Reviews

The Black Jersey by Jorge Zepeda Patterson

caitlinbould's review against another edition

4.0

4.8⭐️

yetanothersusan's review against another edition

5.0

Marc is a domestique. His job is to make sure his team’s leader wins the Tour de France. As tragedies continue to befall the race, Marc is also drafted to help uncover who is behind the sabotage. And, well, maybe get the yellow jersey for himself? This book is the perfect merger of mystery and cycling. Those who like mysteries might feel there is too much cycling. Those who like cycling might feel there is too much behind the scenes mystery. But combining both results in an action packed race to the finish with as many twists and turns as some of the stages of the Tour itself!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for a copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.

matilda98's review against another edition

3.0

murder on the tour de france, what was i gonna do, not read it?

rincey's review against another edition

mysterious fast-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

cindyann62's review against another edition

3.0

Audio
TBH, I only half listened to this one. Much like BearTown and ice hockey, this one is better suited for someone who cares about the sport it's centered on. The Tour de France. I did learn some things I never knew before (like the yellow jersey is The Thing and that teams are designed for one person to win) but much of it left me..not interested much. It's off the list of Thrillers (that I STILL can't find) but the mystery (the cyclists are being knocked off randomly) seemed to be mostly back seat to the explanations of the race tactics. Writing wasn't bad, narrator wasn't bad..just not my cuppa.

jmdigiantonio's review against another edition

5.0

I was hesitant to read this at first, but once I started I got really into it! I had no idea about cycling or the Tour de France before reading it. The author weaved the murder story with the intrigue of the race, leading to the highest peak(climax) of the novel. I couldn't put it down. The main character, Marc and the secondary characters are fully fleshed out and everyone has motives. The twists and turns of the story, especially towards the end make the book hard to put down. I highly recommend this novel to sports fans and fans of mysteries. The author (and translator) have done a great job of bringing the story to English speaking audiences.

muchado's review against another edition

adventurous informative lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

jamiereadthis's review against another edition

It takes until page 280 for the main character to say, “I am an imbecile,” which is the truest thing in the book.

Oh boy. So many feelings. That are conflicted. Is this a book about cycling? Yes. Do I love cycling? Yes. Do I love books about cycling? Do I love the book this wanted to be? Yes and yes. Did the plot get so wacky that I’m still scratching my head over what the author intended? Yes.

Was I still entertained? … Yes.

I’ve said before, what a cycling fan wants is to be entertained and to nitpick. I nitpicked. The team names. The rankings. What would and would not happen during the course of a race. (There’s more of the latter.) But the biggest glitch comes down to: this is not how people behave. It’s like a noir pot-boiler satire amped up to eleven. As written by @ukcyclingexpert. Except not funny. Except kinda funny.

(Also weirdly xenophobic? The Polish suspect is suspected literally because he’s Polish. The Italian suspects are obviously guilty because they’re Italian. The American is obviously innocent because he’s American. Wtf?)

And did I somehow enjoy it anyway? It’s cycling. Heck yes I did. If it inspires multiple rants over “rebel escapeaways” that could never happen, if the team leader is somehow Chris Froome but less likable and also somehow Captain America, if the Pinarello-riding team we’re meant to root for (not Team Sky *cough*) is so awful the only good guys are the “bad guys,” well, then, yes, I enjoyed myself thoroughly in this bizarro world of pro cycling. If I can protest a stage race’s outcome for hours, however fictional, then I’m happy; if I can provide further evidence that cycling and its fans are nuts, then I’m game.

Which might just be the most grievous part: the real sport is crazy! All that pot-boiler drama, you don’t need to invent.

NB: I owe this book to a team effort. @gwayle alerted me (she knows I love cycling), I alerted @rivkabelle (who doesn’t love cycling [yet] but works at the library with Matt who loves cycling), and next thing you know it appeared at the library with a hold under my name. If this is the first group read of the Greater Archdale Cycling Fan Club Book Club, I’m good with that. Librarian love, you guys. Librarian love.

stephaniereads's review against another edition

4.0

Thanks to Random House for the free copy!

Sometime in my young reading life, I realized that as long as an author wrote well and compellingly, I'd read and enjoy their book. This has led me to books on the ocean, fishing, hotels, the history of science - things I never gave much thought to until a writer made me see it through their eyes. Now I can add professional cycling to this list!

Before I read this, my understanding of the Tour de France was this: People race on bikes in France. Something about Lance Armstrong. The End. But now I learned all about how there's a team leader, and support riders (domestiques), and that most of the riders stay in a group called the peloton, and how riders conserve energy by taking turns at the front. I have zero interest in any kind of sport but this was just thrilling and fascinating - a glimpse into another world.

All this to say - what a fun, immersive thriller! One cyclist in the Tour de France a murderer, another cyclist enlisted to play detective. There's intrigue among the racers, personal histories that go deep, all playing out during each stage of the competition and after hours. A fresh and exciting (as in I forgot to breathe during the last 30 pages) addition to the genre. Bonus points for no unreliable wispy female narrators or violence against women.