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Eddie Giral #2
Paris Requiem
A gripping World War II murder mystery—and a beautifully drawn portrait of Paris under Nazi occupation—with compelling and conflicted hero Detective Eddie Giral at its heart.
Paris, 1940.
As the city adjusts to life under Nazi occupation, Detective Eddie Giral struggles to reconcile his job as a policeman with his new role enforcing a regime he cannot believe in, but must work under.
He's sacrificed so much in order to survive in this new world, but the past is not so easily forgotten. When an old friend—and an old flame—reappear, begging for his help, Eddie must decide how far he will go to help those he loves.
The notion of justice itself quickly becomes as dangerous, blurred, and confused as the war itself. And Eddie’s morale compass, ever on unreliable foundations, will be questioned again and again as the ravages of the German occupation steadily attempt to grind him—and the city he loves—into submission.
Negotiating a path between resistance and collaboration, he can remain a good man and do nothing—or risk everything he has achieved in a desperate act of resistance.
Paris, 1940.
As the city adjusts to life under Nazi occupation, Detective Eddie Giral struggles to reconcile his job as a policeman with his new role enforcing a regime he cannot believe in, but must work under.
He's sacrificed so much in order to survive in this new world, but the past is not so easily forgotten. When an old friend—and an old flame—reappear, begging for his help, Eddie must decide how far he will go to help those he loves.
The notion of justice itself quickly becomes as dangerous, blurred, and confused as the war itself. And Eddie’s morale compass, ever on unreliable foundations, will be questioned again and again as the ravages of the German occupation steadily attempt to grind him—and the city he loves—into submission.
Negotiating a path between resistance and collaboration, he can remain a good man and do nothing—or risk everything he has achieved in a desperate act of resistance.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published February 23, 2023
92 people are currently reading
495 people want to read
About the author
Chris Lloyd
6 books42 followersAfter graduating in Spanish and French, I lived in Catalonia, where I worked in educational publishing and as a travel writer and translator. I’ve also lived in Grenoble, researching the French Resistance movement.
The result of my lifelong interest in World War 2 and resistance and collaboration in Occupied France, The Unwanted Dead (Orion) is my first novel set in Paris, featuring Detective Eddie Giral. I’m also the author of the Elisenda Domènech crime series (Canelo), featuring a police officer with the newly-devolved Catalan police force.
The result of my lifelong interest in World War 2 and resistance and collaboration in Occupied France, The Unwanted Dead (Orion) is my first novel set in Paris, featuring Detective Eddie Giral. I’m also the author of the Elisenda Domènech crime series (Canelo), featuring a police officer with the newly-devolved Catalan police force.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
April 12, 2023
Outstanding.As a character study,as a mystery,as an exquisite atmospheric read.
January 18, 2024
Totengesang
Im besetzten Paris des Jahres 1940 wird Inspecteur Eddie Giral zu einem Mordfall gerufen. In einer geschlossenen Bar wurde ein kleiner Gauner, der eigentlich im Gefängnis sitzen sollte, grausam umgebracht. Motiv und Täter sind völlig ungewiss. Giral versucht zunächst zu klären, wieso der Tote überhaupt auf freiem Fu8 war. In der Haftanstalt erfährt er, dass eine ganze Reihe von Verbrechern freigelassen wurden. Allerdings nicht von offizieller Seite. Das ist doch höchst mysteriös. Zumal niemand aus den eigenen Behörden Informationen weitergeben will. Die Ermittlungen gestalten sich nicht nur aus diesem Grund schwierig. Auch über den Toten will niemand reden.
In seinem zweiten Fall muss Inspecteur Eddie Giral seine Nachforschungen weiterhin unter der Beobachtung diverser Überwachungsdienste der Nazi-Besatzer durchführen. Das fühlt sich für ihn wie der Weg durch ein Minenfeld an, schließlich darf er keinem auf die Füße treten und soll gleichzeitig seinem Chef von Ermittlungsergebnissen berichten. Auch seinen Sohn, dem er eine sichere Flucht ermöglichen möchte, hat Giral immer in seinen Gedanken. Da treten die kleinen Schwierigkeiten mit seinem Kollegen Boniface, der manchmal etwas leutselig daherkommt, doch eher in den Hintergrund. Rätselhaft ist natürlich dieser Todesfall und die Umstände. Die Mauer des Schweigens lässt sich nur schwer durchbrechen.
Sehr eindrücklich schildert der Autor das widersinnige und umabschätzbare Vorgehen der Besatzer. Sie lassen die Pariser Polizisten arbeiten, weil sie sie für die Erledigung von Kleinigkeiten brauchen. Gleichzeitig bespitzeln sie alles, um bei Bedarf mit Strafen zu drohen. Welche Zwickmühle für Giral, der seinen Sohn und einige alte Freunde, denen er wieder begegnete, schützen will. Der Kriminalfall tritt dabei ein wenig in den Hintergrund, was die Lektüre aber nicht beeinträchtigt. Will man unter einer derartigen kriegerischen Besatzung leben? Eine beklemmende und bedrückende Vorstellung. Eine Lage, die man einfach nicht einschätzen kann, die unwägbare Gefahren für Leib und Leben mit sich bringt, so ein Leben wünscht man sich nicht. Zur richtigen Einschätzung der erzählten Geschichte dienen auch einige Anmerkungen des Autors, die das Verhalten der Nazi-Besatzer in einem klaren Licht darstellen. Dieser Kriminalroman besticht mit seiner historischen Genauigkeit und den eindringlichen Schilderungen, wobei das Cover die düstere Stimmung während der Tages des zweiten Weltkriegs sehr deutlich wird.
Im besetzten Paris des Jahres 1940 wird Inspecteur Eddie Giral zu einem Mordfall gerufen. In einer geschlossenen Bar wurde ein kleiner Gauner, der eigentlich im Gefängnis sitzen sollte, grausam umgebracht. Motiv und Täter sind völlig ungewiss. Giral versucht zunächst zu klären, wieso der Tote überhaupt auf freiem Fu8 war. In der Haftanstalt erfährt er, dass eine ganze Reihe von Verbrechern freigelassen wurden. Allerdings nicht von offizieller Seite. Das ist doch höchst mysteriös. Zumal niemand aus den eigenen Behörden Informationen weitergeben will. Die Ermittlungen gestalten sich nicht nur aus diesem Grund schwierig. Auch über den Toten will niemand reden.
In seinem zweiten Fall muss Inspecteur Eddie Giral seine Nachforschungen weiterhin unter der Beobachtung diverser Überwachungsdienste der Nazi-Besatzer durchführen. Das fühlt sich für ihn wie der Weg durch ein Minenfeld an, schließlich darf er keinem auf die Füße treten und soll gleichzeitig seinem Chef von Ermittlungsergebnissen berichten. Auch seinen Sohn, dem er eine sichere Flucht ermöglichen möchte, hat Giral immer in seinen Gedanken. Da treten die kleinen Schwierigkeiten mit seinem Kollegen Boniface, der manchmal etwas leutselig daherkommt, doch eher in den Hintergrund. Rätselhaft ist natürlich dieser Todesfall und die Umstände. Die Mauer des Schweigens lässt sich nur schwer durchbrechen.
Sehr eindrücklich schildert der Autor das widersinnige und umabschätzbare Vorgehen der Besatzer. Sie lassen die Pariser Polizisten arbeiten, weil sie sie für die Erledigung von Kleinigkeiten brauchen. Gleichzeitig bespitzeln sie alles, um bei Bedarf mit Strafen zu drohen. Welche Zwickmühle für Giral, der seinen Sohn und einige alte Freunde, denen er wieder begegnete, schützen will. Der Kriminalfall tritt dabei ein wenig in den Hintergrund, was die Lektüre aber nicht beeinträchtigt. Will man unter einer derartigen kriegerischen Besatzung leben? Eine beklemmende und bedrückende Vorstellung. Eine Lage, die man einfach nicht einschätzen kann, die unwägbare Gefahren für Leib und Leben mit sich bringt, so ein Leben wünscht man sich nicht. Zur richtigen Einschätzung der erzählten Geschichte dienen auch einige Anmerkungen des Autors, die das Verhalten der Nazi-Besatzer in einem klaren Licht darstellen. Dieser Kriminalroman besticht mit seiner historischen Genauigkeit und den eindringlichen Schilderungen, wobei das Cover die düstere Stimmung während der Tages des zweiten Weltkriegs sehr deutlich wird.
March 11, 2023
Paris Requiem is book 2 in the occupation series and I'm definitely getting Book 1 to read up on Eddie's background.
A masterfully written book with twists and choices made that you wouldn't expect.
The time has been well researched and written about, some parts of the story are even based on real events.
A masterfully written book with twists and choices made that you wouldn't expect.
The time has been well researched and written about, some parts of the story are even based on real events.
October 26, 2023
Rechercheur Eddie Giral wordt naar een jazzclub geroepen waar een mysterieuze moord is gepleegd. Naast de dichtgenaaide lippen van het lijk is er nog iets vreemds: deze crimineel had eigenlijk achter slot en grendel in de stadsgevangenis moeten zitten. Requiem van Chris Lloyd, vertaald door Tasio Ferrand, is het tweede deel van een historische thrillerreeks waarin de auteur je meevoert door het bezette, schimmige Parijs aan het begin van de Tweede Wereldoorlog.
De start van het verhaal heeft veel weg van een klassieke thrillersetting, want alles wijst er op dat de hoofdpersoon het hele boek bezig is met het ontrafelen van bovenstaand moordmysterie. Zeker wanneer Giral gaandeweg het verhaal met soortgelijke sterfgevallen wordt geconfronteerd. De schimmige decors waarin de moorden worden gepleegd, worden nog eens extra aangedikt door de sfeer die Lloyd in het eerste deel van het verhaal schept. Hij komt haast bijvoeglijke naamwoorden en metaforen te kort om deze zweem van geheimzinnigheid te benadrukken: 'buiten het raam hing een septemberlucht, die er niet in slaagde de ochtend te verwarmen, levenloos boven straten die grijs waren van uniformen en berusting.'
