Friday, January 19, 2018

Back to the crime novels . . .

First of all a couple of books by Graeme Macrae Burnet.  Both The Disappearance of Adele Bedeau  and The Accident on the A35 are set in the small town of Saint-Louis in Alsace and they feature local police chief Georges Gorski - almost an anti-Maigret figure.
The atmosphere and vivid depiction of local places and people is reminiscent of Simenon's work. Not at all feminist - most of the women are objectified or background figures.
Both books are presented as translations from the French, adding an extra layer of playful mystification to the stories. There are mysteries and crimes to solve, but not always in the way the reader is led to expect.
I thoroughly enjoyed both, and will probably re-read them.

Then as a contrast I decided it was time to tackle something by Val McDermid, and as Splinter the Silence was on offer on Amazon, this was the one.
This is definitely feminist, not only in the fact that the chief police character is a woman, as is the genius cyber investigator, but also the nature of the crime. The victims are chosen because they are vocal about women's rights and won't be shut up. The perpetrator has an almost religious zeal to return women to their proper place - at home with the children.  The deaths are copycat versions of the suicides of famous female authors.  It's right up to date with internet trolls and cyber investigations too. I shall read more.

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