς αιτία εγκλημάτων.
Ο Βεροβέν καταλαβαίνει ότι βρίσκεται αντιμέτωπος με έναν κατά συρροή δολοφόνο, που επιδιώκει να σχεδιάσει με κάθε λεπτομέρεια τους φόνους. Ο ντετέκτιβ αντιλαμβάνεται πανικόβλητος ότι η δική του ζωή αποτελεί ένα από τα δολοφονικά σενάρια του εγκληματία.
Πρώτη μου επαφή με τη γραφή του Lemaitre και υπάρχει πλήρης παραδοχή από την πλευρά μου ότι πρόκειται για έναν κορυφαίο δάσκαλο της υψίστης διαστροφής μιας και καταπιάνεται με τη βαρβαρότητα στην πιο κυνική της έκφραση.
Ο ειδικός, όπως αποδεικνύεται, στην παράνοια συγγραφέας τολμά την εγκιβωτισμένη αφήγηση. Συνθέτει το βιβλίο του βασίζοντας την πλοκή των φόνων σε άλλα γνωστά αστυνομικά βιβλία.
Με τερατώδη εγκλήματα, φρικιαστικές εικόνες, ωμή βία είναι σαν να παίζει ένα εμετικό παιχνίδι με μέλη ανθρώπινου σώματος. Η σεξουαλική διαστροφή και το μακελειό δημιουργούν ένα εφιαλτικό τοπίο προμελέτης που παραπέμπει σε αληθινή τραγωδία.
Η τρομακτική βαρβαρότητα των δολοφονιών και η νοσηρή ικανοποίηση του δολοφόνου γεννούν απόγνωση στον αναγνώστη. O τρόμος των θυμάτων εκείνη την τελευταία στιγμή αφοπλίζει την ανθρώπινη λογική. Και μόνο στη σκέψη κόβεται η ανάσα.
Το αναπάντεχο τέλος μπορεί να σε πείσει ότι ο δολοφόνος δεν είναι ένα ψυχρό τέρας που μισεί τις γυναίκες; Είναι δυνατόν να είναι ένας δυστυχισμένος άντρας που έχει ως στόχο να τυραννάει τον εαυτό του μέσω των αποτροπιαστικών πράξεων του;
Ένα καταιγιστικό αστυνομικό θρίλερ, πλήρες σε ανατριχίλα που κατάφερε πολλές φορές κατά τη διάρκεια της ανάγνωσης να με κάνει να το αφήσω στην άκρη, προκειμένου να επαναφέρω το μυαλό μου σε μια κατάσταση ισορροπίας, όχι γαλήνης.
ΔΙΑΒΑΣΤΕ ΤΟ!
Ο Βεροβέν καταλαβαίνει ότι βρίσκεται αντιμέτωπος με έναν κατά συρροή δολοφόνο, που επιδιώκει να σχεδιάσει με κάθε λεπτομέρεια τους φόνους. Ο ντετέκτιβ αντιλαμβάνεται πανικόβλητος ότι η δική του ζωή αποτελεί ένα από τα δολοφονικά σενάρια του εγκληματία.
Πρώτη μου επαφή με τη γραφή του Lemaitre και υπάρχει πλήρης παραδοχή από την πλευρά μου ότι πρόκειται για έναν κορυφαίο δάσκαλο της υψίστης διαστροφής μιας και καταπιάνεται με τη βαρβαρότητα στην πιο κυνική της έκφραση.
Ο ειδικός, όπως αποδεικνύεται, στην παράνοια συγγραφέας τολμά την εγκιβωτισμένη αφήγηση. Συνθέτει το βιβλίο του βασίζοντας την πλοκή των φόνων σε άλλα γνωστά αστυνομικά βιβλία.
Με τερατώδη εγκλήματα, φρικιαστικές εικόνες, ωμή βία είναι σαν να παίζει ένα εμετικό παιχνίδι με μέλη ανθρώπινου σώματος. Η σεξουαλική διαστροφή και το μακελειό δημιουργούν ένα εφιαλτικό τοπίο προμελέτης που παραπέμπει σε αληθινή τραγωδία.
