Death from the Woods [Paperback]

Brigitte Aubert (Author), David L. Koral (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 10, 2001

Named France's Best Thriller of 1997, Death from the Woods is one of the most acclaimed suspense novels to hit the publishing world in years. In a suburb of Paris, a series of grisly murders has left residents shaken. A little girl says she knows who the killer is, but she has confided in only one person: Elise Andrioli, a blind, mute quadriplegic. She's defenseless and helpless. And she may very well be the next target.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Penzler Pick, May 2000: This gripping mystery by one of France's top mystery writers recently won the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière, the equivalent of the Edgar Allan Poe Award. Elise Andrioli has been left blind, mute, and quadriplegic after a terrorist bomb explosion in Northern Ireland that killed her fiancé. Back in the small suburb outside Paris where she lives, Elise leads a solitary life except for the contact that she has with her caretakers. However, a series of grisly local murders has shaken the residents. Young boys have been disappearing only to be discovered a day later, dead and horribly mutilated.

One morning, while waiting in her wheelchair outside a supermarket, Elise is approached by a small girl named Virginie, who confides that she was present when "Death from the Woods" murdered Michael, a boy reported missing several days earlier. Later that afternoon, Michael's death is confirmed on the local news. Elise is intrigued but has no idea who Virginie is or how to find her. But soon Virginie reappears and offers Elise more information about the murders. The investigating police officer suspects that Virginie is giving information to Elise that she is reluctant to give to him, and tries to set up a communication system between himself and Elise to find out what she knows. But someone else also suspects that Elise knows something--and after an accident that almost costs her her life, she must try to convey her knowledge to those around her. But how?

This first-person mystery is not only chilling, it is--incredibly--amusing. Elise is an engaging heroine with a remarkable sense of humor about her physical and mental state. There are plenty of twists and turns in this crisply translated story, and readers, far from feeling sorry for Elise, will find themselves cheering on this gutsy woman as she uses her remarkable intellect to keep herself out of danger and bring the murderer to justice. --Otto Penzler --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

In centering her thriller around a main character who is not only a quadriplegic but blind and mute as well, French author Aubert sets herself a difficult task, but she acquits herself brilliantly. While on vacation in Ireland, 36-year-old Elise Andrioli is horribly injured in Belfast by a car bomb that kills her boyfriend and five others. Back at home in the suburbs of Paris, the French cinema owner is confined to a wheelchair, but she can still hear and think. Elise's astute thoughts, together with the crisp dialogue of the people she encounters and her keen and often humorous commentary on their one-sided conversations with her, fuel this dazzling whodunit. Befriended by Virginie, an odd little girl who whispers terrifying observations about someone she's dubbed "Death from the Woods," Elise learns the grisly details of a series of child murders, including that of Virginie's older half-brother, Renaud. When the precocious child admits that she knows who the culprit is, Elise is plunged into a dizzying universe. Virginie, her parents and the investigator in pursuit of the killer all confide in her. As Elise makes physical progress from her single method of communicating-lifting an index finder to signal "yes"-to regaining some dexterity in her left hand and arm, the plot becomes increasingly complicated. Elise suspects first one and then another of the adults in Virginie's world of committing the heinous crimes, and finally she becomes a target herself. Throughout the intensely suspenseful story, chock-full of unexpected twists and turns, Aubert expertly captures the myriad frustrations of someone confined by severe physical limitations. Never stooping to melodrama or pity, she uses Elise's marvelous sense of humor and intellect to create an unforgettable character. (Feb.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade; Reprint edition (April 10, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425179052
• ISBN-13: 978-0425179055
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,459,321 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars chilling, mesmerizing, September 10, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Death from the Woods (Hardcover)

I think some of my fellow reviewers have been too harsh on the book. Without revealing crucial details for potential readers here, let me just say that it's got a brilliant premise. It's extremely fast-paced. It's got a refreshing voice. It reads like nothing I've ever read. So if the denouement is a little forced, we shoud remember that most thrillers are not any better. For sheer imagination, I think this book just can't be beat.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best Books of 2000, June 21, 2000

By 

Eujin Hong "eujin" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death from the Woods (Hardcover)

Brigitte Aubert's first book to be translated into English, "Death from the Woods" has received critical acclaim. Among the books many fine points is its protagonist, Elise Andrioli, who has been hailed as a brilliantly original character. Actually, Elise's situation - paralayzed, blind and mute - is similar to the heroine of Patricia Carlon's "The Whispering Wall", who is left paralyzed and mute after a stroke. That said, "Death from the Woods" is a brilliant read and a wonderful study in suspense.

We "see" all the action from Elise's point of view and the story unfolds in a highly entertaining mixture of suspense, terror and wonderfully black humor. A self-described "living vegetable", Elise tries to figure out who "Death from the Woods" - a serial killer who's been murdering young boys in her Paris suburb - could be. The cast of suspects includes Virginie, the young girl who first tells Elise that she saw "Death from the Woods" come for the boys, Virginie's father Paul, the local police captain, and virtually every character that Elise comes into contact with. Hampered by her inability to communicate - she can only raise an index finger in response to "yes/no" questions - or move, Elise must find a way around her handicap. Naturally, the book builds to a confrontation between Elise and the killer which is superbly done and full of suspense.

Some readers have criticized the book's overly convoluted plot - some have even called it contrived - that requires a great deal of explaining at the end. To some extent, I can understand their frustration as this is a whodunnit with a very complex plot and the unfamiliarity of French names for an American audience may require some backtracking to reacquire a lost thread or two. But at the end of the day, it's all worth it because Elise is a wonderful character who paves over all the little cracks and flaws in the novel. Funny, bitter, courageous and quirky, she is a character that readers can really fall in love with. Aubert is said to be working on a sequel and I for one can hardly wait - I might even have to start brushing up on my French again!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gem of a Whodunnit, November 23, 2001

By 

CapricornGirl "Jam" (South Africa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death from the Woods (Paperback)

An extraordinary thriller centring around the heroine, Elise Andrioli, who has been left blind, mute and quadriplegic as a result of an IRA bomb in Northern Ireland.
Back home in France, Elise leads a sedentary and solitary life and when a number of murders of boys take place, she is befriended by a little girl, Virginie, who confides that she has witnessed the murders. This sets the scene for an unusual and intriguing whodunnit. Elise, a very different heroine, is fabulously witty and sarcastic in the manner she relates to the reader her thoughts and opinions on the characters she comes into contact with.
Its a creepy, spine-chilling, roller-coaster of a book and one which I enjoyed immensely. This book is highly recommended.