Jean-Christophe Grangé

It almost seems like this is going to be my Jean-Christophe Grangé year, but to be honest, his books are addictive and this one is no exception.
Grégoire Morvan, grey eminence of the French Ministry of the Interior, was successful in the seventies with lucrative business deals in the Congo. And he caught the notorious killer Homme-Clou there, who in his time murdered nine people following a bestial ritual. When a dead man is found at a Breton military school, his gruesome disfigurement show more resembling Homme-Clou's modus operandi, and Morvan's family is acutely threatened, he must use all means to confront the shadows of a past that has never ceased to thirst for blood. He enlists his son Ewan, who is a detective superintendent in Paris, for this purpose. Ewan, knowing full well that his father is 'dirty', threatens to expose him.
This is not only about catching a murderer, but also about the father-son relationship, which is on very shaky ground. show less

A hellish ride into the heart of African darkness.
No one keeps his dark secrets as well hidden as Grégoire Morvan: family tyrant, unscrupulous businessman and grey eminence of the French Ministry of the Interior. In the 1970s, Morvan brought down a bestial killer in the Congo. Following a cruel ritual, the "nail man" left his victims riddled with nails and shards of mirror.
And now he seems to have a mysterious successor who is threatening Morvan's entire family! Morvan's son Erwan, an show more inspector with the Paris police, travels to the Congo on his own to find out his father's true story. Little does he realise that he is opening the gates to hell.
What impressed me was that Grangé is able to describe the political events in the Congo and the catastrophic life for the population there so accurately. The tragic thing is that not much has changed to this day.
It was exciting from the very beginning and keeps you guessing until the very end how things will turn out. show less

Leer un libro que no solo tiene una historia tan absorbente como formidable, pero que además sea contada de manera tan inteligente es, simplemente, una delicia.

Lo que más me ha gustado es el estilo narrativo, me ha encantado la manera de escribir de Grangé, la forma en que va trazando los hechos, la historia, es de verdad magnífico.

La historia nos narra dos investigaciones, una, la de un aparente allanamiento en una escuela y por otro lado la investigación de un brutal asesinato.

Los show more personajes protagonistas Niémans y Karim Abdouf son dos personajes que los han bordado, tienen tantos matices que solo el hecho de leer la manera en que el autor los ha creado ya de por sí es una verdadera delicia, por momentos me gustaba uno y por momentos el otro, al final he terminado por decidir que ambos policías son geniales en personalidad y estilo y que para mí ha sido lo mejor de este libro.

La historia, si bien resulta un poco complicada de seguir porque tiene demasiados detalles y va brincando de una investigación a otra, sin embargo me ha ayudado mucho que había visto la película hace un tiempo y eso me hizo poner en perspectiva cada cosa.

Ya que comentó lo de la pelicula, bueno, si es buena, la vi hace muchos años, pero recuerdo que lo que más me gustó fueron las actuaciones, en fin, la cuestión es que, si bien la película es buena, como casi siempre sucede, el libro ha resultado mucho, mucho mejor.

No puedo decir si el libro resulta en sorprendente o si es previsible, porque ya sabía en que acababa, pero en independencia de eso, lo que vale la pena es leer a este autor, llenarse de su enorme creatividad para crear buenos personajes y su forma de escribir, que es de verdad muy, muy buena.

Absolutamente recomendable show less

One of the best thrillers I've ever read. Jean-Christophe Grangé's writing style is direct, full of force and embellished with beautiful, dark descriptions. In this book, the forces of nature, the darkness in the human mind and soul, and the mysticism associated with the Alps lead the two main characters down a spiral of lies and bloody deeds.

Karim and Pierre are realistic protagonists, their interactions are powerful, even entertaining at times. This is one of the rarest of cases where show more the film is as good and satisfying as the book. Jean Reno and Vincent Cassel are marvellous. show less