Toch doe je Requiem geen eer aan door alleen op de ontrafeling van dit moordmysterie te focussen, want met dit boek krijg je eigenlijk drie verhalen ineen: thriller, psychologische roman en historisch verhaal. Het is door deze combinatie dat er geloofwaardig grotere thema's aan de orde worden gesteld, zoals rechtvaardigheid, het geweten van personages, maar ook drugsproblematiek en een eerlijk inkijkje in het leven onder de Duitse bezetter. Door de gedoseerde manier waarop het psychologische en historische aspect in het boek is verweven, begin je vooral het handelen van de getroebleerde hoofdpersoon Giral steeds beter te begrijpen. Hierdoor hoop je dat hij het er goed vanaf brengt in het oplossen van de moorden in het boek, maar leef je vooral mee met de psychologische problemen waar hij als persoon mee worstelt.
Het is knap gedaan dat zonder de informatie uit het eerste deel van de serie, De ongewenste doden, Lloyd toch de voorgeschiedenis van zijn belangrijkste personage zo goed weet te doseren. Langzaam wordt duidelijk dat de rechercheur in zijn jonge jaren nauw verbonden was met de Parijse criminelen die nu de dienst uitmaken in de Franse hoofdstad. Het dilemma hoe hij zich als handhaver van de wet in dit milieu beweegt, brengt een extra spanning in het verhaal teweeg wanneer hij informatie, maar soms ook bescherming van zijn vroegere connecties probeert af te dwingen.
Het uitwerken van deze relaties doet de auteur al uiterst kundig, maar hij is op zijn allerbest door de twijfels die de historische setting aan het moordonderzoek toevoegt. De spanningsboog tussen persoonlijke twijfel en rechtvaardigheid die door het hele boek verweven zit, komt namelijk het best tot zijn recht in de relatie tussen de Franse politie en de Duitse bezetters. Hierbij baseert Lloyd zich deels op historische gruwelijkheden die de Duitsers in en om Parijs hebben gepleegd. Hij integreert dit niet in het verhaal als intermezzo’s om je eraan te herinneren in welke tijd dit boek zich afspeelt, maar ze hebben allemaal een link met het leven van zijn hoofdpersoon, bijvoorbeeld zijn zoon die op dit moment in het leger dient, of het moordmysterie dat Giral moet ontrafelen.
De ongekunstelde manier waarop de auteur in Requiem het psychologische moeiteloos weet te verbinden met de periode waarin het verhaal afspeelt, is de echte bewonderingswaardige spanningsboog in dit verhaal. Het is zoals Lloyd zijn hoofdpersoon het leven tijdens de bezetting laat samenvatten: 'politiewerk was politiewerk, maar goede wijn tijdens de bezetting was iets wat gekoesterd moest worden.' Op vergelijkbare wijze heeft Chris Lloyd met dit tweede deel uit de reeks op meerdere fronten een boek afgeleverd dat een onderhoudende thriller is, maar vooral een ijzersterke historische karakterschets.
De start van het verhaal heeft veel weg van een klassieke thrillersetting, want alles wijst er op dat de hoofdpersoon het hele boek bezig is met het ontrafelen van bovenstaand moordmysterie. Zeker wanneer Giral gaandeweg het verhaal met soortgelijke sterfgevallen wordt geconfronteerd. De schimmige decors waarin de moorden worden gepleegd, worden nog eens extra aangedikt door de sfeer die Lloyd in het eerste deel van het verhaal schept. Hij komt haast bijvoeglijke naamwoorden en metaforen te kort om deze zweem van geheimzinnigheid te benadrukken: 'buiten het raam hing een septemberlucht, die er niet in slaagde de ochtend te verwarmen, levenloos boven straten die grijs waren van uniformen en berusting.'
Toch doe je Requiem geen eer aan door alleen op de ontrafeling van dit moordmysterie te focussen, want met dit boek krijg je eigenlijk drie verhalen ineen: thriller, psychologische roman en historisch verhaal. Het is door deze combinatie dat er geloofwaardig grotere thema's aan de orde worden gesteld, zoals rechtvaardigheid, het geweten van personages, maar ook drugsproblematiek en een eerlijk inkijkje in het leven onder de Duitse bezetter. Door de gedoseerde manier waarop het psychologische en historische aspect in het boek is verweven, begin je vooral het handelen van de getroebleerde hoofdpersoon Giral steeds beter te begrijpen. Hierdoor hoop je dat hij het er goed vanaf brengt in het oplossen van de moorden in het boek, maar leef je vooral mee met de psychologische problemen waar hij als persoon mee worstelt.
Het is knap gedaan dat zonder de informatie uit het eerste deel van de serie, De ongewenste doden, Lloyd toch de voorgeschiedenis van zijn belangrijkste personage zo goed weet te doseren. Langzaam wordt duidelijk dat de rechercheur in zijn jonge jaren nauw verbonden was met de Parijse criminelen die nu de dienst uitmaken in de Franse hoofdstad. Het dilemma hoe hij zich als handhaver van de wet in dit milieu beweegt, brengt een extra spanning in het verhaal teweeg wanneer hij informatie, maar soms ook bescherming van zijn vroegere connecties probeert af te dwingen.
Het uitwerken van deze relaties doet de auteur al uiterst kundig, maar hij is op zijn allerbest door de twijfels die de historische setting aan het moordonderzoek toevoegt. De spanningsboog tussen persoonlijke twijfel en rechtvaardigheid die door het hele boek verweven zit, komt namelijk het best tot zijn recht in de relatie tussen de Franse politie en de Duitse bezetters. Hierbij baseert Lloyd zich deels op historische gruwelijkheden die de Duitsers in en om Parijs hebben gepleegd. Hij integreert dit niet in het verhaal als intermezzo’s om je eraan te herinneren in welke tijd dit boek zich afspeelt, maar ze hebben allemaal een link met het leven van zijn hoofdpersoon, bijvoorbeeld zijn zoon die op dit moment in het leger dient, of het moordmysterie dat Giral moet ontrafelen.
De ongekunstelde manier waarop de auteur in Requiem het psychologische moeiteloos weet te verbinden met de periode waarin het verhaal afspeelt, is de echte bewonderingswaardige spanningsboog in dit verhaal. Het is zoals Lloyd zijn hoofdpersoon het leven tijdens de bezetting laat samenvatten: 'politiewerk was politiewerk, maar goede wijn tijdens de bezetting was iets wat gekoesterd moest worden.' Op vergelijkbare wijze heeft Chris Lloyd met dit tweede deel uit de reeks op meerdere fronten een boek afgeleverd dat een onderhoudende thriller is, maar vooral een ijzersterke historische karakterschets.
February 12, 2023
Although this is the second book in the series it is the first one I have read and the first one by its author Chris Lloyd. Anyone that knows me knows that I have a bit of an obsession with history and also historical fiction and am always on the lookout for a books that feed this obsession and also capture my attention and imagination and the blurb for this book had me believing that Paris Requiem would fit that bill.
Detective Eddie Giral is called to the body found in a closed club in Paris. What is confusing is that the victim is a known criminal who Eddie is certain should still be in prison and added to that is the state that the body is found in. The only sign of anything on the body is that his mouth has been crudely sewn shut. As he digs into what happened he finds that more criminals have been released from prison, but no one is saying on who’s authority or why, in fact there is no evidence that they were ever in prison in the first place. Added to this he is being monitored by German authorities and they do not necessarily want Eddie poking around in what is happening.
Its been a while since I have read a book that is written in the first person but I found it a refreshing change and it somehow made the book seem like it was flowing at quite a pace. Seeing everything from Eddie’s viewpoint meant that I connected with the story and his investigations as I saw his thought processes and watched as he questioned himself and his actions both past and present.
Eddie is quite a complex character who doesn’t like working with others and doesn’t trust easily and as the book progresses I can understand why as he is put in situations and has to make snap decisions that not only affect him and his investigations but those that are close to him. It was interesting to watch how he handled the demands of the German Abwehr and those that are intent on ensuring he never gets to the bottom of who is responsible for the murder. Eddie is by no means a perfect police officer and he seems to have no issues playing people against each other if it gets him what he needs especially if it is to help those he cares for or those he feels he has let down in the past.
Now that I have been introduced to the world of Eddie Giral I think I may have to go back to book 1 and see what I have missed as although you can quite easily pick this book up and read it without having read The Unwanted Dead I want to see how it all started whilst I wait for more
Detective Eddie Giral is called to the body found in a closed club in Paris. What is confusing is that the victim is a known criminal who Eddie is certain should still be in prison and added to that is the state that the body is found in. The only sign of anything on the body is that his mouth has been crudely sewn shut. As he digs into what happened he finds that more criminals have been released from prison, but no one is saying on who’s authority or why, in fact there is no evidence that they were ever in prison in the first place. Added to this he is being monitored by German authorities and they do not necessarily want Eddie poking around in what is happening.
Its been a while since I have read a book that is written in the first person but I found it a refreshing change and it somehow made the book seem like it was flowing at quite a pace. Seeing everything from Eddie’s viewpoint meant that I connected with the story and his investigations as I saw his thought processes and watched as he questioned himself and his actions both past and present.
Eddie is quite a complex character who doesn’t like working with others and doesn’t trust easily and as the book progresses I can understand why as he is put in situations and has to make snap decisions that not only affect him and his investigations but those that are close to him. It was interesting to watch how he handled the demands of the German Abwehr and those that are intent on ensuring he never gets to the bottom of who is responsible for the murder. Eddie is by no means a perfect police officer and he seems to have no issues playing people against each other if it gets him what he needs especially if it is to help those he cares for or those he feels he has let down in the past.
