Sylvie GranotierCritiques

Il y a la cinglée qui tue en regardant ailleurs. La femme idéale dont la perfection pousse au meurtre. Celle qui résiste et celle qui s'accroche (désastre annoncé dans les deux cas). La mère indigne et la mère criminelle (la plus dangereuse n'étant pas forcément celle que vous croyez.. .). Il y a aussi la fille qui vous veut du bien mais qui vous fait du mal. Celle qui vous invite au rêve, et vous plonge en plein cauchemar... Toutes les filles sont-elles dangereuses ? Fatalement, oui. Vous ne pourrez pas dire qu'on ne vous avait pas prévenus !

The Paris Lawyer by Sylvie Granotier is a Le French publication released in 2012. I received a copy of this book from the publisher and netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Catherine's mother was murdered when she was child. She was the only witness to the crime. Her father, Doctor Monsigny does what he can to be a good father to her, but mostly the subject of her mother is not broached.

As an adult, Catherine is an attorney. She has just been assigned her first big, high profile, murder case. An African woman has been accused of murdering her French husband with poison.
The crime takes place in the rural community of Cruese.
Creuse is also the area where Catherine's mother was murdered.

As a result, her mother is on Catherine's mind a great deal. While in the area, she wants to see if she can discover something more about her mother. She gets a little help from a local journalist.
Meanwhile, Catherine is beginning to have vivid dreams of her mother and flashbacks of her childhood.

Catherine is also dealing her odd relationship with a former client. She and Cedric have almost an obsessive type of relationship. Hot one minute, cold the next, but they can't seem to stop seeing each other.

As the murder case begins to take shape, Catherine comes into her own as a lawyer. She is steps up to the challenge with confidence.

But her mother's murder continues to haunt her. As she begins to fit together the pieces of what happened to her mother, Catherine climbs up a steep path to a truth that will leave you shocked and horrified.

The author does an incredible job of leading the reader through two murder cases. Catherine is an independent woman that professionally has it together. But, on a personal note, Catherine has an unusual relationship with her father. His insistence on keeping the past in the past has left Catherine feeling like she can't find peace or closure until she has heard more about her mother and about the day she was murdered.

As the author slowly released information to the reader, a real sinister quality takes hold. Catherine is going along with her work, that being her top priority, but with a sneaky suspicion that her lover is not all her appears to be. We begin to worry about who this man is and what are his intentions.
There is thick fog, but at times it clears and we get a glimpse of the truth. Yet, I still remained in denial, because the truth was not something I was ready to accept.
However, in the long run, we know that Catherine had to face facts and as a result she will now be able to move forward with her life as she never would have if the truth had never been revealed.
Catherine is a survivor and she will come through with a clearer picture of herself and finally some peace.
A very atmospheric mystery, the locations vividly described, the characters well drawn and the book was just impossible to put down. The best mystery I've read in a long time.
As always Anne did a great job with the translation from French to English.
A+

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The story was good, but seemed choppy and I had trouble following some parts. I assume this is because it was translated from french. I would recommend this read, but be prepared that is is not a fast, easy read.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

A young attorney from Paris, Cathrine Monsigny is hired by Myriam Villetreix who is accused of killing her elderly white husband and who married her to stop her from being deported. The village this happened in was the same one that that Catherine's mother was murdered in when she was a young child, this has haunted Catherine all her life as she was there when the murder occurred. Catherine soon discovers that she may also be able to solve her mother's murder as well as saving her client.
I enjoyed the author immensely and hope there will be more books translated written by her.

***I received this book from the publisher for an honest review****

Catherine is a young lawyer who has just taken on her first murder case.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get far with this one. Perhaps it was due to the translation, but the narrative and characters were not very engaging. Then every other page was blank (possibly as I was reading an Advanced Reader's Copy), so I felt lost.

Overall, a disappointing start.½

Twisted plot holds it's knots right to the end!

For some reason the colour green of her childhood, of the grass, of emerald eyes, of Cedric Dever's grey green eyes was amongst my first impressions.
The colour green comes to represent the descent from softness and joy into the harsh and uncompromising reality of lost ways, of childhood nightmares, of fear and loss.
Catherine Monsigny's past is shadowed even from herself.
A rising young lawyer looking to make her mark, she takes on a murder case that unwittingly returns her to that lost time. Somehow her current case and the one just prior will merge and cross lines that terrify, intrigue and release forgotten childhood memories.
Catherine's fears of not knowing her way, of having to mark her route for the simplistic of journeys harken back to her childhood trauma.
What does the village of Creuse have to do with her past, her now and her future?
As the story unfolds the complexities woven throughout reflect the layers that unfold as Catherine's story is revealed.
Her pro bono case opens up more than she was prepared for.
There does seem to be an underlying hint that she responds to the attentions of older men.
As an aside French women and their motor scooters continue to fascinate me.
I did not see the ending coming until it did.
A tragic psychological mystery illuminated by the probing inner puzzlements of Catherine. It kept me guessing!

