A review by redheadstorm
The 7th Woman by Frédérique Molay, Anne Trager
5.0
Though I have been to France a number of times over the years and know quite a bit about French culture, I admit to not knowing almost anything about their judicial and police system(come to think of it, I am kind of grateful for not having any first hand experience with the french police). Even though this is my favorite genre and I am frequently drawn to works of the authors from non-English speaking countries, again it dawned on me that I have not read much in terms of French crime/murder mystery novels. These are just some of the reasons I still feel the thrill of discovering this series by Frédérique Molay.
Chief of Police Nico Sirsky, may very well be one of my favorite male protagonists, right along with Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache. Though I had to wade my way through the complex (or simply new to me) police system (and Molay did a fantastic job explaining it), intricate and intriguing story in combination with fascinating characters completely won me over. Nico is a dedicated and brilliant policeman under a lot of stress and with a lot to prove, having become the Head of his unit at the age of 38. While juggling the never ending demands of his professional life and at the same trying to be there for his son, ex-wife and his family, Nico ends up having to play the game of cat and mouse with a devious and determined killer. The killer is on a mission to torture and in a gruesome way kill (not for the faint of heart) 7 women in 7 days. Nico and his team (my favorite being the criminal psychologist Dominique Kreiss) are forced to race against the clock to stop him.
This book is a must read for true lovers of psychological thrillers/murder mysteries/police procedurals, especially the ones who look to broaden their horizons past the north American writers and the predictability of the bestseller lists. The only drawback of this series (besides the fact that Nico is too dreamy to be 'true') is the fact that the English speaking market (a.k.a. me) will be continuously forced into patiently waiting for the translation of each new book published in France. Book #2, Crossing the line, is already on my "to read" list.
Chief of Police Nico Sirsky, may very well be one of my favorite male protagonists, right along with Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache. Though I had to wade my way through the complex (or simply new to me) police system (and Molay did a fantastic job explaining it), intricate and intriguing story in combination with fascinating characters completely won me over. Nico is a dedicated and brilliant policeman under a lot of stress and with a lot to prove, having become the Head of his unit at the age of 38. While juggling the never ending demands of his professional life and at the same trying to be there for his son, ex-wife and his family, Nico ends up having to play the game of cat and mouse with a devious and determined killer. The killer is on a mission to torture and in a gruesome way kill (not for the faint of heart) 7 women in 7 days. Nico and his team (my favorite being the criminal psychologist Dominique Kreiss) are forced to race against the clock to stop him.
This book is a must read for true lovers of psychological thrillers/murder mysteries/police procedurals, especially the ones who look to broaden their horizons past the north American writers and the predictability of the bestseller lists. The only drawback of this series (besides the fact that Nico is too dreamy to be 'true') is the fact that the English speaking market (a.k.a. me) will be continuously forced into patiently waiting for the translation of each new book published in France. Book #2, Crossing the line, is already on my "to read" list.