After the Crash
Bussi, MichelIs she Lyse-Rose granddaughter of the wealthy de Carvilles or Emilie, granddaughter of the humbler Vitral family? The identity of the three-month old baby, the sole survivor of a plane crash on the Franco-Swiss border, is in dispute. Even with the courts making the call on custody, the de Carvilles are prepared to employ a private detective for as long as it takes, to irrevocably determine her parentage. Eighteen years on as Credence Grand-Duc is about to release his findings, murder is added to the mix. Just who is this young woman?
With a full complement of deception and intrigue, this is an engrossing and unusual psychological thriller that will not let you rest easy until the mystery is solved. Translated from the French.
Comments from Groups
Everyone enjoyed the book. It is a gripping story with some clever narrative twists, and a most satisfactory ending. Several in our group thought it was the best we have read this year. The questions were particularly good - they provoked discussion about things we had not considered. Taupo 006 Not quite a 'who-dunnit' but enough twists and turns to keep the average mystery reader wanting to continue to the end. There are plenty of red herrings and a certain twist in the tail. It was enjoyed by the group but not enough to have a really enthusiastic discussion. Auckland 006 Lots of animated discussion on this one! We all started talking at once about the different aspects of the story that appealed to us, and the points that puzzled or intrigued us. And that was before we started on the questions.... In general, we agreed that the book held our interest right up to the last page, and even if we found some aspects implausible, the ending was very satisfactory and made up for these. Christchurch 113 What a great crime story!! Everyone loved it! Hard to put the book down. We hope to see more of Bussi's books in the BDS catalogue! Turangi 001 7/8 at the meeting thoroughly enjoyed the book, all being surprised by the outcome which came very near the end of the book. We discussed many of the questions and all of the characters, and especially enjoyed discussing what we thought we might have done ourselves in the same situation as the Vitrals and the de Carvilles. There was some criticism about the writing eg. the need to discuss Nicole's ample breasts, and writing of the distance in miles when France has used kilometres for years. Maybe this was a translation for the British or American market. Highly recommended to other groups. Christchurch 196 We had a really good discussion, partly because there were different reactions to the book. Almost 2/3 of the group found it gripping, compulsive and clever. The others disliked the red herrings, the complexity of the plot, and the crediblity questions raised for them by the book. However, there were plenty of discussion points and overall it was positive. Those who liked it least were the members of the group who greatly prefer non-fiction. Martinborough 003 Great book, loved by all. Suspense +, hard not to go to the end and see what happens! Auckland 256
Pages
386
386
Year
2015
2015
Reviews
18-10-2023
Interesting and intriguing with twists and turns.
16-10-2023
Everyone read the book and kept hoping it would get better, but it didn't. This was not a well liked book. But it did lead to good discussions.
31-08-2022
A light read that held our attention enough to complete. Some intriguing twists and turns. At times we felt it was over written, however the second half of the book ripped along and the finale no one guessed!
15-03-2022
Overall our group really enjoyed this book, with some not being able to put it down. There was a big divide between the top and bottom scores, hence our rating of 4. But all agreed it was an easy read and loved the twist at the end.
16-11-2020
Most members agreed this novel is a complex mystery full of twists and turns, intrigue and surprises. From a wide cross section of society, the many unique characters sparked interesting conversation / discussion.
03-12-2019
All of us enjoyed this book immensely, with all its twists and turns and surprise ending. It was good, light holiday reading but not one you would remember.
09-08-2019
Many in our group enjoyed this book, some having guessed the probable solution to the mystery before the end. The story was well-crafted but some found it dragged too much getting to the action. Some clues were discernible but cleverly placed and led to a surprising outcome which on reflection was obvious. Disliked by those who preferred other genres of writing; agreed it would be a good holiday read. Provoked good discussion, especially on the issues surrounding societal placement and advantage.
26-04-2019
In general the group enjoyed it as a light read. The plot with its twists and turns kept us reading. But we found the characters quite wooden and the ending hurried with unnecessary detail (eg the prolonged train ride). We found the writing jarred at times and wondered whether that was the fault of the translation. Our discussion was shorter than normal - not enough depth to pull apart.
20-11-2018
The group loved this book. Great discussion and suspense. Difficult to put down.
28-09-2018
Mixed reviews - some loved it and couldn't put it down, some found it slow and unconvincing. Most felt it was easy to read and enjoyed the plot twist at the end.
24-08-2018
Our group felt the plot idea of this book was clever and the twists intriguing. We felt the device of dipping regularly into the investigator's diary worked well, salting the story with red herrings and suspense. BUT, most of us were irritated by the writing style - over-written and self-indulgent. We also felt the characters were unconvincing. A good idea for a book, but not well executed.
24-08-2018
All the Book Club members thoroughly enjoyed 'After the Crash'. We found the discussion questions worthwhile and they did stimulate some debate. However, we were a little divided on the overall rating because although we all considered the book 'a good read', it did not fall into the same category as some of our other reads, for example 'The Book Thief'.
24-08-2018
10 in group. We all really enjoyed this book. A can't-put-down book.
24-08-2018
Those who enjoy thrillers liked it. A page turner. Others found it absurd.
24-08-2018
Without exception our members enjoyed this novel. The twist and turns of the plot were clever, intriguing and compelled us to keep reading. The two time frames added to the tension and were not at all confusing. We found that it was easy to forget the book was translated from the French.
02-03-2018
Everyone thoroughly enjoyed this title and all agreed that it was a good choice. Once you started reading you couldn't put it down, and the plot was very intricate. None of us guessed the ending, and we felt the writing style itself was very good. We thought it would make a good movie! It provoked plenty of discussion and we would recommend this to others.