Η τρομακτική βαρβαρότητα των δολοφονιών και η νοσηρή ικανοποίηση του δολοφόνου γεννούν απόγνωση στον αναγνώστη. O τρόμος των θυμάτων εκείνη την τελευταία στιγμή αφοπλίζει την ανθρώπινη λογική. Και μόνο στη σκέψη κόβεται η ανάσα.
Το αναπάντεχο τέλος μπορεί να σε πείσει ότι ο δολοφόνος δεν είναι ένα ψυχρό τέρας που μισεί τις γυναίκες; Είναι δυνατόν να είναι ένας δυστυχισμένος άντρας που έχει ως στόχο να τυραννάει τον εαυτό του μέσω των αποτροπιαστικών πράξεων του;
Ένα καταιγιστικό αστυνομικό θρίλερ, πλήρες σε ανατριχίλα που κατάφερε πολλές φορές κατά τη διάρκεια της ανάγνωσης να με κάνει να το αφήσω στην άκρη, προκειμένου να επαναφέρω το μυαλό μου σε μια κατάσταση ισορροπίας, όχι γαλήνης.
ΔΙΑΒΑΣΤΕ ΤΟ!
November 26, 2023
7.5/10 Γαλλικό αστυνομικό θρίλερ, με serial killer και πολλούς βίαιους φόνους που μιμούνται κλασικά έργα της παγκόσμιας αστυνομικής λογοτεχνίας. Στις τελευταίες 100 σελίδες καλπάζει η δράση, με ένα ανατριχιαστικά αιματοβαμμένο φινάλε. Η πολιτεία έχει για το μήνα Νοέμβριο ολόκληρη την τριλογία σε έκδοση pocket με πολύ χαμηλή τιμή
December 19, 2018
4,5/5
Lo acabo de terminar y estoy traumatizada. Sin palabras.
Pronto reseña
Lo acabo de terminar y estoy traumatizada. Sin palabras.
Pronto reseña
January 15, 2024
Irène, la primera de la galardonada trilogía Verhoeven de Pierre Lemaitre , es la novela que marca el comienzo de Camille, un detective problemático, cínico y extremadamente bajito decidido a librar a Francia de un psicópata enloquecido recreando famosos asesinatos ficticios. Si bien el motivo del asesinato en esta ficción es único, el protagonista principal puede parecer estereotipado: el clásico investigador inconformista, brillante pero detestado por sus superiores por sus métodos poco convencionales.Pero es un testimonio de la habilidad de Lemaitre que Camille parezca una construcción totalmente original, cuyo desarrollo es a la vez sutil y prolongado, y a pesar de la continua referencia a un tamaño que en otros escenarios parecería casi cómico, nunca te sientes inclinado a tomarte la libertad de encontrar Camille humorística. Lemaitre crea un personaje oscuro para un mundo más oscuro, un mundo que le complace describir de forma muy gráfica.
La trama de Irène es escalofriante. La extraña naturaleza de los asesinatos cometidos conduce a un interesante contraste de dinámica. ETenemos una carrera rápida y de alta presión para atrapar a este asesino, junto con una búsqueda más lenta y metódica de crímenes anteriores que este hombre cometió y que pasaron desapercibidos. Al centrarse en escenas de asesinatos ficticios, Lemaitre revela una verdadera pasión por el género de ficción policial, trasladando sus referencias de lo más conocido a lo mucho más oscuro. A través de esta descripción extendida e incorporación a su trama, elogia los libros que uno puede suponer que son sus favoritos. Esto lleva a una novela que uno se da cuenta de que Lemaitre ha utilizado para explorar el mismo género en el que escribe. Un mensaje subyacente tan intrigante en el libro significa que la novela es significativa, no sólo como una lectura ficticia para disfrutar, sino también como una novela crucial para comprender el género en su conjunto.
Se puede decir que nunca encontrarás un giro final más alucinante que el que presenta Irène Nunca unas línea de texto había cambiado tanto mi percepción de una historia, y me entristece saber que nunca volveré a experimentar ese sentimiento, tal es la habilidad de Lemaitre. Es uno de esos momentos que no puedes creer que esté sucediendo, y es una prueba de la valentía del escritor al intentar un desenlace que, de no haber sido ejecutado con tanta habilidad como lo fue, sin duda habría condenado el libro a la mediocridad.