A NetGalley ARC

The Paris Lawyer is the story of Catherine, a young and rising lawyer who is taking on her first murder trial. She's been in the courtroom a number of times but this is the most important case of her career. An undocumented Gabonese woman married a older French farmer and when he died of arsenic poisoning, the wife is the first suspect.

Catherine has a huge mystery in her own life because her mother was murdered when Catherine was a baby and the murderer has never been found. This was obviously the most influential event in Catherine's life and has driven much of how she has grown up. Her father has consistently refused to talk about her mother and what happened so it has remained a deep dark mystery.

What made this book a bit difficult for me was that so much of it is taken up with what is going on in Catherine's head. I don't mind a psychological mystery but I do need something to happen in the book. I kept wanting to say, "Get on with it!" There is little action until the very end and by that time I knew who the murderer was. I do think there are readers who will love this book and it was very well written. It was just written for a slightly different audience than me.

The Paris Lawyer is a French mystery translated into English. It is an award winner in France and I can say that it is obvious that it is a French mystery written by a French author for a French audience. I love almost anything French. I am a confirmed francophile. But this book had a bit too much of a foreign feel for me as an American reader to thoroughly be comfortable with it.

I received this book from Netgalley.

From my Blog post: http://something-wordy-reviews.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-paris-lawyer-by-sylvie-g...

Paris( France)

Dr. Claude Monsigny regarded himself as the model father for his model little daughter, Catherine Monsigny. Catherine did not know her mother, Violet, who was brutally murdered as a young women. The gruesome event took place when Violet took her little baby daughter, Catherine, in stroller for a walk, never to return. He would combine the roles of both parents in raising her and protecting her against anything sinister that might possibly bring more harm to her. He made sure that a personal holocaust of Violet's memory would be executed in ensuring that his baby girl would never again be reminded of that day. Catherine was not allowed to ever talk about her again. She did not even know where her mother was buried. She did not even know about "Devil’s Wash, the place where Violet loved the rocks, the multiple waterfalls, the dark mystery and the crystalline cheerfulness."

As a young adult, twenty-five-year old Catherine Monsigny was on the brink of her first big murder case in the Creuse, France as a lawyer. Gaston Villetreix died and his African wife, Myriam (N’Bissi), was accused of murdering him. The case could mean a first big break for Catharine and she was willing to leave Paris and represent the accused in her home village in The Creuse region of France. However, before leaving Paris, she was defending Cedric Devers in an assault and battery case, in Paris, and she started to get flashbacks about her mother and the day of her murder. It would become more frequent when she arrived in the village, which startled and upset her since her memories were dormant for most of her life.

She was just a baby, way too young, to remember what really happened that day.

Her father never remarried. He never could replace the love he had for his wife. She was the girl he was waiting for his entire life. He instinctively knew that she is the change he has been waiting for, his future raison d’être. He will be the answer to her life’s detour.

The following months would become a trial in more ways than one when she had to deal with two murder cases, her own love interests, as well as address betrayal, deception, secrets, suspicion and strange events. "Catherine remains calm. In any case, she has been reared never to raise her voice. Keep control. Stay calm. Emotional responses should be controlled, lest they overflow, heaving up debris like a tidal wave."

But most of all she had to learn the real meaning of love. Was it a hide-all for everything that can go wrong? Or was there really something like unconditional love. She also, for the first time in her life, had to address the suppressed emotions and memories behind her mother's death which kept her jailed behind high emotional walls. "Brutal, unexpected death, when it cuts off one life, interrupts others, which are cleanly amputated, left without any follow-up, no conclusion , eternally connected to nothing."

Myriam "suggested that love is a luxury enjoyed by those who do not have survival issues".

But despite everything she had to face "she(Catharine) wanted to believe that love had other faces and that when her turn arrived, she would be loved better."

"You build your house brick by brick, and even before putting on the roof, a catastrophe transforms it into a pile of stones, without you ever knowing who destroyed your universe one day or why."

While reading this murder mystery, and psychological thriller, par excellence the thought came up that this story was the work of a professional, without knowing anything about the author. All strings were nicely tied and secured. The ending was unique. In fact, it was one of the most refreshing and original I have read in a very long time.

Thriller, suspense, emotional drainer, fast-moving, nail-biting. And finally you will understand what love really means.

Five stars for keeping me glued and awake and beyond thrilled! You will walk away happy, that's guaranteed! Not only because of how the story played out, how the elements were securely blended together, but also because it was so brilliantly written.

Any adult, both genders, can read it.