Now that I have been introduced to the world of Eddie Giral I think I may have to go back to book 1 and see what I have missed as although you can quite easily pick this book up and read it without having read The Unwanted Dead I want to see how it all started whilst I wait for more
November 26, 2022
I hugely enjoyed the first book in Chris Lloyd's award-winning WWII crime series, THE UNWANTED DEAD, so was looking forward to the next installment very much, and PARIS REQUIEM doesn't disappoint. Through the eyes of French detective (and WWI veteran) Eddie Giral, the reader experiences Paris during the occupation of the Nazis. Needless to say, the situation is a bleak one, and the hardship and terror of this time are extremely well evoked. But one of the many brilliant elements of this series is the unexpected humour - a reminder that even in the darkest times, human beings will seek the light. The plot in PARIS REQUIEM is a taut cat and mouse game with deadly consequences, set against the backdrop of increasing persecution of the Jewish population and the stirrings of the French Resistance. Lloyd offers a sensitive and nuanced exploration of occupation that considers the many shades of grey in the notion of 'complicity'.
October 18, 2023
Goed opgezette historische thriller, met een spannend verhaal en een geweldige historische achtergrond in Parijs tijdens de Duitse bezetting.
Mijn volledige bespreking is hier te vinden: http://bettinaschrijft.blogspot.com/2...
Mijn volledige bespreking is hier te vinden: http://bettinaschrijft.blogspot.com/2...
February 27, 2023
It’s September 1940 and we are in Paris during the Occupation. An infamous criminal has been murdered in a jazz club. Eddie Giral is assigned to investigate and so begins a thrilling game of cat and mouse between the Paris police and the occupying soldiers, Gestapo, and SD.
There is also a storyline about what happened after the June 1940 massacre of soldiers of the 16th and 24th Régiments de Tirailleurs Sénégalais.
If all this isn't enough to catch our attention, it is happening during Occupation in Paris. It adds such depth to Chris Lloyd's novel that it becomes a character in itself: queuing for food for hours, only to find nothing left, hunger, nighttime curfew, no longer knowing who you can trust, and much more. Throughout the novel, the sounds, sights, and smells of Oppression are described, creating a dark, creepy atmosphere.
This is the author's second novel featuring Detective Giral. Although I had not read THE UNWANTED DEAD, I felt that PARIS REQUIEM explained enough about Eddie's past and his experiences during the First World War. He is a flawed character trying to do good in an unjust world. I liked him.
Thanks to Orion Publishing for a spot on the tour and for sending me a review copy of the book.
There is also a storyline about what happened after the June 1940 massacre of soldiers of the 16th and 24th Régiments de Tirailleurs Sénégalais.
If all this isn't enough to catch our attention, it is happening during Occupation in Paris. It adds such depth to Chris Lloyd's novel that it becomes a character in itself: queuing for food for hours, only to find nothing left, hunger, nighttime curfew, no longer knowing who you can trust, and much more. Throughout the novel, the sounds, sights, and smells of Oppression are described, creating a dark, creepy atmosphere.
This is the author's second novel featuring Detective Giral. Although I had not read THE UNWANTED DEAD, I felt that PARIS REQUIEM explained enough about Eddie's past and his experiences during the First World War. He is a flawed character trying to do good in an unjust world. I liked him.
Thanks to Orion Publishing for a spot on the tour and for sending me a review copy of the book.
October 12, 2023
A DNF.
Although the plot set in occupied Paris 1940, was intriguing, the clichéd characters (particularly the German major and the sarcastic, noirish tough guy hero, Detective Eddie Giral) and too many phrases and terms more 21st century than 1940 Paris just didn't do it for me.
A 1940 Paris detective using the term African-Americans and use of modern phrases like "white noise" take you out of the time-period far too frequently. Many other authors do it more authentically with less stereotypical characters.
Although the plot set in occupied Paris 1940, was intriguing, the clichéd characters (particularly the German major and the sarcastic, noirish tough guy hero, Detective Eddie Giral) and too many phrases and terms more 21st century than 1940 Paris just didn't do it for me.
A 1940 Paris detective using the term African-Americans and use of modern phrases like "white noise" take you out of the time-period far too frequently. Many other authors do it more authentically with less stereotypical characters.
December 10, 2022
In Paris Requiem, the second of his Eddie Giral series, Chris Lloyd takes us again into the bleak, morally compromised world of Occupied Paris in 1940. Scores of violent criminals are being released without due French authority from a local jail. Giral investigates and is led down various murky and bloody Parisian paths, with the Nazi security forces hard on is heels. Characterisation, plotting and dialogue are masterful and I love the many Chandleresque touches. Another triumph!
April 30, 2023
Its three months on and much has changed. Eddie’s son Jean-Luc has made his way down France and is currently in The Pyrenees waiting for a guide to take him over the border and the relative safety of Spain. In Paris the German occupation is starting to bite as they are controlling the residents, there is a strict curfew in place, and rationing has been introduced.
Eddie is called in to investigate a murder, a gruesome symbolic one, as the victim is bound to a chair with his lips roughly sewn together with twine. He has been suffocated. The setting is strange one, the victim is in a long-closed jazz club, hardly the place for a known robber to find rich pickings in the safe. It doesn’t follow his usual Modus Operandi either, he’s a roof man, used to entering via skylights, he wouldn’t lower himself to go in through the front door. The oddest thing of all, he should be in prison, Eddie knows this because he put him there, so who has got him out of prison?
It transpires that somebody has managed to get several criminals from across Paris, who have no connections to each other from either working together or in gangs, released. It’s as if someone was building a gang of gangs, a supergroup of the cream of the Paris underworld. But who would have the power to set them free and hope to control them?
Two names come up for Eddie to investigate, Capeluche and Henri Lafont. A bit of digging in the library shows that Capeluche was an executioner in Fifteenth Century Paris, so a suitable nom de guerre for a killer. But who is Henri Lafont?
The plot is the investigation behind this release but there are side issues, the search for the sons of two women and the protection of Jean-Luc who is not yet safe. The pacing is steady but unrelenting, there’s a lot of ground to cover before the reveal and the satisfying finale.
As Eddie is beginning to discover in this war of occupation there is no absolute good and bad, sometimes to survive you must settle best solution you can achieve and live with. With the competing German factions, the Abwehr (intelligence), Wehrmacht (army), Schutzstaffel (SS) and Sicherheitsdienst (SD) and then the dreaded Gestapo in his way his job is near impossible. He may have to humour the Abwehr to avoid supping with the Devil, there is no spoon long enough to work with the Gestapo. All the while there are acts of resistance, collaboration, and the nagging feeling that even some of his colleagues are not to be trusted. Trying to be a moral man under these conditions is near impossible.
Eddie’s character is developing, trying to do right by Jean-Luc he is starting to bury his demons to the extent that he throws the dud bullet away. After a lifetime of letting people down and throwing friendships away Dominique is finally getting him to reflect on past mistakes.
Humour is used sparingly but to great effect. This is no wisecracking smart lipped detective at work, under occupation that would just get you killed. Its much more subtle and all the more cutting for it. There’s a brilliant take down of opera, a German one at that, and it avoids the trope of fat ladies singing. The opera connection is important though. Replacing the wisecracks are Eddie’s observations and great use of similes to express the vulgar.
This is a novel with a great atmospheric feel to it, the unlit streets of the Paris black out, night-time in the graveyard and scrambling around the countryside. Then to top it off there’s a child singing a strange melody who is dogging Eddie but he cannot catch up with him, shades of a Sergio Leone spaghetti western here. Its fabulous Noir, it could almost be a black and white classic of the period, if they were to film it chiaroscuro style would be perfect.
There are real incidents within the fiction which help with the overall feel, there is genuine authenticity about it. In the UK we knew about rationing and privation, particularly during the days of the war in the Atlantic, but we didn’t have the German’s pillaging the countryside for produce. This is brought home in the novel, three months in and produce is being systematically stolen or ‘purchased’ for next to nothing be it food, drink or clothing. Even the lowliest German soldier could participate in this state sanctioned looting. Already the Parisians are suffering hunger, queuing for hours for the scraps left over. There are also hints at the atrocities to come. There’s Eddie’s despair at being pulled out of a food queue when he gets near the front to him going rogue in the countryside, where he cannot help himself. So, an intelligent and largely factual portrayal of life at the beginning of occupation within a framework of an entertaining thriller.
Paris Requiem is a magnificent war time police procedural that evokes a downtrodden and defeated Paris that is almost tangible.
Eddie is called in to investigate a murder, a gruesome symbolic one, as the victim is bound to a chair with his lips roughly sewn together with twine. He has been suffocated. The setting is strange one, the victim is in a long-closed jazz club, hardly the place for a known robber to find rich pickings in the safe. It doesn’t follow his usual Modus Operandi either, he’s a roof man, used to entering via skylights, he wouldn’t lower himself to go in through the front door. The oddest thing of all, he should be in prison, Eddie knows this because he put him there, so who has got him out of prison?
It transpires that somebody has managed to get several criminals from across Paris, who have no connections to each other from either working together or in gangs, released. It’s as if someone was building a gang of gangs, a supergroup of the cream of the Paris underworld. But who would have the power to set them free and hope to control them?
Two names come up for Eddie to investigate, Capeluche and Henri Lafont. A bit of digging in the library shows that Capeluche was an executioner in Fifteenth Century Paris, so a suitable nom de guerre for a killer. But who is Henri Lafont?
The plot is the investigation behind this release but there are side issues, the search for the sons of two women and the protection of Jean-Luc who is not yet safe. The pacing is steady but unrelenting, there’s a lot of ground to cover before the reveal and the satisfying finale.
As Eddie is beginning to discover in this war of occupation there is no absolute good and bad, sometimes to survive you must settle best solution you can achieve and live with. With the competing German factions, the Abwehr (intelligence), Wehrmacht (army), Schutzstaffel (SS) and Sicherheitsdienst (SD) and then the dreaded Gestapo in his way his job is near impossible. He may have to humour the Abwehr to avoid supping with the Devil, there is no spoon long enough to work with the Gestapo. All the while there are acts of resistance, collaboration, and the nagging feeling that even some of his colleagues are not to be trusted. Trying to be a moral man under these conditions is near impossible.
Eddie’s character is developing, trying to do right by Jean-Luc he is starting to bury his demons to the extent that he throws the dud bullet away. After a lifetime of letting people down and throwing friendships away Dominique is finally getting him to reflect on past mistakes.
