Hol

This was a fast, fun read, but unfortunately it wasn't on a power with his previously translated novel Alex, which was one of my top reads last year. All-in-all this really didn't compare.

A brief plot synopsis tells you that this novel is centered on Commandant Camille Verhoeven of the brigade criminelle, who is on the trail of a psychopath who is reenacting murders committed in novels. 

While I enjoyed reminiscing about previous novels I have read, such as American Psycho which was interwoven with the plot, I feel that the use of other novels in a narrative is a bit of a cheap trick for an author. Of course we as readers will immediately feel engaged with a novel taking this approach, regardless of its merit. It would be pertinent at this point to note that this was the authors first novel, so  maybe he used this trick to win him some fans!? However, the plot was very well done, so I'll let this go!

Character wise, Commandant Verhoeven was really the only fully realised individual. This was adequate though, because he featured in most, if not all scenes

I did find the pace a tad slower here than Alex, resulting in this reader not being as gripped. This did however change in the last portion of the book, and there was quite a surprise in the final pages, one which I hadn't had the slightest suspicion of. If anyone else has read it, I'd love to get your thoughts on it! 

His initially translated work, which I've referred to often, was written after this novel. I was therefore aware of a major plot devise, however I didn't find this ruined my enjoyment. To be honest I'm actually gad I read Alex first, as if I hadn't I may not have given this a go,

I would definitely recommend this book but would say Alex is a superior novel, so don't worry too much about reading them in order. They both deserve a read, but I don't think having not read them in order detracted too heavily from my enjoyment and I will definitely be reading future translated work

This was a great light, fast read and definitely worth a go. However, if you're only going to read one, go for Alex.