Translated
from the French by Justin Phipps
Published
by Maclehose Press,
21 July 2015.
ISBN: 978-0-85705-394-7
21 July 2015.
ISBN: 978-0-85705-394-7
This is a truly fascinating book, dealing as it lavishly does with the
vestiges of primitive man, underwater caves, prehistoric wall paintings and paleolithic
rituals. The plot centres round a pair
of insane homicidal twins who were
apprehended and locked up nine years earlier: now one of them, Thomas Autran,
has somehow escaped and is setting out to restore his vision of a purer cleaner
period, as lived in the very first ages of man in primitive times, thousands of
years ago.
But this is by no means an historical novel, though
the author clearly knows his prehistory and is eager to share it with the reader in a
manner both lively and informative. Set
in present-day Marseilles, the tension builds as people are brutally murdered,
clues in the form of severed finger are
left for the police to find and the detective forces close in on their elusive quarry.
The ending comes as a relief, at least to this reader,
though, like an earthquake, it is followed by a series of aftershocks. Definitely recommended.
------
Reviewer:
Susan Moody
Xavier-Marie Bonnot has
a PhD in History and Sociology, and two Masters degrees in History and French
Literature. He is the author of The First Fingerprint and The Beast
of the Camargue.
Justin Phipps is a British translator who translates from French and Russian into English.
After studying modern languages and social anthropology, he has worked in
overseas development and more recently as a solicitor specialising in
employment law.
Susan Moody was born and brought
up in Oxford. She has published over 30 crime and suspense novels,
including the Penny Wanawake series and the Cassandra Swann bridge
series. She is a past Chairman of the British Crime Writers' Association,
a member of the Detection Club, a past Writer-in-Residence at the University of
Tasmania and a past President of the International Association of Crime
Writers. She divides her time between south-west France and south-east
Kent. Nominated for the CWA short story award. Nominated for
the RNA's award.
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