Humour is used sparingly but to great effect. This is no wisecracking smart lipped detective at work, under occupation that would just get you killed. Its much more subtle and all the more cutting for it. There’s a brilliant take down of opera, a German one at that, and it avoids the trope of fat ladies singing. The opera connection is important though. Replacing the wisecracks are Eddie’s observations and great use of similes to express the vulgar.
This is a novel with a great atmospheric feel to it, the unlit streets of the Paris black out, night-time in the graveyard and scrambling around the countryside. Then to top it off there’s a child singing a strange melody who is dogging Eddie but he cannot catch up with him, shades of a Sergio Leone spaghetti western here. Its fabulous Noir, it could almost be a black and white classic of the period, if they were to film it chiaroscuro style would be perfect.
There are real incidents within the fiction which help with the overall feel, there is genuine authenticity about it. In the UK we knew about rationing and privation, particularly during the days of the war in the Atlantic, but we didn’t have the German’s pillaging the countryside for produce. This is brought home in the novel, three months in and produce is being systematically stolen or ‘purchased’ for next to nothing be it food, drink or clothing. Even the lowliest German soldier could participate in this state sanctioned looting. Already the Parisians are suffering hunger, queuing for hours for the scraps left over. There are also hints at the atrocities to come. There’s Eddie’s despair at being pulled out of a food queue when he gets near the front to him going rogue in the countryside, where he cannot help himself. So, an intelligent and largely factual portrayal of life at the beginning of occupation within a framework of an entertaining thriller.
Paris Requiem is a magnificent war time police procedural that evokes a downtrodden and defeated Paris that is almost tangible.
January 14, 2024
Dialoglastiger Histokrimi
„Ohne ein Wort tat er so, als nähte er seine Lippen zusammen.“
1940: Das nationalsozialistische Deutschland hat Frankreich unterworfen. Mit dem Verfassungsgesetz vom 10. Juli löst das Vichy – Regime die Dritte Französische Republik ab, bis 1944 sollte der autoritäre Staat unter Pétain bestehen; es kam zur Kollaboration, aber auch zum Widerstand. Dies zum geschichtlichen Hintergrund von Chris Lloyds historischem Kriminalroman „Paris Requiem“. Es handelt sich hierbei um den zweiten Band der Reihe rund um Inspecteur Eddie Giral. Obwohl ich den ersten Teil der Serie („Die Toten von Gare d’Austerlitz“) nicht gelesen habe, hatte ich bei der Lektüre von „Paris Requiem“ keine Verständnisschwierigkeiten.
Worum geht’s?
Paris wird von mysteriösen Morden erschüttert. In einem abgewrackten Jazzclub wird eine Leiche entdeckt. Die Lippen des Opfers sind zugenäht, und als Édouard „Eddie“ Giral herausfindet, dass der Tote ein Sträfling war, der eigentlich im Gefängnis hätte sitzen müssen, beginnt ein Wettlauf gegen die Zeit. Cui bono? Giral muss gegen mächtige Gegner antreten und sich durch ein Dickicht von Kollaboration und Intrigen kämpfen…
Ein Ich-Erzähler führt durch das Geschehen. Stil und Sprache sind (wie so oft in dem Genre) nicht kompliziert, daher kann man das Buch relativ zügig lesen; es bleibt die Frage, ob die einigermaßen moderne Sprache (bzw. die deutsche Übersetzung) zu der beschriebenen Ära passt. Der Ansatz des Autors, seine Geschichte im Zweiten Weltkrieg spielen zu lassen, ist natürlich nicht neu. Auch sind manche Motive nicht neu – vernähte Münder gehören in Thrillern fast schon zum Inventar. Logisch, dass Giral traumatische Erlebnisse aus dem ersten Weltkrieg eher verdrängt als verarbeitet hat (man denke nur an Thomas Shelby von den Peaky Blinders oder an Volker Kutschers Gereon Rath). Lloyds Ausarbeitung ist dennoch reizvoll, die kurzen, dialoglastigen Kapitel ließen mich an spannende Filmszenen denken, nur manchmal hatte ich das Gefühl, dass die Charaktere mit dem heutigen Wissen vergangene Ereignisse kommentierten. Als Autorin hätte ich die Handlung stellenweise ein wenig gestrafft.
Am besten gefiel mir der historische Hintergrund des Krimis sowie die plastische Darstellung von Wirtschafts- und Sozialgeschichte der Epoche, auch die Figuren haben durchaus Potential, die Charakterisierung kann mit jedem neuen Band vertieft werden.
„Ohne ein Wort tat er so, als nähte er seine Lippen zusammen.“
1940: Das nationalsozialistische Deutschland hat Frankreich unterworfen. Mit dem Verfassungsgesetz vom 10. Juli löst das Vichy – Regime die Dritte Französische Republik ab, bis 1944 sollte der autoritäre Staat unter Pétain bestehen; es kam zur Kollaboration, aber auch zum Widerstand. Dies zum geschichtlichen Hintergrund von Chris Lloyds historischem Kriminalroman „Paris Requiem“. Es handelt sich hierbei um den zweiten Band der Reihe rund um Inspecteur Eddie Giral. Obwohl ich den ersten Teil der Serie („Die Toten von Gare d’Austerlitz“) nicht gelesen habe, hatte ich bei der Lektüre von „Paris Requiem“ keine Verständnisschwierigkeiten.
Worum geht’s?
Paris wird von mysteriösen Morden erschüttert. In einem abgewrackten Jazzclub wird eine Leiche entdeckt. Die Lippen des Opfers sind zugenäht, und als Édouard „Eddie“ Giral herausfindet, dass der Tote ein Sträfling war, der eigentlich im Gefängnis hätte sitzen müssen, beginnt ein Wettlauf gegen die Zeit. Cui bono? Giral muss gegen mächtige Gegner antreten und sich durch ein Dickicht von Kollaboration und Intrigen kämpfen…
Ein Ich-Erzähler führt durch das Geschehen. Stil und Sprache sind (wie so oft in dem Genre) nicht kompliziert, daher kann man das Buch relativ zügig lesen; es bleibt die Frage, ob die einigermaßen moderne Sprache (bzw. die deutsche Übersetzung) zu der beschriebenen Ära passt. Der Ansatz des Autors, seine Geschichte im Zweiten Weltkrieg spielen zu lassen, ist natürlich nicht neu. Auch sind manche Motive nicht neu – vernähte Münder gehören in Thrillern fast schon zum Inventar. Logisch, dass Giral traumatische Erlebnisse aus dem ersten Weltkrieg eher verdrängt als verarbeitet hat (man denke nur an Thomas Shelby von den Peaky Blinders oder an Volker Kutschers Gereon Rath). Lloyds Ausarbeitung ist dennoch reizvoll, die kurzen, dialoglastigen Kapitel ließen mich an spannende Filmszenen denken, nur manchmal hatte ich das Gefühl, dass die Charaktere mit dem heutigen Wissen vergangene Ereignisse kommentierten. Als Autorin hätte ich die Handlung stellenweise ein wenig gestrafft.
Am besten gefiel mir der historische Hintergrund des Krimis sowie die plastische Darstellung von Wirtschafts- und Sozialgeschichte der Epoche, auch die Figuren haben durchaus Potential, die Charakterisierung kann mit jedem neuen Band vertieft werden.
July 1, 2025
Been a while since i read a book in a single day. Very good wriiten, this story grabbed me. Despite that it was fiction, i believe it gave the athmosphere clearly of the period, where the occupiers, germans, more and more were showing their real intentions and how they could grab more and more wealth from the french people.
Read
July 30, 2025DNF :( Niet een grote fan van de WW2 aesthetic. Helaas pakte de karakters me ook niet echt. Heb tot bladzijde 110 gelezen.
March 9, 2023
n late 2020 I listened to the audiobook of The Unwanted Dead. It introduced Eddie Giral, the police officer who was determined to investigate a crime which nobody else wanted him to investigate. I absolutely loved the story, raved about it A LOT on Twitter and I was delighted to see it win the CWA Gold Crown for best novel of the year.
I have been patiently waiting for Giral’s return (well quite patiently) and when Paris Requiem landed on my doormat it went straight to the front of my reading queue. I know I shouldn’t have favourites but as much as I loved The Unwanted Dead, I think Paris Requiem takes this series to greater heights. Paris Requiem – five stars and if I could give it more I would.
What’s it about then?
Detective Eddie Giral is a member of the Paris police force. It is 1940 and the Germans have occupied the city. The police are still to enforce the law but they must do so working alongside the Germans who have their own control over the city. It’s a fractious dynamic and Eddie is far from happy with the current state of affairs. Although we first met Eddie in the award-winning The Unwanted Dead. You don’t need to read the stories in order to enjoy Paris Requiem but as I adored The Unwanted Dead I would strongly encourage you to seek it out.
We meet Eddie in a closed down Jazz Club. He is a big fan of jazz but not such a big fan of empty clubs which house a dead body. Unfortunately for Eddie the reason he is in a closed down club is because there is a dead body which needs his attention. Bound to a chair and left to be found, the victim has had their mouth sewn shut with twine. A message? But who could it be for? And an even bigger headache for Eddie is that he knows the victim…he arrested him some months earlier and the man should still be in prison – so why is he dead in a club?
Eddie’s boss, Commissionaire Dax, has paired him up with the irritating Boniface. Potentially a decent cop but Eddie feels Boniface spends more time chasing women than he does chasing crooks. Together the pair try to find out why a convicted criminal was walking the streets before he met his untimely and unpleasant death. Worse still it seems he may not be the only criminal no longer serving their sentence – some of the crooks the pair helped capture will hold a grudge too.
