It was my stop on the BlogTour Never Forget by Michel Bussi yesterday (not sure what happened there) but I am posting today to make up for it. It's translated by Shaun Whiteside.
About the Author
Michel Bussi is a professor of geopolitics and one of France’s bestselling authors of the past decade. His novels have been published in 35 different countries. He is also the author of After the Crash (Hachette, 2016), Black Water Lilies (Hachette, 2017), and Time Is a Killer (Europa Editions, 2018).
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About the book
Before - A man running along a remote clifftop path on an icy-cold February morning. A woman standing on the cliff's edge. A red scarf on the ground between them.
After - The man is alone - paralysed by fear. The woman is on the beach below - dead.The red scarf is now perfectly - and impossibly - arranged around the woman's broken neck.
A handful of seconds. Two lives colliding. - What happened?
This is the kind of read that has the reader playing armchair detective. Trying to solve the mystery before the author tells us the answer, and the main character for that matter, because he certainly has no clue whodunnit. Or does he?
It all begins with a jog along the cliff of a coastal town. Jamal stumbles upon a scarf which leads him to a young woman in distress. He believes she is a little too close to the edge for comfort and decides to help.
It's a dark psychological thriller - a well- plotted story of murder and vengeance.
Bussi likes to play mind games both with his characters and readers. It's a never-ending game of doubt, suspicion, fear, paranoia and guilt. Is Jamal a murderer or just someone who is drawn into a deluded world conjured up by grief?
It reminded me of the more noirish pieces by Christie. The set-up, reveal and the premise, although it's a lot darker than a prime Agatha.
Keeping everyone off balance is the key to the piece. You never quite know whether characters, places and scenarios are real or imagined. Ghosts or karma, nightmares or reality.
Bussi writes a cracking dark read that will keep you on your toes and looking over your shoulder. And kudos for the cynical dedication by the way.
Buy Never Forget at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson - Orion Books; pub date 9 July 2020. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Waterstones.
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