I will undoubtedly read this author again.

The Paris Lawyer of the title is young and eager to make a name for herself. Catherine Monsigny has landed a job in a relatively large and prestigious firm. She is ambitious, and is in fact lobbying her boss so that she might be allowed to take on a murder case that might mean increased notice of her in the press. The risk though, is that the Parisian press might not be bothered to leave Paris to go watch Catherine in action. She daydreams about influencing reporters and even uses her charms to connect with a reporter who may be useful.

But her biggest issue seems to be internal. Vivid memories...are they real?...come into her mind more frequently, and seemingly unbidden. Though just a toddler in a stroller at the time, she apparently was present and nearby when her mother was brutally beaten to death out in a quiet rural area. The killer was never found. She isn't sure if what she remembers, just impressions really, actually happened or just represents the longings to know more about her mom. Her rigid father refuses to talk to her about her mother, trying to keep her mentally healthy by avoiding any details about such a horrifying part of Catherine's history. They don't have a bad relationship, but it is strained.

Perhaps because of the way her dad raised her, she is more a user of men. She is sexually active but not seeking love or a long term relationship. That might be changing, though, as she gets caught up with a casual client who has been accused of shoving a woman who continued to pursue him after a one night stand. Catherine gets him acquitted, but can't quit thinking about his eyes. But before long he is pursuing her, and it seems more than a little creepy.

And the discomfort factor only intensifies when she goes to the rural area to meet the client that might move her career to the next level. The client is an illegal immigrant who is accused of killing the older man who had advertised for a wife. they had indeed married and lived together several years until he died of an apparent heart attack. When her husband's relatives, who stand to inherit, if the foreign wife is found guilty, have accused her of poisoning him for his money. Her client's apathy frustrates her, but the really odd part is how familiar this place seems to Catherine. Could it be she has somehow returned to the area where her mother was killed? The more she pursues the client's case the more she wants to pursue her own mother's killer.

Ms. Trager has done such a smooth translation that the book flows quite naturally in English.Unexpected twists and turns keep the reader guessing until the closing pages. A good mystery, and there is also lots to be learned about the differences in French and American justice systems.

An excellent psychological thriller that will get you in quickly and surprise you with an unexpected ending. The main character is a young French lawyer who in the midst of investigating her first big case uncovers secrets about her mothers disappearance many years before. This is a well written book with a superb storyline. A totally enjoyable read.

it is always a pleasure to come across publishers who are bringing works from different cultures to the English-reading world, particularly when there is such a strong sense of place in the books I've been lucky enough to read from Le French Book (http://lefrenchbook.com/). THE PARIS LAWYER has a particular French sensibility, combined with a clever take on lawyer based crime fiction.

The Parisian Lawyer is Catherine Monsigny, a young lawyer whose earliest memories are fleeting glimpses of the day that her mother was murdered. Her debut criminal trial involves an enigmatic immigrant, accused of murder, a defence harder to build because this person seems to have come from nowhere. Called out of Paris to assist her client, the case triggers Monsigny to confront her own history. Along the way she develops a relationship with a strange man who may have an ulterior motive for his pursuit of her.

One of the most interesting aspects of THE PARIS LAWYER is how what starts of as a slightly meandering, low key sort of a story, builds into something that becomes extremely involving. It's almost sneaky how the combination of an isolated location, a man with a secret and a central character with a confronting past, all combine as Monsigny's investigation into her own background and the defence of the murder accused, twist and turn together. The story deftly balances the idea of a lawyer, trial based book; with many of the aspects of a psychological thriller.

Whilst much of the standard formula of a psychological thriller is twisted on its head early in the book, and Monsigny's reveals her insecurity, there is a further twist that may or may not work for many readers. At some point in the search for the murderer of her mother, Monsigny becomes even more preoccupied with what the mother she never had a chance to know was really like, and hence who she is herself. At that point the book becomes increasingly less about the who and more about the why. What is driving many of the central characters, why they do what they do, and who they really are. For this reader it added an extra layer, and there was absolutely no reason not to follow where the author was leading.

The only other problem is likely to be in the way that many of the plot elements are left unresolved at the end of the book. Not necessarily a bad thing, unless that lack has no apparent reason. Be it to allow the reader some thinking material, or because everything in life is not automatically wrapped up neatly, unresolved elements aren't automatically an issue as far as this reader is concerned. Unfortunately here, some of the elements left hanging at the end of THE PARIS LAWYER didn't leave a question to consider, instead they contributed to the feeling of a bit of a mad scramble to the end.

Fortunately these minor problems did not lessen any enjoyment of THE PARIS LAWYER at all. It is a refreshing, different, challenging approach to some standard and not so standard crime fiction norms.

http://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/paris-lawyer-sylvie-granotier