Unfortunately for Eddie there are other matters to contend with. His son is trying to escape France, Eddie has not seen him for several months but someone else knows of his flight to freedom and is trying to use this knowledge to get some leverage with Eddie. Will Eddie be able to assist an enemy if it means safe passage for his son? There’s another son to worry about too – not his own but an old friend is looking for Eddie to help find her son. A soldier on the run and hiding from the German army will not have it easy, but when the soldier has black skin it gets even more complicated. Even Eddie’s connections with Major Hochstetter – the German officer who “assists” Eddie and the French police will not use his influential support to track down a missing soldier.
There’s a lot going on in Eddie’s life but Chris Lloyd manages to keep three or four different story threads constantly weaving around the reader. Even when there’s not a crime to occupy his mind Eddie can be found trying to encourage his local butcher to let him have a slightly larger cut of meat or begging his baker to give him a single loaf of bread despite Eddie not having his ration book. Life in occupied Paris still goes on and Lloyd shows the day to day problems all Parisians faced – sourcing fresh meat and bread being one of them.
It’s the wonderful blend of historical fact, crime fiction and sheer reading enjoyment which made me love the time I spent with Paris Requiem. Chris Lloyd breathes life into history and has created a compelling cast of characters. The murders, the escaped criminals, Eddie’s need to appease his boss, appease the Germans and keep himself safe while unknown forces try to kill him – you will be drawn into this story and will not want to stop reading. Especially when you hear about Capeluche – he’s a scary one.
Don’t miss these books. Get to know Eddie Giral. He’s having a rough old time of it but you’ll root for him from first page to last.
I have been patiently waiting for Giral’s return (well quite patiently) and when Paris Requiem landed on my doormat it went straight to the front of my reading queue. I know I shouldn’t have favourites but as much as I loved The Unwanted Dead, I think Paris Requiem takes this series to greater heights. Paris Requiem – five stars and if I could give it more I would.
What’s it about then?
Detective Eddie Giral is a member of the Paris police force. It is 1940 and the Germans have occupied the city. The police are still to enforce the law but they must do so working alongside the Germans who have their own control over the city. It’s a fractious dynamic and Eddie is far from happy with the current state of affairs. Although we first met Eddie in the award-winning The Unwanted Dead. You don’t need to read the stories in order to enjoy Paris Requiem but as I adored The Unwanted Dead I would strongly encourage you to seek it out.
We meet Eddie in a closed down Jazz Club. He is a big fan of jazz but not such a big fan of empty clubs which house a dead body. Unfortunately for Eddie the reason he is in a closed down club is because there is a dead body which needs his attention. Bound to a chair and left to be found, the victim has had their mouth sewn shut with twine. A message? But who could it be for? And an even bigger headache for Eddie is that he knows the victim…he arrested him some months earlier and the man should still be in prison – so why is he dead in a club?
Eddie’s boss, Commissionaire Dax, has paired him up with the irritating Boniface. Potentially a decent cop but Eddie feels Boniface spends more time chasing women than he does chasing crooks. Together the pair try to find out why a convicted criminal was walking the streets before he met his untimely and unpleasant death. Worse still it seems he may not be the only criminal no longer serving their sentence – some of the crooks the pair helped capture will hold a grudge too.
Unfortunately for Eddie there are other matters to contend with. His son is trying to escape France, Eddie has not seen him for several months but someone else knows of his flight to freedom and is trying to use this knowledge to get some leverage with Eddie. Will Eddie be able to assist an enemy if it means safe passage for his son? There’s another son to worry about too – not his own but an old friend is looking for Eddie to help find her son. A soldier on the run and hiding from the German army will not have it easy, but when the soldier has black skin it gets even more complicated. Even Eddie’s connections with Major Hochstetter – the German officer who “assists” Eddie and the French police will not use his influential support to track down a missing soldier.
There’s a lot going on in Eddie’s life but Chris Lloyd manages to keep three or four different story threads constantly weaving around the reader. Even when there’s not a crime to occupy his mind Eddie can be found trying to encourage his local butcher to let him have a slightly larger cut of meat or begging his baker to give him a single loaf of bread despite Eddie not having his ration book. Life in occupied Paris still goes on and Lloyd shows the day to day problems all Parisians faced – sourcing fresh meat and bread being one of them.
It’s the wonderful blend of historical fact, crime fiction and sheer reading enjoyment which made me love the time I spent with Paris Requiem. Chris Lloyd breathes life into history and has created a compelling cast of characters. The murders, the escaped criminals, Eddie’s need to appease his boss, appease the Germans and keep himself safe while unknown forces try to kill him – you will be drawn into this story and will not want to stop reading. Especially when you hear about Capeluche – he’s a scary one.
Don’t miss these books. Get to know Eddie Giral. He’s having a rough old time of it but you’ll root for him from first page to last.
March 30, 2023
For a mystery it was good. The best part for me was the insight into occupied France and Paris in particular. I'm looking forward to the follow-up.
March 15, 2023
Crisscross Paris with this complex novel set as the Nazi occupation is in its infancy, when good and evil get complicated as well.
Characters are drawn so well you'll come to think of them as folks you know, all caught up in the despicable history of the Nazis that never stops to claw at your sense of justice.
I'll be looking for more of this series.
Characters are drawn so well you'll come to think of them as folks you know, all caught up in the despicable history of the Nazis that never stops to claw at your sense of justice.
I'll be looking for more of this series.
February 26, 2023
Chris Lloyd's Paris Requiem takes you on a powerful and memorable journey through the streets of wartime Paris. The opening dozen pages strongly set the scene for the grim situation facing Detective, Eddie Giral: "Looking back at the figure in the chair, I took in the eyes open in terror, the blood around the twine on his wrists....someone had sewn his lips shut."
Eddie soon realises that there are some really unsavoury individuals who should be imprisoned, but are somehow appearing on the outside and committing dark and brutal crimes against the backdrop of the Nazi occupation of France. How many crimes can you hide during wartime? The word Capeluche starts being uttered and transpires to be a merciless and formidable woman who appears to be pulling the strings.
There follows an intricate cat and mouse chase between Giral and those conspiring against him for gain and ultimately, the supply of Pervitin, a forerunner of crystal meth, causing havoc everywhere.
Chris repeatedly reminds the reader of the hardships of living under occupation, with curfews and rationing. Life is grim with Giral explaining: "I rustled up some tired old Brie that had reduced to mush, some green beans and a potato." Good on Giral for getting his hands on the pig because there's no doubt desperation is in the air in every sense, "it was a world on borrowed time."
There are some great descriptions penned by Chris, such as: "On every spare centimetre of wall, faded Tour de France posters of bygone heroes kissing trophies grinned in sepia." You also get a strong sense of the streets and alleyways of Paris neighbourhoods and districts, with Montmartre and Montparnasse.
Eddie is undoubtedly a man who is emotionally reflective because of his past and present, with not knowing the whereabouts of his son as well as his previous romantic relationships, and you really root for him to uncover the horrible web of death and deceit.
The question is, can Eddie survive long enough to solve the crimes?
All in all, I really enjoyed Paris Requiem, and it’s left me wanting to revisit Paris, albeit not GirI highly recommend you read it!
Eddie soon realises that there are some really unsavoury individuals who should be imprisoned, but are somehow appearing on the outside and committing dark and brutal crimes against the backdrop of the Nazi occupation of France. How many crimes can you hide during wartime? The word Capeluche starts being uttered and transpires to be a merciless and formidable woman who appears to be pulling the strings.
There follows an intricate cat and mouse chase between Giral and those conspiring against him for gain and ultimately, the supply of Pervitin, a forerunner of crystal meth, causing havoc everywhere.
Chris repeatedly reminds the reader of the hardships of living under occupation, with curfews and rationing. Life is grim with Giral explaining: "I rustled up some tired old Brie that had reduced to mush, some green beans and a potato." Good on Giral for getting his hands on the pig because there's no doubt desperation is in the air in every sense, "it was a world on borrowed time."
There are some great descriptions penned by Chris, such as: "On every spare centimetre of wall, faded Tour de France posters of bygone heroes kissing trophies grinned in sepia." You also get a strong sense of the streets and alleyways of Paris neighbourhoods and districts, with Montmartre and Montparnasse.
Eddie is undoubtedly a man who is emotionally reflective because of his past and present, with not knowing the whereabouts of his son as well as his previous romantic relationships, and you really root for him to uncover the horrible web of death and deceit.
The question is, can Eddie survive long enough to solve the crimes?
All in all, I really enjoyed Paris Requiem, and it’s left me wanting to revisit Paris, albeit not GirI highly recommend you read it!
March 23, 2023
Thank you to Orion Books for very kindly sending me a proof copy of Paris Requiem, and introducing me to Chris Lloyd and Eddie Giral.
Having read The Unwanted Dead first (book #1 in the series), and having been blown away by this, I was looking forward to going into wartime Paris with Police Detective Eddie Giral again.
We arrive in Paris in September 1940 to find Eddie Giral investigating a grizzly murder in a closed Jazz Club. The way that Chris Lloyd manages to transport the reader from today back into the seedy, brittle and dangerous world of Paris under Nazi occupation, is truly fantastic. The descriptions of the places Eddie Giral visits during his investigation are really so tangible.
Paris is deeply under the grip of the Germans, and they are trying to punish its citizens by starving them, there is food but because of rationing there is not enough to go around. So amongst many other issues Eddie is starving. I thought this was really well written as it is historical fact, and it made me hungry just hearing Eddies stomach growling!
As always Eddie Giral is pulled from trying to run a Police investigation to the Germans interfering in it… in Paris Requiem we really see his moral dilemmas take a hold of him and this has the reader on the edge of their set, waiting to find out how the plot will turn out.
I’m so glad that writers like Chris Lloyd, are able to research and produce such realistic works of fiction based on fact, and I really enjoy reading novels set during WW2, its my favourite time period. Reading Chris Lloyds Paris Requiem was like watching a thrilling film, there is tension, mistrust, deceit and murder. If you like novels set during the war then there is no better place to start than with Paris Requiem. We must write about these past events, even when they are horrifying, so that we can learn from them in the future.
Another gripping and thrilling read from Chris Lloyd, 5 stars for me especially for being so realistic and gripping
Having read The Unwanted Dead first (book #1 in the series), and having been blown away by this, I was looking forward to going into wartime Paris with Police Detective Eddie Giral again.
