Reviews
"Lemaitre's plot is laid out with mathematical precision: a beautiful woman is kidnapped, stripped naked, thrown into a cage and subjected to the systematic torture of a brutal captor... Revenge narratives go all the way back to the Greeks, but it's the vagina dentate component that sets a specimen like Alex apart, as Lemaitre adapts Larsson's blueprint with moves of his own."'e" Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review, PRAISE FOR ALEX "Fascinating, horrifying, not to be missed." - Rolling Stone (Italy) " Alex . . . moves from read-as-fast-as-you-can horror to an intricately plotted race to a dark truth." -Alison Flood, The Guardian "A weaver of dark and disturbing crime fiction . . . Lemaitre brings his stinging, bitter story to a genuinely unexpected conclusion. We are not in the comfortable world of Inspector Maigret here-this is harsh, fierce crime writing with a Gauloise tinge. It would not be out of place filmed in black-and-white by the late, lamented Francois Truffaut, who loved crime tales like this." - The Daily Mail "Exhilarating, literary, Hitchcockian . . . This new investigation of Commandant Camille Verhoeven resumes with the sense of suspense, the art of the unexpected twist, the play on emotions that so seduced us and in which the influence of Hitchcock breaks out." - Le Monde Magazine "[Lemaitre's] fourth novel keeps its bloody promises." - Metro "Pierre Lemaitre has proved, over four novels, not only that he is an accomplished novelist, but also that he [is] . . . capable of portraying characters with real human depth . . . All this enveloped in an atmosphere laden with violence and pierced, through unimaginable suffering, by noble sentiments, like rays of sunshine . . . Lemaitre's talent lies in never being predictable." - Le Figaro "Pierre Lemaitre has achieved a milestone with his new novel: half mystery, half thriller, 100 percent successful." - Le Figaro "Lemaitre raises the bar high, and brilliantly rises to the challenge he has set himself . . . [ Alex is] as chilling as it is fascinating…gives an exhilarating lightness to the horror depicted. The work of an artist." - Carrefour Savoirs "A thriller that grapples with the codes of murderous insanity. The author offers us an infernal and unpredictable plot, taking the art of suspense and terror to the limit." - Ici Paris "A novel of two halves, each as astonishing and unexpected as the other, served by extraordinary characters, and skillfully written. The torment and the twists of the book will keep you from sleeping." - Point de Vue "Thriller fans who still haven't heard of Pierre Lemaitre should rush to discover this great author who manipulates suspense as well as the pen. Alex , his fourth novel, is violent, dazzling, terrifying, exhilarating . . . the talent of Lemaitre is as much in delivering a formidably effective whodunit as providing 400 pages of literature." - Service Litteraire "Sex, murder. Strategy, insanity. [Pierre Lemaitre] isn't cautious with his scenario, dissolving the victim-executioner relationship in sulfuric acid." - Alibi "A powerful whodunit." - Pelerin "In fewer than four years, Pierre Lemaitre has established himself as the most ingenious constructor of Hitchcockian plots . . . [ Alex ] demonstrates that the imagination of the author is still as diabolical and that he is capable of trying something new in a genre where most of his peers only get by with a great deal of implausibility and obvious plot contrivances . . . A tour de force ." - L'Humanité "Lemaitre's skilled and beautiful writing is a mixture of details at the edge of shock and lyrical passages." -Giancarlo de Cataldo, La Repubblica, "An eloquent thriller with a denouement that raises eyebrows as it speeds the pulse."'e" Kirkus Reviews (starred), "The winner of countless French crime-writing prizes, Lemaitre is far too canny to join the ranks of thriller authors who merely revel in disturbing details and gory crimes. Where another novel would have finished, Alex is just beginning, and the book moves from read-as-fast-as-you-can horror to an intricately plotted race to a dark truth... There's humour here, and characters to return to, but really Alex is about thrills. And as the novel barrels triumphantly towards its unexpected but satisfying conclusion, it's in this respect that it deliver."'e" Alison Flood, The Observer, "An auspicious English-language debut... With quiet virtuosity, Lemaitre moves the narrative through its various levels toward a concluding act of retribution that is both ingeniously conceived and immensely satisfying. Tricky, disturbing and ultimately affecting, Alex is a welcome addition to the rising tide of European crime fiction that has followed in the wake of Stieg Larsson's death. Larsson's many readers should take this book to their hearts and should find themselves waiting, with