Eye Full
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A pleasant enough introduction the exploits of Victor Legris and co - there is a nice ensemble feel already about his band of cohorts. There are some incongruities about some of the translation, minor quibble really and no doubt there are difficulties in directly translating French idioms into English to give them similar meaning.
The mystery itself is dealt with reasonably well. There is a bit of suspense along with a couple of inconsistencies in the reasoning of the murderer (who is to say that a murderer will act rationally?) and the list of suspects is soon whittled down, although I picked the wrong one of my final two suspects by the denouement so I must have fallen for some of the red herrings. As other reviewers state, this is not brilliant, but on the whole this is an excellent introduction to what promises to be an enjoyable series.
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Pleasant but not as gripping as I expected
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Like a previous reviewer I came across this publisher by chance and was very glad when I did so, as I have family connections with Paris and love the city and it's history. I can't disagree with the two other reviewers opinions on the descriptions of Paris life in the late 19th Century - they are superb and this is a strength of the this book - and I intend to seek out the addresses given.
It was a pleasant read and I will buy `The Pere-Lachaise Mystery' and possibly `The Montmartre Investigation' in the expectation that they (and I) warm up. Checking on the French Amazon site reveals a whole series that could await translation.
My only complaints with this one were that it wasn't as deep, mysterious and convoluted as I would have liked. This may be unfortunate coincidence as I had just finished 'The Interpretation of Murder' and was clearly judging this book by the high standards set by Jed Rubenfeld in his debut novel.
There was also a feeling (particularly at beginning and infrequently there after) that I was being quoted chunks from a guide book, although this may be due to the translation.
I'll let you know as I intend to buy a French copy for my mother-in-law (who was born near the Eiffel Tower and regards it as her personal property). Incidentally she is called Jojo and is married to Victor - but that is quite another story!
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Excellent murder mystery
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This was the first book that I read from Gallic Books. I am so glad that these publishers came into being because they allow top rated French novels to be translated and made available to people who's French may not be up to reading a full book in French.
It combines my 3 favourite aspects of an excellent read - crime, Paris and history.
I really got into the characters and found Victor to quite a hero. The descriptions of 19th century Paris are excellent and certainly add to the atmosphere of the book.
I can't wait for the next Victor Legris mystery to be available.
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Easy to read murder-mystery
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The Eiffel Tower has just been constructed and is the pride of the Paris Universal Exposition of 1889. But its glory is overshadowed by the death of a young woman, who was apparently stung by a bee and died as a result. A couple of similar deaths, centred around the exposition, cause people (especially in the newly founded sensationalist newspapers) to suspect murder.
The suspicious deaths are investigated by Victor Legris, a young bookseller, who is determined to find out what happened.
The novel is well written and easy to read. It contains interesting information about Paris in the 1880's and also a strong cast of characters. It doesn't quite have the psychological depth of some murder mysteries but is nevertheless very enjoyable.
Good beach reading. Recommended.
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