Incluso antes del giro, calificaría este libro como digno de lectura debido a la habilidad y experiencia que muestra Lemaitre al crear un mundo espeluznante tan en línea con obras del pasado y, sin embargo, aparentemente tan nuevo. Con el giro, esta es una obra maestra, incomparable con otras novelas de tema similar.
La trama de Irène es escalofriante. La extraña naturaleza de los asesinatos cometidos conduce a un interesante contraste de dinámica. ETenemos una carrera rápida y de alta presión para atrapar a este asesino, junto con una búsqueda más lenta y metódica de crímenes anteriores que este hombre cometió y que pasaron desapercibidos. Al centrarse en escenas de asesinatos ficticios, Lemaitre revela una verdadera pasión por el género de ficción policial, trasladando sus referencias de lo más conocido a lo mucho más oscuro. A través de esta descripción extendida e incorporación a su trama, elogia los libros que uno puede suponer que son sus favoritos. Esto lleva a una novela que uno se da cuenta de que Lemaitre ha utilizado para explorar el mismo género en el que escribe. Un mensaje subyacente tan intrigante en el libro significa que la novela es significativa, no sólo como una lectura ficticia para disfrutar, sino también como una novela crucial para comprender el género en su conjunto.
Se puede decir que nunca encontrarás un giro final más alucinante que el que presenta Irène Nunca unas línea de texto había cambiado tanto mi percepción de una historia, y me entristece saber que nunca volveré a experimentar ese sentimiento, tal es la habilidad de Lemaitre. Es uno de esos momentos que no puedes creer que esté sucediendo, y es una prueba de la valentía del escritor al intentar un desenlace que, de no haber sido ejecutado con tanta habilidad como lo fue, sin duda habría condenado el libro a la mediocridad.
Incluso antes del giro, calificaría este libro como digno de lectura debido a la habilidad y experiencia que muestra Lemaitre al crear un mundo espeluznante tan en línea con obras del pasado y, sin embargo, aparentemente tan nuevo. Con el giro, esta es una obra maestra, incomparable con otras novelas de tema similar.
September 4, 2024
Το αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα "Ιρέν" του Pierre Lemaitre αποτελεί το πρώτο μέρος της σειράς με πρωταγωνιστή τον επιθεωρητή Καμίγ Βεροβέν, και πρόκειται για έναν πραγματικά σκοτεινό, βίαιο, γεμάτο ανατροπές κόσμο που έχτισε ο συγγραφέας , συνδυάζοντας την κλασική νουάρ αστυνομική λογοτεχνία με πιο σύγχρονες αναφορές. Βρήκα εξαιρετικά ενδιαφέρουσα και "δεμένη" την πλοκή η οποία επικεντρώνεται σε μια σειρά φόνων εμπνευσμένων από διάσημα αστυνομικά μυθιστορήματα. Αν και κάπως περίπλοκη, καταφέρνει και κρατά τον αναγνώστη σε συνεχή εγρήγορση. Αυτό που κάνει τον επιθεωρητή Βεροβέν να ξεχωρίζει από άλλους λογοτεχνικούς "συναδέλφους" του είναι το δικό του βαθύ προσωπικό τραύμα, γεγονός το οποίο δίνει βάθος στην ιστορία.
Ωστόσο η περιγραφή των εγκλημάτων αποδίδεται τόσο ρεαλιστικά, κυνικά και ωμά που καθιστούν το βιβλίο φρικιαστικό και διαστροφικό, κάτι που θα μπορούσε να θεωρηθεί και ως θετικό για τους λάτρεις του είδους. Σίγουρα δεν είναι ένα βιβλίο που μπορώ να προτείνω σε όλους, μιας και εγώ η ίδια ένιωσα πολλές φορές να ανακατεύονται τα σωθικά μου απ΄την βαρβαρότητα των δολοφονιών και την αρρωστημένη ικανοποίηση που εισέπραττε ο δολοφόνος από αυτές.
