Goat Song: Murder and Mayhem in Montmartre [Paperback]

Chantal Pelletier (Author), Ian Monk (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2005

“Pelletier is a wonderful storyteller. She is a master of funny, bittersweet dialogue. A classic roman noir hero, the world weary inspector, is completely reinvented.”—Le Monde

The naked bodies of a male dancer and a young girl are found entwined backstage in the Moulin Rouge. A junkie is killed, his throat chewed open, the teeth marks human. Seemingly unconnected, these deaths form a sinister pattern involving crack dealers and shady property deals.

Inspector Maurice Less is plagued by a female boss who bombards him with tales of her sexual exploits. Together they uncover a trail of fear and broken dreams that reaches from Corsica into the heart of Paris.

Winner of the Grand Prix du Roman Noir de Cognac.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Grumpy Parisian police investigator Maurice Laice—"he was definitely going to die before his time and never benefit from his pension"—looks into a series of bizarre murders in French author Pelletier's slow-paced, bittersweet novel, which won the Grand Prix du roman noir of Cognac in 2001. A male dancer for the Moulin Rouge and a female dresser are murdered, bodies intertwined in a hideous parody of the sex act—or something darker? A junkie has his throat ripped out by human teeth. Plagued by his lesbian supervisor, Aline Lefèvre, who constantly puns his name as "More Is Less," the aging cop prowls Montmartre, where crack cocaine and an escalating real estate market offer answers. Perhaps something is lost in translation, as American noir fans are likely to find this only an average read. (June)
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About the Author

Began her career as an actor. She founded a theatre company in Paris and is the author of plays, novels and film scripts.It is not unusual to find her engaged simultaneously as author, director and actor in the same project Ion Monk lives in France. He has translated a number of literary thrillers including four novels by Daniel Pennac and the best selling novel The Blood-Red Rivers by J-C Grange.

Product Details

• Paperback: 290 pages
• Publisher: Bitter Lemon Press (June 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1904738036
• ISBN-13: 978-1904738039
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,755,447 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 strong amusing yet as often gloomy French police procedural, May 25, 2005

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Goat Song: Murder and Mayhem in Montmartre (Paperback)

In Montmarte, a double murder occurs in the Moulin Rouge. Gloom and doom French Inspector Maurice "More is Less" Laice and his superior Aline Lefèvre, a positive thinking active lesbian who at times lets her other "head" do her thinking, lead the investigation. The crime scene produces nothing. Thus the two cops turn to the victims seeking who might have a motive to kill the duo.

Lead dancer Manfred and Lisa the trainee are the victims; the culprit intermingled their corpses in some sort of macabre dance. However, outside of the Moulin Rouge, the victims seem to have little in common as Manfred is a purebred native and Lisa is a Corsican emigrant. The case goes nowhere sending the pessimistic Maurice deeper into depression while Aline tells him to find solace in orgasms. Still the two cops argue about life, but keep digging within the Moulin Rouge community and the growing Corsican immigrants flocking to the city.

The key to this strong often amusing and as often gloomy French police procedural is the two cops, as opposite of a pair that readers will ever find. Laice is a fortyish person who at times acts like an ailing octogenarian who no longer can get it up while the promiscuous Aline lives for multiple orgasms with her female partners. At times the depth into the lead couple is so deep and powerful the murder mystery takes a back seat even with the fast-pacing of the plot that like the stars contrast between the upbeat and the downbeat.

Harriet Klausner

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Dissapointing, February 12, 2007

By 

Samantha G - See all my reviews

This review is from: Goat Song: Murder and Mayhem in Montmartre (Paperback)

I had high expectations of this book when I first saw it on Amazon. (I was recommended this book after reading "The Mannequin Man" by Luca Di Fulvio which I thought was amazing) The plot of the novel is good, and the end leads you to a surprising (somewhat perplexing) twist. My main problem with this novel though, is the way it is written. I love snarkey, sarcastic characters, but it seems as if Pelletier is incapable of writing a straight sentence. The dialogue between Maurice and his boss is ridiculously tounge-in-cheek. It seems like Pelletier is trying too hard and still doesn't accompish the mood she is after. It is very likely that something is lost in the translation, because this was just a bit over the top for me.

4.0 out of 5 stars Perverse irony, June 16, 2009

By 

Srdjan Pesic (Minneapolis, Mn United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Goat Song: Murder and Mayhem in Montmartre (Paperback)

Thanks to "Bitter Lemon Press" we have a cnance to learn more about mysteries from all over the world. " Goat Song" is not a book for sensitive and prudish people. It is a full blooded Paris noir. Aging detective ( who,by the way is only 40 and 3 months, but feels ancient)bemoans the city that changes so rapidly. He is plagued with two murders and lingering depression that he treats with serious drinking.
This is a very unusual book, full of irony and schocking details. Not a light, fluffy novel to forget about the daily drudgery. On the contrary daily drudgery would be a welcome escape from this filthy and perverse Paris.