"La petite fille qui en savait trop"

Agréable thriller politique qui se lit très facilement.

Les élections générales britanniques vont bientôt avoir lieu et pour couvrir tout ce qui tourne autour de la C.E.E, Neil Bannerman, un journaliste écossais, est envoyé à Bruxelles. Et c'est bien là que tout se complique. Ce roman est bourré d'action mais aussi de moments sensibles avec cette pauvre petite fille autiste.
J'aurais d'ailleurs aimé plus de moments "humains" que ce language journalistique et politique à longueur des pages. J'aurais aussi aimé plus de scène en Ecosse mais cela n'est qu'un gout personnel. C'est la premiere fois que je lis un livre de Peter May et je pense que je ne me pencherais pas sur ses autres romans. Ca a été une lecture agréable et fluide mais pour moi, par la lecture de l'année.

Usually when things "aren't my style" I try to give them the benefit of the doubt and leave my criticisms at the door, in case they just come down to personal nitpicks. But the nitpicks here were really bothersome.
My typical murder mystery read: there's drama and intrigue to be sure, but more than that. Perhaps some levity. Perhaps a female character that isn't sexualized or demeaned. All of that was a bit much to ask from this one. The endless gritiness, the lackluster story, and the endless overcast weather had me down. The handling of autism...off. nothing that made me angry about it, but definitely an off-colour take on it.
I did find the depiction of journalism interesting, especially since its a career that's changed so vastly since the 1980s; no telephoning or holding onto stories, if things "print" at all obviously its a lot more instant and electronic. But even that didn't capture me fully. It's just a story for someone who isn't a 21st century woman yknow.
40/100. I'd recommend this to maybe my dad, or an uncle or something. Not a woman for sure

Journalist Neil Bannerman is not popular with the new editor at the Edinburgh Post but he is surprised to be sent to Brussels to cover the European Parliament. His temporary host is found dead at the home of a cabinet minister and, despite the evidence pointing to the contrary, the case is quickly closed assuming the two men killed each other. Bannerman is left to pick up the pieces and those pieces include a now-orphaned autistic child who is being hunted by the real killer.
I do like Peter May's writing but this book is an old one which has been re-published, probably to cash in on Brexit. The plot is predictable but no less exciting and May's prose encourages engagement. The problem is that this all feels very dated now, a bit like reading Fleming's Bond novels or an Agatha Christie, it's not old enough to be a classic but is irritating because so many of the references are unknown to a younger audience (Smith's Rhodesia for example). A good book of its time but releasing it now feels like cashing in!

The Man With No Face is my first introduction to Peter May’s work and it’s easy to see why he’s an internationally bestselling author. This novel was first published in 1981 and it’s quite surprising (or maybe not) to see the political landscape has changed very little and The Man With No Face has stood the test of time quite brilliantly in that respect.

Set in Brussels in the late ’70s, this intricately plotted novel has a rather dark atmosphere and a bit of a Noir vibe to it. The reader finds themselves in the middle of a murder investigation, through the eyes of Scottish journalist, Neil Bannerman. He’s been sent to Brussels by his editor, who really just wants him out of the way. But when Neil’s host, a fellow journalist, is found dead alongside a British Cabinet minister, Neil finds himself in the middle of a bit of a mess.

Albeit it rather on the slow side, for me personally, I still found The Man With No Face intensely gripping. Although at times, also somewhat depressing. These are not happy characters and they all carry a ton of issues to deal with. Or not as most seem quite happy to drown their sorrows. And in the midst of all this, is a young girl who may actually know what really happened. Unfortunately for investigators, she’s autistic and doesn’t talk.

Greed, money, blackmail, murder, intrigue, conspiracies and power. This political thriller has it all. The Man With No Face is tense and suspenseful, with fantastic and complex characters, even if some come across a tad stereotypical. Of course, some things do feel rather dated. Gone are the days of smoking on trains or in bars, for instance. But there’s also that good old-fashioned pounding the pavement type of investigation. No internet, no cell phones, no nifty gadgets to rely on. I do so quite enjoy that from time to time.

I dare say my first introduction to Peter May’s novels went down well and I may need to find some time to catch up on some of his most recent work. If, like me, you are unfamiliar with his novels, then this is definitely a good place to start.

See the places in the novel here - Off we go to Brussels!

This was a fascinating novel. First of all, I used to work in Brussels in the very buildings featured in the book. To say this freaked me out was an understatement.

Very apt to be reading this at the very time our position with Europe is almost just as tragic as the murder in the book. There’s an added edge to the Brussels intrigue and darkness and this book captures that and more. It’s full of intrigue about who visits the EU, the type of bubble those working inside are kept in, the visiting journalists, the double dealing…you can tell the author has spent time in the inner circles.

There’s not many novels set in and around the EU part of Brussels and whilst the city does get to show off its other tourist sites, it’s the focus of the EU what really shines. The Berlaymont is a star from above - apt as what lies below is a mix of shadows and things a lot less sparkly.

The mix of the journalists and the diplomats was well done. The journalists often rule the roost in these circles so it was good to see the difficult relations play out.

The author has captured a time, a moment and a background story of a real case to really put Brussels in a new light.

This is a slightly re-worked version of a novel originally released in 1981. It's a slow-burn crime thriller, set in Brussels & the EU parliament. There were some aspects I really liked about the story (The little girl, Tania, the snowy setting and the Du Marier, the police guy). But others didn't work for me e.g. the attitudes towards women, and the way the women were written, felt awkward to read. I know it's basically a historical novel now, but still, the relationship story line felt clunky and awkward. The story unravels really very slowly, so this didn't feel like one of those thrillers that you can't put down. But still, I stayed engaged & wanted to know how thing would work out at the end.

It was refreshing that Bannerman was having to do a lot of legwork to figure out what was going on since this was pre-internet, pre-mobiles etc. and that aspect of the book appealed to me.

With thanks to Netgalley for my copy.