Ωστόσο η περιγραφή των εγκλημάτων αποδίδεται τόσο ρεαλιστικά, κυνικά και ωμά που καθιστούν το βιβλίο φρικιαστικό και διαστροφικό, κάτι που θα μπορούσε να θεωρηθεί και ως θετικό για τους λάτρεις του είδους. Σίγουρα δεν είναι ένα βιβλίο που μπορώ να προτείνω σε όλους, μιας και εγώ η ίδια ένιωσα πολλές φορές να ανακατεύονται τα σωθικά μου απ΄την βαρβαρότητα των δολοφονιών και την αρρωστημένη ικανοποίηση που εισέπραττε ο δολοφόνος από αυτές.
August 8, 2019
Sin duda un libro para recomendar a quien le guste la novela negra. Adictivo e inquietante. Y con un final... que necesitas comentar!!!
Este autor ha sido todo un descubrimiento y sin duda leeré otros libros (y otros casos del comandante Camille Verhoeven).
VALORACIÓN: 8/10
Este autor ha sido todo un descubrimiento y sin duda leeré otros libros (y otros casos del comandante Camille Verhoeven).
VALORACIÓN: 8/10
October 29, 2019
“Quando chegam ao local de um crime, os mais novos, inconscientemente, procuram com os olhos o lugar onde se encontra a morte. Os mais experimentados procuram a vida. Mas, ali, nao havia maneira de o fazerem. A morte ocupava o espaço todo, até mesmo o olhar dos vivos, que exprimia incompreensão.”
*
“When they arrive at a crime scene, rookie officers unconsciously look around for death. Experienced officers look for life. But there was no life here; death had leached into every space, even the bewildered eyes of the living.”
- Camille Verhœven
* * *
“Tudo aquilo era tão pouco. Todas as pistas conduziam à mesma coisa - a quase nada. Era um homicídio mais que premeditado. Fora preparado com extremo cuidado, nada devia ter sido deixado ao acaso. Vamos dar tudo o que temos e investigar em pormenor. Porque não podemos fazer outra coisa, porque é essa a regra do jogo.”
*
“It was all a bit sketchy. The leads they had went precisely nowhere. The murder was not simply premeditated, it had been planned with great care; nothing had been left to chance.
We’re going to be run ragged chasing down the details. Because that’s all we can do, because that’s the game.”
- Camille Verhœven
* * *
“Estamos perante factos, factos reais e absolutos acerca dos quais nada podemos pensar exceto o seguinte: se há aqui uma loucura particular e fora do habitual, a polícia está perante um louco e a sua missão é detê-lo.”
- Policias Escoceses
*
“We’re dealing with facts here, cold, hard facts, from which just one possible conclusion can be drawn: if this bizarre and extraordinary theory is correct, then we’re dealing with one madman.”
- The officers
* * *
“Tudo estava preparado quando elas chegaram. A tragicomédia podia começar. A realidade iria, enfim, desposar a ficção. Melhor: a fusão da arte e do mundo ia, enfim, realizar se, graças a mim.
- O Assassino
*
“By the time they arrived, everything was in readiness. The tragicomedy could begin. Life would finally imitate art. Better yet, art and life would, thanks to me, finally become one.”
- The Killer
* * *
“A sua longa reflexão sobre as necessidades da Humanidade, a transfiguração do real ... é tudo tão estudado que acaba por se tornar caricatural! Ele não escreve o que pensa, finge pensar o que escreve.”
*
“The long digression about the needs of humanity, about art transfiguring reality, is so mannered it’s almost a caricature. He’s not saying what he thinks, he is pretending to think these things.”
- Dr Édouard Crest
*
“When they arrive at a crime scene, rookie officers unconsciously look around for death. Experienced officers look for life. But there was no life here; death had leached into every space, even the bewildered eyes of the living.”
- Camille Verhœven
* * *
“Tudo aquilo era tão pouco. Todas as pistas conduziam à mesma coisa - a quase nada. Era um homicídio mais que premeditado. Fora preparado com extremo cuidado, nada devia ter sido deixado ao acaso. Vamos dar tudo o que temos e investigar em pormenor. Porque não podemos fazer outra coisa, porque é essa a regra do jogo.”
