Customer Reviews

Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A different story than A Very Long Engagement, Japrisot nonetheless takes his time in this novel to tell the rest of the story beyond the climax. The resolution was satisfying to the very last page. I had just finished A Very Long Engagement and didn't know what to expect. Mysteries aren't usually to my liking; but I liked all the twists of this one. I also liked the female heroine and the way the writer let us ride her thoughts with her.

A beautiful, neurotic blonde impulsively takes her employer's white Thunderbird for a joy-ride from Paris to the sea. Along the way, she keeps meeting people who insist they saw her a few days before. The situation rapidly changes from amusing to sinister to life-threatening as she seeks the (shocking) solution to the mystery. I found some of the "how it was done" parts more than a little far-fetched. But the main character is an engaging woman, psychologically complex and far more intelligent than she gives herself credit for, and watching her discover her own strengths through her ordeal is fascinating and enjoyable.

As usual, Japrisot creates a character so personable and human, that it is impossible not to care for her. The events are complicated and unpredictable. Japrisot puts the spot light on the main character's weaknesses, letting us underestimate her in every way. But the end holds a surprise.

Beautiful Dani takes her boss's Thunderbird for a joyride on impulse. Before long, a mysterious assailant breaks her hand in a service station bathroom and she begins to encounter people along the road who claim to have met her before. When she discovers a body in the trunk of the car, her descent into nightmare is nearly complete. Dani will question her very sanity and sense of identity before author Sebastien Japrisot unveils the truth to her and us in his clever, surprising finale. Dani is a fully realized character who proves to have inner reserves of strength and wit that are revealed gradually without ever violating character.

I bought both this book and "The Sleeping Car Murders." I'd seen both of the movies and, if anything, the books are a lot better. Good characters and writing, even in translation. The plots are original and you care about the people.

there is nothing better than a good story with well crafted characters, and the stories written by Japrisot are very good if not amazing. once you start reading, you won't be able to put the book down.

I am a writer. And any book or story I can analyze... but this story I don't want to. It's so good.