Death in Bordeaux
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Review
'Massie's evocation of France on the brink of the invasion is vivid and convincing, and this fine novel, set in a period of moral turmoil, introduces a humane and memorable detective.' --The Sunday Times
'The plot Massie lays before his readers is so satisfyingly complex that you'd be best off reading the book in one sitting; it is so well written that you'll probably find yourself doing that anyway. Thought-provoking, fast-paced and gripping throughout, it is the work of a natural storyteller at the height of his powers.' --The Scotsman
'Remarkable.' --The Literary Review
'The plot Massie lays before his readers is so satisfyingly complex that you'd be best off reading the book in one sitting; it is so well written that you'll probably find yourself doing that anyway. Thought-provoking, fast-paced and gripping throughout, it is the work of a natural storyteller at the height of his powers.' --The Scotsman
'Remarkable.' --The Literary Review
Product Description
In the spring of 1940, the mutilated body of a homosexual is discovered in a street near the Bordeaux railway station. It looks like a straight-forward sex crime, but when Superintendent Lannes is warned off the investigation, his suspicion that there is a political motive for the murder seems justified. In defiance of authority, he continues working on the case. And then another body is found...Meanwhile, the Superintendent has other troubles. His eldest son, Dominique, is at the Front, his wife, Marguerite, is depressed, and when the Battle of France breaks out, Bordeaux is filled with refugees fleeing the war. Suddenly civilian crime seems of little importance compared to the chaos that ensues. As Bordeaux becomes an occupied city, Lannes' chief suspect is untouchable, protected by a relative in the Vichy government. Lannes himself is threatened with blackmail on account of his Jewish friends and Dominique is taken prisoner. Common sense should make Lannes abandon the investigation, but honour and a natural obstinacy lead him to pursue it. However, as events turn increasingly bleak, Lannes begins to doubt it can ever be solved...
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Bought it really as a who dun it but its much more than that.It explores what happened as the Vichy republic was formed during the second world war.It explores the dilemas that many were faced with in a very believable fashion.There were some, very believable monsters but most were just ordinary people trying to do their best.No heros and not many real villians,which is what it probably was like.Looking forward to more in this series.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I find Death in Bordeaux a sad novel with a realistic historical backdrop, in the sense that it intensifies the powerless situation of those living under the Nazi occupation; it exposes the suffering and bleak hopes of a nation.
The plot flows with ease giving the reader enough time to understand and adjust to emerging characters and events. Superintendent Lannes is portrayed as a man searching for justice while being driven by circumstances that go against him; whereas his family is an example of many other families whose lives have been affected by the war.
On a negative viewpoint, there were orthographical and spelling mistakes that obscured some paragraphs and made some chapters a bit confusing, hence the four stars.
Overall, I did enjoy this novel.
The plot flows with ease giving the reader enough time to understand and adjust to emerging characters and events. Superintendent Lannes is portrayed as a man searching for justice while being driven by circumstances that go against him; whereas his family is an example of many other families whose lives have been affected by the war.
On a negative viewpoint, there were orthographical and spelling mistakes that obscured some paragraphs and made some chapters a bit confusing, hence the four stars.
Overall, I did enjoy this novel.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Massie is an expert on vichy France in the Second world War, as his earlier, prize-winning A Question of Loyalties amply demonstrated. Now he revisits the stricken country, where people are torn between conflicting loyalties, and tells a compelling detective story in this tense background. Superb!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great read
I enjoyed every page-the crime was second to the history of the Occupation-althought there were small errors that should have been corrected by the editor they did not spoil my... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Rosalind E. Boyle
Does compromising in a hopeless position amount to collaboration?
Although this historical crime fiction is well written, it is finally a disappointing read. The dialogue is not sharp enough, but its greatest weakness is its plot. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Grr
Mediocre
Came to Death in Bordeaux with high hopes, but disappointed with meandering story. Promising start, grisly murder in wartorn France, interesting characters, but loses its way, and... Read more
Published 13 months ago by JONATHAN BLACKIE
gripping
Was drawn to this novel because of its interesting context: France and its dilemmas under Nazi occupation. Read more
Published 14 months ago by S. Ramsey-Hardy
My disappointment
I've long been an admirer of Massie, both his journalistic work and his fiction.Last year I re-visited the trilogy of novels beginning with 'A Question of Loyalities' and I was... Read more
Published 15 months ago by C. H. Thompson
no sense of atmosphere
Having lived in Bordeaux and read many excellent thrillers from this era (e.g. Furst, Kerr and Krajewski), I have to say that I found this book desperately disappointing. Read more
Published 15 months ago by frankie
Strangely compelling
I have just finished reading this and found it difficult to get into and then difficult to put down. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Mme Erica
Athentic
I really enjoyed this book. Having lived in south west France for five years and got to know several of the locals quite well (as well as anyone not brought up in France) I think... Read more
Published 16 months ago by E. Woolley
Great period detective drama
Allan Massie has written a great first episode of this intended trilogy. Set in Bordeaux in 1940, here we have a story of provincial French society in denial, refusing to... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Mick Read
More than one Death in Bordeaux
First of all, I have to agree with a previous reviewer about shooting the copy editor. The mistakes were many and unforgivable, being both glaringly obvious and simple to correct. Read more
Published 16 months ago by W. Shakespeare
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