*
“It was all a bit sketchy. The leads they had went precisely nowhere. The murder was not simply premeditated, it had been planned with great care; nothing had been left to chance.
We’re going to be run ragged chasing down the details. Because that’s all we can do, because that’s the game.”
- Camille Verhœven
* * *
“Estamos perante factos, factos reais e absolutos acerca dos quais nada podemos pensar exceto o seguinte: se há aqui uma loucura particular e fora do habitual, a polícia está perante um louco e a sua missão é detê-lo.”
- Policias Escoceses
*
“We’re dealing with facts here, cold, hard facts, from which just one possible conclusion can be drawn: if this bizarre and extraordinary theory is correct, then we’re dealing with one madman.”
- The officers
* * *
“Tudo estava preparado quando elas chegaram. A tragicomédia podia começar. A realidade iria, enfim, desposar a ficção. Melhor: a fusão da arte e do mundo ia, enfim, realizar se, graças a mim.
- O Assassino
*
“By the time they arrived, everything was in readiness. The tragicomedy could begin. Life would finally imitate art. Better yet, art and life would, thanks to me, finally become one.”
- The Killer
* * *
“A sua longa reflexão sobre as necessidades da Humanidade, a transfiguração do real ... é tudo tão estudado que acaba por se tornar caricatural! Ele não escreve o que pensa, finge pensar o que escreve.”
*
“The long digression about the needs of humanity, about art transfiguring reality, is so mannered it’s almost a caricature. He’s not saying what he thinks, he is pretending to think these things.”
- Dr Édouard Crest
August 3, 2015
I don't really know where to start with this one. Just to say that Irene had been recommended to me from different directions and I became so intrigued by the positivity of it all that I just HAD to read it. And I'm so glad I did. I LOVED it.
Irene is the first in a trilogy of books but for some reason the second, Alex, was translated first. Luckily I was warned of this many times and I'm glad I'm reading them in order!!
It tells the story of Commandant Verhoeven a senior police officer working in homicide. A man very small in stature, due to medical reasons, but not in personality. Newly married and with a child on the way life is pretty good for the commandant at the moment. Darkness ensues when a serial killer enters the scene, a killer so brutal it simply takes the breath away. Murders that appear to be based on crime fiction novels whether famous or obscure. It's difficult to say much more about the storyline without giving spoilers away. But what can be said is that the writing is top notch, the fear factor is ratcheted up to the highest level and the gory gruesomeness is definitely not for the faint hearted. I'm pretty unshockable (or so I thought!) but the descriptiveness and shock factor was taken to a whole new level that is both stomach churning and terrifying. I mean seriously, the lights were left on everywhere around the house, that chilling is this read!
What also sets this apart is the level of writing. I read a lot of crime novel, I mean A LOT!! But this in my humble opinion was in a different league to most that I've read. Seriously compelling in it's entire approach it was read with ease and much hiding under the duvet! In amongst all the darkness there was even the odd laugh out loud moment. Characters were brought to life vividly and were totally engrossing with their nuances and idiosyncrasies and yes I did have my favourites!! This is a very very dark book and is not for everyone. A lot would find this too much, there is not too much left to the imagination - but I loved it and I don't know what that says about me?!! :\ Hopefully a penchant for great writing when I read it.
I highly recommend this book and will definitely be reading the next one, Alex. You just might want to keep an axe or something by your bed....!! I jest .... or do I?!!
Irene is the first in a trilogy of books but for some reason the second, Alex, was translated first. Luckily I was warned of this many times and I'm glad I'm reading them in order!!
It tells the story of Commandant Verhoeven a senior police officer working in homicide. A man very small in stature, due to medical reasons, but not in personality. Newly married and with a child on the way life is pretty good for the commandant at the moment. Darkness ensues when a serial killer enters the scene, a killer so brutal it simply takes the breath away. Murders that appear to be based on crime fiction novels whether famous or obscure. It's difficult to say much more about the storyline without giving spoilers away. But what can be said is that the writing is top notch, the fear factor is ratcheted up to the highest level and the gory gruesomeness is definitely not for the faint hearted. I'm pretty unshockable (or so I thought!) but the descriptiveness and shock factor was taken to a whole new level that is both stomach churning and terrifying. I mean seriously, the lights were left on everywhere around the house, that chilling is this read!