We arrive in Paris in September 1940 to find Eddie Giral investigating a grizzly murder in a closed Jazz Club. The way that Chris Lloyd manages to transport the reader from today back into the seedy, brittle and dangerous world of Paris under Nazi occupation, is truly fantastic. The descriptions of the places Eddie Giral visits during his investigation are really so tangible.
Paris is deeply under the grip of the Germans, and they are trying to punish its citizens by starving them, there is food but because of rationing there is not enough to go around. So amongst many other issues Eddie is starving. I thought this was really well written as it is historical fact, and it made me hungry just hearing Eddies stomach growling!
As always Eddie Giral is pulled from trying to run a Police investigation to the Germans interfering in it… in Paris Requiem we really see his moral dilemmas take a hold of him and this has the reader on the edge of their set, waiting to find out how the plot will turn out.
I’m so glad that writers like Chris Lloyd, are able to research and produce such realistic works of fiction based on fact, and I really enjoy reading novels set during WW2, its my favourite time period. Reading Chris Lloyds Paris Requiem was like watching a thrilling film, there is tension, mistrust, deceit and murder. If you like novels set during the war then there is no better place to start than with Paris Requiem. We must write about these past events, even when they are horrifying, so that we can learn from them in the future.
Another gripping and thrilling read from Chris Lloyd, 5 stars for me especially for being so realistic and gripping
March 7, 2023
A clever, well plotted and gripping historical noir that kept me in thrall since the first pages.
A solid mys's tery, vivid historical background, a main character who's got the right level of cynism and baggage.
It's the first book I read by this author and just discovered there's another one in this series.
Loved it.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
A solid mys's tery, vivid historical background, a main character who's got the right level of cynism and baggage.
It's the first book I read by this author and just discovered there's another one in this series.
Loved it.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
January 1, 2023
Excellent on quite a few levels! The complex plot is thrilling, scary and convincing. Eddie, the main character, is an efficient policeman, but at what cost!!! Fighting against his own disturbing memories of WWI, Eddie not only has to fight against "conventional" criminals but also the German Abwehr, then the Gestapo as well as the SD and his own boss... Facing many moral, integrity choices, Eddie's professional and personal life gets very complicated indeed! An extremely engrossing novel very hard to put down! I also loved Eddie's way of thinking: full of sarcasm, cynicism, wit and grim humour, depending on the situation. The historical background is well researched and offers some insights I was not aware of... Highly recommended!
I received a complimentary ARC of this novel from NetGalley and I am leaving voluntarily an honest review.
I received a complimentary ARC of this novel from NetGalley and I am leaving voluntarily an honest review.
May 25, 2023
I love the setting of these stories. Eddie Giral is a French cop in Nazi occupied Paris. He rebels against authority at every turn but somehow manages to survive. Particularly interesting is his relationship with Major Hochsetter of the Abwehr, a seemingly refined lover of the arts, but in reality a very dangerous schemer. Eddie is driven by his desire to keep his son Jean-Luc from harm. He will go to any lengths to do this. As in the first Eddie Giral book, the plot is complicated with many twists and turns and the ending is not entirely satisfactory. I felt there were too many loose ends. However, Lloyd has researched the period extensively and used actual events as a backdrop, which is one reason I keep reading. Clearly there will be many more Giral books and I will be there despite the repetitive phrasing and descriptors.
February 25, 2023
DNF: grew tired of the film noir-like sarcastic dialog.
April 25, 2023
I didn't really care for this book. I was able to finish it, but never really felt a connection with the story or the characters. It is one of those books where I don't really have an opinion about it in the end (it is merely eh) and I will probably forget about it within 24 hours.
November 13, 2022
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review.
Wow, he's done it again. What a belter of a book. Part relentless thriller, part time-machine. Chris Lloyd drops you in Paris during the occupation, with a grisly murder to solve, but you can trust nobody and nobody trusts you.
I have a theory that certain literary mash-ups of stories, or setting or genre can result in fantastic new creations that exude a new life of their own. Think if you combined "Tom Brown's schooldays" with wizards you get Harry Potter. If you meld a serial killer story with "The Old Man and the Sea" you get "Jaws". Lastly, if you cross the power politics of "The Godfather" with the medieval period of history and throw in a few mythical creatures you get "Game of Thrones" even some of the terminology and roles are similar e.g. "King of the Seven Kingdoms" and "Head of the Five Families" and "Hand of the King" is basically the same as "Consigliere."
Anyway, I digress back to Chris Lloyd. What the author has done is to mix the hard boiled LA 1920/30s detective Sam Spade genre with the setting of Paris under Nazi occupation during World War 2. This is a genius move as in addition to Eddie's sarcastic, wise cracking attitude dealing with an investigation into scar-faced villains and femme fatales of the LA detective type. Eddie our Anti-Hero is now introduced to at least two layers of added jeopardy. One from above where the various German occupying forces see him as a potential loose cannon and don't trust him. The other threat is from below where the everyday people suspect him of collaborating with the enemy. Throw in a threat to his sons life unless he plays along and the sense of stress is unrelenting from the first. You find yourself racing to the end of the chapter in order just to exhale.
I feel I must mention the character of our protagonist Eddie Giral. I described him in the review of first novel "The Unwanted Dead" as a tough, vulnerable thug of an honest cop. Perhaps honest is pushing it a bit. Forgive me for paraphrasing but I think the author described him as "a bad guy in the good times, but a good guy in the bad times." Tough and clever, he is like a more dirty, more realistic Jack Reacher. Love a bit of Eddie.
But its not all about surface matters. This is a multi- faceted tale. It involves the investigation, the occupation, two side quests in an attempt at redemption, the battle for Eddies mental well being and how to make choices when all your options are horrifically bad. Its not just an historical whodunnit, it has a solid depth that few others can match. It has a "hinterland" as Dennis Healy might say
Included in the book is an Author's note about the research carried out for the book that is as fascinating as it is heart breaking. This book is a timely reminder of the consequences of extremism.
When I review book, I have a habit of underlining tracts that stand out as either as mini insights into the story or of just lovely lyrical phrasing. With this book I was swamped for choice for both. He has a way of conveying complex thoughts, issues and situations in a few clear and aesthetically pleasing lines. Indeed at time of writing this (Nov 2022) I am beyond frustrated that I cannot show you how good he is via some selected quotes. However because the book isn't out until Feb 2023 sadly I am not allowed.
Wow, he's done it again. What a belter of a book. Part relentless thriller, part time-machine. Chris Lloyd drops you in Paris during the occupation, with a grisly murder to solve, but you can trust nobody and nobody trusts you.
I have a theory that certain literary mash-ups of stories, or setting or genre can result in fantastic new creations that exude a new life of their own. Think if you combined "Tom Brown's schooldays" with wizards you get Harry Potter. If you meld a serial killer story with "The Old Man and the Sea" you get "Jaws". Lastly, if you cross the power politics of "The Godfather" with the medieval period of history and throw in a few mythical creatures you get "Game of Thrones" even some of the terminology and roles are similar e.g. "King of the Seven Kingdoms" and "Head of the Five Families" and "Hand of the King" is basically the same as "Consigliere."
Anyway, I digress back to Chris Lloyd. What the author has done is to mix the hard boiled LA 1920/30s detective Sam Spade genre with the setting of Paris under Nazi occupation during World War 2. This is a genius move as in addition to Eddie's sarcastic, wise cracking attitude dealing with an investigation into scar-faced villains and femme fatales of the LA detective type. Eddie our Anti-Hero is now introduced to at least two layers of added jeopardy. One from above where the various German occupying forces see him as a potential loose cannon and don't trust him. The other threat is from below where the everyday people suspect him of collaborating with the enemy. Throw in a threat to his sons life unless he plays along and the sense of stress is unrelenting from the first. You find yourself racing to the end of the chapter in order just to exhale.
I feel I must mention the character of our protagonist Eddie Giral. I described him in the review of first novel "The Unwanted Dead" as a tough, vulnerable thug of an honest cop. Perhaps honest is pushing it a bit. Forgive me for paraphrasing but I think the author described him as "a bad guy in the good times, but a good guy in the bad times." Tough and clever, he is like a more dirty, more realistic Jack Reacher. Love a bit of Eddie.
But its not all about surface matters. This is a multi- faceted tale. It involves the investigation, the occupation, two side quests in an attempt at redemption, the battle for Eddies mental well being and how to make choices when all your options are horrifically bad. Its not just an historical whodunnit, it has a solid depth that few others can match. It has a "hinterland" as Dennis Healy might say
Included in the book is an Author's note about the research carried out for the book that is as fascinating as it is heart breaking. This book is a timely reminder of the consequences of extremism.
When I review book, I have a habit of underlining tracts that stand out as either as mini insights into the story or of just lovely lyrical phrasing. With this book I was swamped for choice for both. He has a way of conveying complex thoughts, issues and situations in a few clear and aesthetically pleasing lines. Indeed at time of writing this (Nov 2022) I am beyond frustrated that I cannot show you how good he is via some selected quotes. However because the book isn't out until Feb 2023 sadly I am not allowed.
February 25, 2023
DI Eddie Giral got told to go to the Jazz Chaud where a body had been found. When Eddie took a look, the body was bound to the chair by its hands and legs but the worse bit was its mouth was sewn shut. Plus he knew the man. He was Julot le Bavard and he was supposed to be in prison because he put him there. How come he was free? The club was shut by the Germans so no money in the place and the owner was currently away, due back the following day. The owner's name was Jean Poquelin, a name Eddie didn’t recognise but when Eddie went back the following day he found a friend from the past, Fran, whose real name is Jean-Francois Aveyron.
