Remain in Light [Kindle Edition]

Collin Kelley (Author)

Book Description

In 1968, Irène Laureux's husband was murdered during the Paris student and worker riots. Thirty years later, she is still on the hunt for the man who knows how and why Jean-Louis died – his secret lover, Frederick Dubois.

Aiding in her search is American expat Martin Paige, a writer still reeling from a love affair gone wrong with a student, David McLaren. Martin meets a young poet, Christian, and the two fall in love, but their happiness is shaken when Martin's friend, Diane Jacobs, arrives in Paris with news that David has gone missing.

Diane discovers that David's disappearance is more than just a missing person case with connections to drugs, stolen identities, long-hidden government secrets and a shocking connection to Irène's past. This literary mystery takes readers from America to London and into the dark underworld of the fabled City of Light.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Filled with what-will-they-say-next characters, a suspenseful pace, and intertwining plots Remain in Light is a wickedly fun read. - Lambda Literary Review


Great as a standalone book, or even better as part two of a grander whole, this is the rare sequel that easily outperforms its predecessor in just about any way you can name, and it comes with a highly enthusiastic recommendation.  - Chicago Center for Literature and Photography


Collin Kelley ditches the guidebooks and takes us on a thrill ride tour through the seedy underside of Paris. Fraud, squalor, prostitution, the illegal drug trade and characters that crackle with life - it's all here. Remain in Light is a first class suspense novel.  - Grant Jerkins, author of A Very Simple Crime and At The End of the Road

From the Author

My mystery/suspense novel Remain In Light is the second in The Venus Trilogy, which began in 2009 with Conquering Venus. The books are written to be read in any order so that you can put together the puzzle pieces and find a deeper, richer experience with the characters. If you like your mysteries with international intrigue, a touch of the paranormal and flawed characters who must rise to the occasion in extraordinary circumstances, then I encourage you to read this trilogy. Remain In Light is a great place to start.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 415 KB
• Print Length: 284 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Vanilla Heart Publishing (September 26, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005Q133EI
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #614,597 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars They're Back! October 1, 2011

By Joy

Format:Kindle Edition

"Conquering Venus" is one of those books I hated to see end because I had grown so attached to the characters. So I am thrilled that Kelley has brought them back with the same skill and inspiration as before. A great read!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Harkens Back to the Work of Hemingway and Fitzgerald October 17, 2011

By Rochelle Weber

Format:Kindle Edition

Remain in Light is a complex book with very real characters. It harkens back to the work of Hemingway and Fitzgerald, leaving the Champs Elysee and prowling the back streets of Paris. It starts with Martin Paige stuck in traffic because of an accident in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in the wee hours of August 31, 1997 and getting home late. Being stuck in traffic because of Princess Diana's accident, however, is not the point--it's his restlessness, his disenchantment since the loss of his lover, David. Diane Jacobs arrives that day, as well.

The plot is full of twists and turns, dark corners and alleyways of both Paris and the human psyche. If you're looking for a light, fluffy read, look elsewhere. If you're looking for a book you can sink your teeth into, re-read and find things you missed the first time, then I highly recommend Remain in Light.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Review--Remain in Light by Collin Kelley October 17, 2011

By Randall Weiss

Format:Kindle Edition

Remain in Light, the second novel in Collin Kelley's Conquering Venus Trilogy, started off slowly for me. I struggled through the first 20 pages or so, which revisits the first novel more than drives this one forward. For readers who are joining this saga in the middle, it may help, but it bogs things down. Thankfully, this hiccup is slight and Kelley begins the story at hand.

He introduces several new characters and lays multiple narrative layers atop each other. There's a lot going on here. For some writers, this complexity would be too much, but he uses it to his advantage. Just when I feel like resolution is around the bend, something changes, or we find out something new about a character we thought we knew well. Suspense is always increasing.

As much as I enjoy the suspense, character development is Kelley's primary achievement. Most suspense novels I've read focus on two or three main characters, leaving everyone else in two dimensions. Not here. Kelley gives us a large cast, then brings them to life, a full life. I don't find myself loving certain characters while hating others; I find myself seeking to understand them all and finding that I can't quite get there. But I'll keep trying when the third book comes out.

Any suspense author can keep you turning pages with exciting action. Few can teach you about humanity along the way, but Kelley does just that. I give Remain in Light 4 of 5 stars.

More at [...]

More About the Author

Collin Kelley is the author of the new poetry collection, Render, out now from Sibling Rivalry Press. He is also the author of the mystery/suspense novels Remain In Light, a 2012 finalist for the Townsend Prize for Fiction, and Conquering Venus, both from Vanilla Heart Publishing. He also has an Amazon exclusive ebook of short stories, Kiss Shot. His other poetry collections include After the Poison, Slow To Burn and Better To Travel. Kelley is the recipient of the 2007 Georgia Author of the Year/Taran Memorial Award and the 1994 Deep South Writers Award from the University of Louisiana. His poetry, essays and interviews have appeared in magazines, journals and anthologies around the world. For more information, visit www.collinkelley.com.