Friday, August 21, 2015

After The Crash by Michel Bussi : A Book Review


Inside the airplane before a crash, a journal with a suicide note and a newspaper that holds the key to an 18 yearlong mystery starts the incredibly fast paced thriller After The Crash by Michel Bussi who has been a French writer for almost a decade and won countless awards for his novels and publications.

After The Crash is the story of two families, a young man and a private detective trying to find the true identity of a sole survivor of a plane crash, a young baby girl who on turning eighteen makes a drastic decision and runs away.

The story is intelligently layered and moves back and forth from the time of a plane crash in 1980 to its current day in 1998 with an update on the time and the date in the beginning of each chapter, giving an urgency to finding the truth before it’s too late.

Lyse-Rose or Emilie is the sole survivor of a plane crash in 1980 and two families claim that the girl belongs to them. A private detective is hired to find out the truth of her identity before her eighteenth birthday and he leaves behind a journal that could reveal it all. But before he can discover the truth, he is murdered and the girl disappears. And thus begins a hunt for the truth by her sibling Marc who she leaves the journal with.

As more murders take place, scandals get revealed and more secrets get hidden.

Michel Bussi has all the ingredients of an exciting thriller in his novel. From interesting characters that show different shades, murders that go back and forth in time, lust between the most unusual pairings, intrigue on if it’s actually the truth and a fast pace that keeps the readers hooked till the last page, After The Crash is an un-put-down-able book.

It is obvious that it is an intelligent thriller that doesn’t require too much grey matter to bog you down. There are references to Haiku, dragonflies, music and art, facts from History and a true to the era account of the time. The dialogues between the characters are thought out and move with the swiftness required from a thriller.

It reminds me of the old Grisham when the suspense remained till the very end. You can’t guess what will happen at any stage and when the last page is turned, you can’t wait for the movie to be released!

Would definitely recommend getting your hands on this book if you like thrillers!

No comments:

Reserved for One: A poem

We don't trust enough We don't pour out our hearts  Telling all our secrets, our fears and surrendering to each other. Comple...