Walter le Ricaneur, another prisoner freed from prison, was in the cells when Eddie was taken to see him. He asked Walter about ‘Capeluche’, unfortunately before he could question him further he was summoned to see Major Hochstetter. He had brought Eddie with him to watch some communists being arrested which Eddie thought they were leaving alone. Turns out some they are, some they aren’t. The ones who don’t agree with Nazi rule are being arrested. At the end of the meeting, he said to Eddie, ‘Like your colleagues, you will work with us. With me. Willingly or otherwise, but you will work with me.’ By the time Eddie got back, Walter had been released by Judge's orders. Just what was going on? Who was getting prisoners out of prison and had the power to release them so quickly from jail by going to Judges?
DI Eddie Giral and Detective Boniface went to the prison Fresnes to check for themselves what was happening with the prisoners. They had to hand in their handguns at the gatehouse which was unusual and they weren’t happy about it but they wouldn’t have been allowed entry otherwise. They saw the governor Ducousset but he said Julot wasn’t a prisoner nor was Walter. Eddie was impressed that he could tell him that when he had over two thousand inmates. The governor asked his secretary to bring a list in to check and Boniface took it out of her hand to check for them two names and some others, none of them were on the list. Eddie held the governor in his chair, the governor asked his secretary to get help, four wardens came in with batons to escort the detectives out. They were led to a room where some prisoners were let in from the other side and the wardens left them there. There was no escape for the detectives and they had no weapons but Eddie had hidden a backup in his sock so it came in handy now so he used it and actually shot a prisoner in the foot. The prisoners stopped advancing and the wardens returned to round the prisoners up and led the detectives back to the gate house and returned their guns. When Eddie asked Boniface who he thought was behind the missing prisoners, he replied ‘The Germans.’ If so, it was just proving which Germans!
Could it be the Germans behind the missing prisoners? Who was Capeluche? Who was deciding which prisoners came out of prison?
This book started off slowly but the pace then picked up and finished quickly. It was a good read by the end and I enjoyed my first read by this author. I liked DI Eddie Giral and his antics in trying to dodge the Germans which didn’t always work. When involved with a case he was very dogged in his methods and wouldn’t give up easily. I will be looking at reading book one in this series so I can catch up.
Walter le Ricaneur, another prisoner freed from prison, was in the cells when Eddie was taken to see him. He asked Walter about ‘Capeluche’, unfortunately before he could question him further he was summoned to see Major Hochstetter. He had brought Eddie with him to watch some communists being arrested which Eddie thought they were leaving alone. Turns out some they are, some they aren’t. The ones who don’t agree with Nazi rule are being arrested. At the end of the meeting, he said to Eddie, ‘Like your colleagues, you will work with us. With me. Willingly or otherwise, but you will work with me.’ By the time Eddie got back, Walter had been released by Judge's orders. Just what was going on? Who was getting prisoners out of prison and had the power to release them so quickly from jail by going to Judges?
DI Eddie Giral and Detective Boniface went to the prison Fresnes to check for themselves what was happening with the prisoners. They had to hand in their handguns at the gatehouse which was unusual and they weren’t happy about it but they wouldn’t have been allowed entry otherwise. They saw the governor Ducousset but he said Julot wasn’t a prisoner nor was Walter. Eddie was impressed that he could tell him that when he had over two thousand inmates. The governor asked his secretary to bring a list in to check and Boniface took it out of her hand to check for them two names and some others, none of them were on the list. Eddie held the governor in his chair, the governor asked his secretary to get help, four wardens came in with batons to escort the detectives out. They were led to a room where some prisoners were let in from the other side and the wardens left them there. There was no escape for the detectives and they had no weapons but Eddie had hidden a backup in his sock so it came in handy now so he used it and actually shot a prisoner in the foot. The prisoners stopped advancing and the wardens returned to round the prisoners up and led the detectives back to the gate house and returned their guns. When Eddie asked Boniface who he thought was behind the missing prisoners, he replied ‘The Germans.’ If so, it was just proving which Germans!
Could it be the Germans behind the missing prisoners? Who was Capeluche? Who was deciding which prisoners came out of prison?
This book started off slowly but the pace then picked up and finished quickly. It was a good read by the end and I enjoyed my first read by this author. I liked DI Eddie Giral and his antics in trying to dodge the Germans which didn’t always work. When involved with a case he was very dogged in his methods and wouldn’t give up easily. I will be looking at reading book one in this series so I can catch up.
November 11, 2023
Parijs kent iedereen van de Eifeltoren, maar het Parijs van wegkijken en apathie is minder bekend. Het piept en kraakt onder de bezetting van de Duitsers, waarin de zwarte handel en de drugshandel welig tieren. In de oorlogstijd staan mensen voor grote dilemma’s. “Wanhoop zadelt een man op met bedgenoten die niet zijn gelijken zijn.”
In Requiem van Chris Lloyd krijg je als lezer een goed beeld van deze moeilijke tijden. Vooraf aan deze historische oorlogsthriller gaat het eerste deel in de Eddie Giral-serie, De ongewenste doden.
Vreemde tijd
Voor rechercheur Eddie Giral is het een zware tijd waarin noodzakelijke, soms gedwongen, keuzes gemaakt moeten worden om te overleven. In een gesloten jazzclub wordt een lijk aangetroffen met dichtgenaaide lippen. Eddie en Boniface, zijn collega, stuiten op een muur van onbegrip zodra zij ontdekken dat de man in de gevangenis had moeten zitten. Bij rondvraag bij hun informanten zien ze angst zodra de dichtgenaaide lippen ter sprake komen. Wie is toch Capeluche, een naam die steeds weer opduikt? Wanneer er meerdere slachtoffers gevonden worden, staat Eddie het water aan de lippen, want hij kan niet veel doen en de Duitsers oefenen druk op hem uit.
Spannend voorval
Requiem begint als thriller met een spannend voorval midden in de nacht in een bos. “Nog behoedzamer reikte ik weer naar binnen en duwde het zware gewicht onder de deken opzij om te vinden wat ik zocht.” Het verhaal volgt een andere richting en de spanning gaat langzaam over in een onderhuids kriebelende dreiging die alsmaar sterker wordt.
Confrontatie met het verleden
Requim is niet alleen het oplossen van vreemde moorden, maar ook de confrontatie met Eddie’s verleden, waarin fouten zijn gemaakt die hij recht wil zetten. Schrijver Chris Lloyd legt al in het begin de basis voor de problemen waar Eddie mee te maken krijgt tijdens de bezetting.
Het plot is zorgvuldig opgebouwd en bevat een aantal bijzondere twists waardoor de spanning toeneemt. Eddie wordt heen en weer geslingerd tussen zijn geweten en zijn bemoeienissen als politieagent met de Duitsers, waardoor hij zich in allerlei bochten moet wringen.
Mooie zinnen en insinuatie
Lloyd brengt met mooie zinnen, ironie en insinuaties het veranderde leven in Parijs pijnlijk tot leven. “Zijn versleten pak hing zo troosteloos als een ongewilde minnares aan zijn lichaam.” De schimmige sfeer waarin mensen hun weg proberen te zoeken komt duidelijk tot uitdrukking. De ironische Eddy die zich staande weet te houden met behulp van zelfspot, sarcasme en slechte wijn. De praatzieke rokkenjager Boniface heeft het hart op de juiste plaats en dekt Eddie als deze weer eens over de schreef dreigt te gaan.
Geloofwaardig verhaal
De combinatie van historische feiten, thriller-aspecten en psychologie maken van Requiem een geloofwaardig, luchtig verhaal, waarin toch ook gruwelijkheden verwerkt zijn. De onduidelijke grens tussen wat wel en niet kan, vervaagt in oorlogstijd.
In Requiem van Chris Lloyd krijg je als lezer een goed beeld van deze moeilijke tijden. Vooraf aan deze historische oorlogsthriller gaat het eerste deel in de Eddie Giral-serie, De ongewenste doden.
Vreemde tijd
Voor rechercheur Eddie Giral is het een zware tijd waarin noodzakelijke, soms gedwongen, keuzes gemaakt moeten worden om te overleven. In een gesloten jazzclub wordt een lijk aangetroffen met dichtgenaaide lippen. Eddie en Boniface, zijn collega, stuiten op een muur van onbegrip zodra zij ontdekken dat de man in de gevangenis had moeten zitten. Bij rondvraag bij hun informanten zien ze angst zodra de dichtgenaaide lippen ter sprake komen. Wie is toch Capeluche, een naam die steeds weer opduikt? Wanneer er meerdere slachtoffers gevonden worden, staat Eddie het water aan de lippen, want hij kan niet veel doen en de Duitsers oefenen druk op hem uit.
Spannend voorval
Requiem begint als thriller met een spannend voorval midden in de nacht in een bos. “Nog behoedzamer reikte ik weer naar binnen en duwde het zware gewicht onder de deken opzij om te vinden wat ik zocht.” Het verhaal volgt een andere richting en de spanning gaat langzaam over in een onderhuids kriebelende dreiging die alsmaar sterker wordt.
Confrontatie met het verleden
Requim is niet alleen het oplossen van vreemde moorden, maar ook de confrontatie met Eddie’s verleden, waarin fouten zijn gemaakt die hij recht wil zetten. Schrijver Chris Lloyd legt al in het begin de basis voor de problemen waar Eddie mee te maken krijgt tijdens de bezetting.
Het plot is zorgvuldig opgebouwd en bevat een aantal bijzondere twists waardoor de spanning toeneemt. Eddie wordt heen en weer geslingerd tussen zijn geweten en zijn bemoeienissen als politieagent met de Duitsers, waardoor hij zich in allerlei bochten moet wringen.
Mooie zinnen en insinuatie
Lloyd brengt met mooie zinnen, ironie en insinuaties het veranderde leven in Parijs pijnlijk tot leven. “Zijn versleten pak hing zo troosteloos als een ongewilde minnares aan zijn lichaam.” De schimmige sfeer waarin mensen hun weg proberen te zoeken komt duidelijk tot uitdrukking. De ironische Eddy die zich staande weet te houden met behulp van zelfspot, sarcasme en slechte wijn. De praatzieke rokkenjager Boniface heeft het hart op de juiste plaats en dekt Eddie als deze weer eens over de schreef dreigt te gaan.
