"Le Mensonge d'Alejandro" : Canadese uitgave
De afgelopen week is “Le Mensonge d’Alejandro” in Franstalig Canada verschenen bij Les Éditions Pratiko, die in 2013 eveneens “La Vengeance de Baudelaire” uitgaf.
Eerste persreacties op "Baudelaire's Revenge" in de States
“Baudelaire’s Revenge” is op 15 april in de VS gepubliceerd. Er zijn al enkele persreacties gepubliceerd: New York Times Book Review, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal en Shelf Awareness Pro.
Enkele uittreksels:
(An)…intense historical crime thriller. The intricate plot, menacing atmosphere, and rich evocations of period Paris have undeniable power.” (Publishers Weekly)
Van Laerhoven packs much complexity into 256 pages, giving this historical mystery the heft of a far longer work ( …) The book’s main preoccupation is the conclusive demonstration that everyone is guilty of something—the only mystery is, to what degree? The flowers of evil, sketched in lurid botanical detail…. (Kirkus Reviews)
It’s 1870, the eve of the Franco-Prussian war. The poor are living in misery and the working classes are growing desperate, but the intellectuals and aristocrats (“people without soul or conscience”) are avidly pursuing their debaucheries and an artistic killer is embellishing his obscene handiwork with verses of “Les Fleurs du Mal”. This bizarre case appeals to the dissolute sensibility of Commissioner Paul Lefèvre whose own twin passions are poetry and women of “sinister unpredictability and uncivilized morals.” Lefèvre’s philosophical discussions with artists and poets and a creepy Belgian dwarf are fascinating(….)(Marilyn Stasio – New York Times Book Review – Sunday crime column )
Published for the first time in English, this roman policier isn't so much a straight detective story (although there are two detectives in it) as an evocation of a mind-set that now seems extravagant: the 19th-century poet's fascination with sex and death. It's no wonder this title won the Hercule Poirot Prize: the author is Belgian, as is the prize, and the twisted plot is as complicated as Agatha Christie's most convoluted mystery. Mystery aficionados will love this pastiche of Wilkie Collins and Edgar Allan Poe (...) - David Keymer, Modesto, CA (Library Journal).
(...)this gritty, detail-rich historical mystery novel involves the reader in a subtle narrative web. Van Laerhoven weaves in some of this historical period's favorite supernatural elements--magic, exotic poisons, séances and ghosts--to create an eerie, fin-de-siècle atmosphere worthy of Poe, Joris-Karl Huysmans and other "decadent" writers of that era. This complex mystery from an award-winning Belgian author joins history and literary history to create a sly, smart revenge tale. (Tom Lavoie - Shelf Awareness Pro)
“The Belgian Boris Akunin… Dark and entertaining.” (Goodreads)