What also sets this apart is the level of writing. I read a lot of crime novel, I mean A LOT!! But this in my humble opinion was in a different league to most that I've read. Seriously compelling in it's entire approach it was read with ease and much hiding under the duvet! In amongst all the darkness there was even the odd laugh out loud moment. Characters were brought to life vividly and were totally engrossing with their nuances and idiosyncrasies and yes I did have my favourites!! This is a very very dark book and is not for everyone. A lot would find this too much, there is not too much left to the imagination - but I loved it and I don't know what that says about me?!! :\ Hopefully a penchant for great writing when I read it.
I highly recommend this book and will definitely be reading the next one, Alex. You just might want to keep an axe or something by your bed....!! I jest .... or do I?!!
January 30, 2015
This is the first book in a trilogy. For some ridiculous reason, the second book, Alex, was the first to be translated to English and published in the USA. When I began reading Alex a couple years ago I realized at that point that it was the second book. Nevertheless, I didn't feel it took anything away from the story.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Irene. It was an engrossing crime novel/mystery and the last 40 pages of the book are the definition of pulse-pounding. But having read Alex first, and thus already knowing one of the major plot points in Irene, took so much away from this book for me.
If you plan to read these books, do yourself a favor and start with Irene. If I had, I definitely would have given this book another star in the rating. I am absolutely looking forward to reading the third book.
A warning: this book has graphic descriptions of gruesome murders, so if that bothers you, this is not the book for you.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Irene. It was an engrossing crime novel/mystery and the last 40 pages of the book are the definition of pulse-pounding. But having read Alex first, and thus already knowing one of the major plot points in Irene, took so much away from this book for me.
If you plan to read these books, do yourself a favor and start with Irene. If I had, I definitely would have given this book another star in the rating. I am absolutely looking forward to reading the third book.
A warning: this book has graphic descriptions of gruesome murders, so if that bothers you, this is not the book for you.
March 26, 2018
Napoleonic Inspecteur et sa Belle, Femme Enceinte Irène
"She's got a way of showin'
How I make her feel
And I find the strength to keep on goin'"
Billy Joel, She's Got a Way, 1972.
Irène was written in French by French author Pierre Lemaitre but was translated into English only within the past few years. It's a hyper-intelligent, stylish, noir, (quasi-meta), spellbinding psychological thriller with a quite original, extremely clever (and short) protagonist, Commandant Camille Verhoeven. His wife Irène, the love of his life and perfect woman for him, is kidnapped by the serial murderer.
I loved it. I'd give it 4 stars, but this is one in which I think 5 stars are deserved for the literary style and literature tribute in the genre. It's definitely as good or better than the Cormoran Strike novels.
2 warnings: First, Do NOT read Alex (2d in the trilogy, but the first translated and published in U.S.), or even the publisher's Irène-spoiler description of Alex, prior to reading this book. Regretfully, I did; else this review would be longer. Second, this novel is not for the weak of stomach or heart.
***Highly recommended detective series.***
"She's got a way of showin'
How I make her feel
And I find the strength to keep on goin'"
Billy Joel, She's Got a Way, 1972.
Irène was written in French by French author Pierre Lemaitre but was translated into English only within the past few years. It's a hyper-intelligent, stylish, noir, (quasi-meta), spellbinding psychological thriller with a quite original, extremely clever (and short) protagonist, Commandant Camille Verhoeven. His wife Irène, the love of his life and perfect woman for him, is kidnapped by the serial murderer.
I loved it. I'd give it 4 stars, but this is one in which I think 5 stars are deserved for the literary style and literature tribute in the genre. It's definitely as good or better than the Cormoran Strike novels.
2 warnings: First, Do NOT read Alex (2d in the trilogy, but the first translated and published in U.S.), or even the publisher's Irène-spoiler description of Alex, prior to reading this book. Regretfully, I did; else this review would be longer. Second, this novel is not for the weak of stomach or heart.
***Highly recommended detective series.***
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