Geloofwaardig verhaal
De combinatie van historische feiten, thriller-aspecten en psychologie maken van Requiem een geloofwaardig, luchtig verhaal, waarin toch ook gruwelijkheden verwerkt zijn. De onduidelijke grens tussen wat wel en niet kan, vervaagt in oorlogstijd.
January 22, 2024
"Man konnte es damit vergleichen, wie die Pariser mit den Deutschen umgingen. Sie schauten die Besucher nicht an, sie nahmen sie einfach nicht zur Kenntnis."
Die NS-Besatzer einfach ignorieren, das scheint im Herbst 1940, in dem "Paris Requiem" spielt der einfachste Umgang mit den ungewollten braunen Gästen zu sein. Eigentlich würde auch Eddie gerne ignorieren, dass seine Polizeiarbeit nun zumindest indirekt unter den Augen der Deutschen geleistet werden muss. Allerdings machen ihm seine Ermittlungen einen Strich durch die Rechnung: Ein Toter wird mit zugenähtem Mund aufgefunden. Schnell stellt sich heraus, dass der Mann eigentlich in Haft sitzen sollte. Eddie selbst hatte ihn hinter Gittern gebracht. Wäre das nicht merkwürdig genug, tauchen bald immer mehr befreite französische Kleinkriminelle in den einschlägigen Pariser Viertel auf - ohne, dass es offizielle Unterlagen über deren Entlassungen gegeben hätte. Klar ist schnell, dass nur die Deutschen die Macht hätten, solche Befreiungsaktionen durchzuführen - aber zu welchem Zweck? Und warum herrscht unter den Gangstern der Stadt plötzlich Panik, wenn man auf diese Fälle zu sprechen kommt?
Chris Lloyd lässt seinen französischen Ermittler zum zweiten Mal während der NS-Zeit ermitteln. Auch wenn es auf den ersten Blick merkwürdig erscheinen mag, dass ein Brite über die deutsche Besetzung Frankreichs spricht, ist das Buch auch auf der historischen Ebene sehr spannend. Denn hier lernt man quasi nebenher, was es bedeutet, rivalisierenden NS-Institutionen ausgeliefert zu sein, der eigenen Regierung nicht mehr trauen zu können oder unter der Lebensmittelrationierung zu leiden. Besonders auf der atmosphärischen Ebene fängt der Autor den historischen Zeitgeist gut ein. Ebenso ist der Krimi spannend erzählt und hält die ein oder andere Überraschung bereit. Zwar gibt es auch Szenen, die vielleicht weniger funktional sind - dazu gehört aus meiner Sicht der Prolog. Dennoch zeigt sich hier ein klassischer Krimi im Gangster-Milieu, den ich sehr gerne gelesen habe.
Die NS-Besatzer einfach ignorieren, das scheint im Herbst 1940, in dem "Paris Requiem" spielt der einfachste Umgang mit den ungewollten braunen Gästen zu sein. Eigentlich würde auch Eddie gerne ignorieren, dass seine Polizeiarbeit nun zumindest indirekt unter den Augen der Deutschen geleistet werden muss. Allerdings machen ihm seine Ermittlungen einen Strich durch die Rechnung: Ein Toter wird mit zugenähtem Mund aufgefunden. Schnell stellt sich heraus, dass der Mann eigentlich in Haft sitzen sollte. Eddie selbst hatte ihn hinter Gittern gebracht. Wäre das nicht merkwürdig genug, tauchen bald immer mehr befreite französische Kleinkriminelle in den einschlägigen Pariser Viertel auf - ohne, dass es offizielle Unterlagen über deren Entlassungen gegeben hätte. Klar ist schnell, dass nur die Deutschen die Macht hätten, solche Befreiungsaktionen durchzuführen - aber zu welchem Zweck? Und warum herrscht unter den Gangstern der Stadt plötzlich Panik, wenn man auf diese Fälle zu sprechen kommt?
Chris Lloyd lässt seinen französischen Ermittler zum zweiten Mal während der NS-Zeit ermitteln. Auch wenn es auf den ersten Blick merkwürdig erscheinen mag, dass ein Brite über die deutsche Besetzung Frankreichs spricht, ist das Buch auch auf der historischen Ebene sehr spannend. Denn hier lernt man quasi nebenher, was es bedeutet, rivalisierenden NS-Institutionen ausgeliefert zu sein, der eigenen Regierung nicht mehr trauen zu können oder unter der Lebensmittelrationierung zu leiden. Besonders auf der atmosphärischen Ebene fängt der Autor den historischen Zeitgeist gut ein. Ebenso ist der Krimi spannend erzählt und hält die ein oder andere Überraschung bereit. Zwar gibt es auch Szenen, die vielleicht weniger funktional sind - dazu gehört aus meiner Sicht der Prolog. Dennoch zeigt sich hier ein klassischer Krimi im Gangster-Milieu, den ich sehr gerne gelesen habe.
June 28, 2023
A book which stays with you well beyond the last page.
When you turn the last page of Paris Requiem you are leaving far more than a crime novel – you are leaving a historical novel, the atmosphere, tension and sadness of which will stay with you long after the satisfying resolution of the murder.
The crime at the centre of the story is perplexing. You are living all the questions – why, who, who else? But the cruelty of the murders are made even more unsettling as the detective moves through the Paris underworld, the dark alleys, the Jazz Clubs, the seedy characters, frightened mothers and the sheer misery that was occupied France. The plot twists, turns and evades you – so you feel the confusion and fear of the police.
Characters are all rounded and believable. The detective, Eddie Giral is far beyond the classic downtrodden cop. He has a past that haunts him as much as the present and a character so real that, like the people in our lives, you want to both hug and shake him. His sidekick, Boniface, is delightfully irritating to Giral and loved by the reader. Other characters all evoke emotion – whether anger, fear, pity or confusion – not one is flat. All are impacted by the psychology of occupation and Chris Lloyd is clever in getting you under their skin while never over-describing. You simply feel what they must feel - and often hate then with the ferocity that the French must have felt.
This book is also a true education into the reality of Nazi occupation. Facts are dripped in so as to never overload or make you forget this is a crime novel – but every drip adds to the realisation of the cruelty and psychological torture endured by war-time France - a history so often dismissed or underplayed. Paris Requiem does what so few history novels manage to do - it goes beyond the historical facts to immerse you in the human cruelty, desperation, anger and survival of 1940 France.
When you turn the last page of Paris Requiem you are leaving far more than a crime novel – you are leaving a historical novel, the atmosphere, tension and sadness of which will stay with you long after the satisfying resolution of the murder.
The crime at the centre of the story is perplexing. You are living all the questions – why, who, who else? But the cruelty of the murders are made even more unsettling as the detective moves through the Paris underworld, the dark alleys, the Jazz Clubs, the seedy characters, frightened mothers and the sheer misery that was occupied France. The plot twists, turns and evades you – so you feel the confusion and fear of the police.
Characters are all rounded and believable. The detective, Eddie Giral is far beyond the classic downtrodden cop. He has a past that haunts him as much as the present and a character so real that, like the people in our lives, you want to both hug and shake him. His sidekick, Boniface, is delightfully irritating to Giral and loved by the reader. Other characters all evoke emotion – whether anger, fear, pity or confusion – not one is flat. All are impacted by the psychology of occupation and Chris Lloyd is clever in getting you under their skin while never over-describing. You simply feel what they must feel - and often hate then with the ferocity that the French must have felt.
This book is also a true education into the reality of Nazi occupation. Facts are dripped in so as to never overload or make you forget this is a crime novel – but every drip adds to the realisation of the cruelty and psychological torture endured by war-time France - a history so often dismissed or underplayed. Paris Requiem does what so few history novels manage to do - it goes beyond the historical facts to immerse you in the human cruelty, desperation, anger and survival of 1940 France.
January 27, 2023
Having enjoyed, ‘The Unwanted Dead,’ the first in this series, I was pleased to read the second in the series. Not much time has passed since readers last met Detective Eddie Giral. We are still in Paris, 1940. After the immediate shock of German occupation, those Parisians who fled are returning to the city. The Germans are still there, the curfew in place, and rationing beginning to bite, but the locals are attempting to ignore them as best as they are able.
Meanwhile, Eddie and another detective, Boniface, are called to a jazz club which was closed by the Germans. They find a minor crook, tied to a chair in the office, with his mouth sewn up. Eddie is nonplussed, not only because of the violence of the death but because the small-time burglar in question should still be in prison. It was clear in the previous book that the Paris police are in control in name only and it seems that they are now putting criminals in prison only to have some of them mysteriously released, but with what intention in mind?
Again, Eddie finds himself coming under the notice of the German, Major Hochstetter and referred to as, ‘his tame German,’ which hurts. Wounded pride aside, though, Eddie Giral does feel the need of Hochstetter’s protection at times in this novel, where he manages to upset various members of the German hierarchy while investigating a murder which sees his estranged son threatened and also involves an old love of his, the singer Dominique, whose son is missing. Dominique is Senegalese and, in this book, Eddie Giral has to face the reality of what German occupation means to the people of Paris and to take sides. This is developing into an excellent series, and I look forward to reading on. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
Meanwhile, Eddie and another detective, Boniface, are called to a jazz club which was closed by the Germans. They find a minor crook, tied to a chair in the office, with his mouth sewn up. Eddie is nonplussed, not only because of the violence of the death but because the small-time burglar in question should still be in prison. It was clear in the previous book that the Paris police are in control in name only and it seems that they are now putting criminals in prison only to have some of them mysteriously released, but with what intention in mind?
Again, Eddie finds himself coming under the notice of the German, Major Hochstetter and referred to as, ‘his tame German,’ which hurts. Wounded pride aside, though, Eddie Giral does feel the need of Hochstetter’s protection at times in this novel, where he manages to upset various members of the German hierarchy while investigating a murder which sees his estranged son threatened and also involves an old love of his, the singer Dominique, whose son is missing. Dominique is Senegalese and, in this book, Eddie Giral has to face the reality of what German occupation means to the people of Paris and to take sides. This is developing into an excellent series, and I look forward to reading on. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
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