I read other Lemaitre’s books a few years ago and I remember being impressed by them. Because of that when I was shopping on amazon to top up my Kindle choices before vacation I checked for his name. And I found this novella.

We are back with Camille Verhoeven, the detective of Napoleonic height. H is his usual grumpy and snappy self. Trying to recover from the tragedies that befell him and build a new relationship. Exactly then a bomb explodes in the center of Paris. People die, people get hurt, but there are also witnesses that lead Verhoeven to a young suspect. Only for him to find out there are seven bombs in total, all set to explore on consecutive days unless the demands of the man in custody are met.

The race with time begins. Verhoeven is under pressure not only from his bosses but also from the intelligence and the highest officials. Lemaitre credibly constructs his characters from multiple details that come together to form a personality. At the same time, he manages to evoke in us empathy for all of them. There is no one inherently good or bad, we are made by our choices. Every one of them.

For quite a short novella it packs a lot of fun for crime readers.

This is book #15 of my 20 Books of Summer hosted by Cathy at 746books.
See my list as it grows here.

Photo by Violetta Kaszubowska @vkphotospace.com