some degree of impatience, for the next Verhoeven novel to appear."'e" Bill Sheehan, The Washington Post Book World, "Relentlessly gripping... Various subtle variations of the crime novel are handled with aplomb... By page 200 you may believe that you're moving to a pulse-raising conclusion. But you will be wrong; in some senses, the novel has only just begun."'e" Barry Forshaw,..., "Fascinating... filled with many twists and turns of plot along with a huge surprise."'e" Connie Fletcher, Booklist, PRAISE FOR ALEX "Fascinating, horrifying, not to be missed." - Rolling Stone (Italy) " Alex . . . moves from read-as-fast-as-you-can horror to an intricately plotted race to a dark truth." -Alison Flood, The Guardian "Enthralls at every stage of its unpredictability." -Marcel Berlins, The Times "A weaver of dark and disturbing crime fiction . . . Lemaitre brings his stinging, bitter story to a genuinely unexpected conclusion. We are not in the comfortable world of Inspector Maigret here-this is harsh, fierce crime writing with a Gauloise tinge. It would not be out of place filmed in black-and-white by the late, lamented Francois Truffaut, who loved crime tales like this." - The Daily Mail "Exhilarating, literary, Hitchcockian . . . This new investigation of Commandant Camille Verhoeven resumes with the sense of suspense, the art of the unexpected twist, the play on emotions that so seduced us and in which the influence of Hitchcock breaks out." - Le Monde Magazine "[Lemaitre's] fourth novel keeps its bloody promises." - Metro "Pierre Lemaitre has proved, over four novels, not only that he is an accomplished novelist, but also that he [is] . . . capable of portraying characters with real human depth . . . All this enveloped in an atmosphere laden with violence and pierced, through unimaginable suffering, by noble sentiments, like rays of sunshine . . . Lemaitre's talent lies in never being predictable." - Le Figaro "Pierre Lemaitre has achieved a milestone with his new novel: half mystery, half thriller, 100 percent successful." - Le Figaro "Lemaitre raises the bar high, and brilliantly rises to the challenge he has set himself . . . [ Alex is] as chilling as it is fascinating…gives an exhilarating lightness to the horror depicted. The work of an artist." - Carrefour Savoirs "A thriller that grapples with the codes of murderous insanity. The author offers us an infernal and unpredictable plot, taking the art of suspense and terror to the limit." - Ici Paris "A novel of two halves, each as astonishing and unexpected as the other, served by extraordinary characters, and skillfully written. The torment and the twists of the book will keep you from sleeping." - Point de Vue "Thriller fans who still haven't heard of Pierre Lemaitre should rush to discover this great author who manipulates suspense as well as the pen. Alex , his fourth novel, is violent, dazzling, terrifying, exhilarating . . . the talent of Lemaitre is as much in delivering a formidably effective whodunit as providing 400 pages of literature." - Service Litteraire "Sex, murder. Strategy, insanity. [Pierre Lemaitre] isn't cautious with his scenario, dissolving the victim-executioner relationship in sulfuric acid." - Alibi "A powerful whodunit." - Pelerin "In fewer than four years, Pierre Lemaitre has established himself as the most ingenious constructor of Hitchcockian plots . . . [ Alex ] demonstrates that the imagination of the author is still as diabolical and that he is capable of trying something new in a genre where most of his peers only get by with a great deal of implausibility and obvious plot contrivances . . . A tour de force ." - L'Humanité "Lemaitre's skilled and beautiful writing is a mixture of details at the edge of shock and lyrical passages." -Giancarlo de Cataldo, La Repubblica From the Hardcover edition., "Will keep you turning pages until well past your bedtime--with all the lights on, of course."'e" Library Journal, "Hypnotic... [a] remarkably determined and dangerous young woman--a woman who admittedly makes Lisbeth Salander look like Mary Poppins."'e" Raven Crime Reads, "An original and absorbing ability to leash incredulity in the name of the fictional contract between author and reader... A police procedural, a thriller against time, a race between hunted and hunter, and a whydunnit, written from multiple points of view that explore several apparently parallel stories which finally meet."'e" CWA International Dagger Award Judges citation, "What begins as a search for a missing person soon becomes a beguiling series of investigations linked only by Alex, a Parisian version of Lisbeth Salander. Camille, volatile, brilliant and just under 5ft, is an equally riveting figure."'e" John Dugdale, The Sunday Times, "Lemaitre's impressive American debut... unexpected plot twists will keep readers turning the pages."'e" Publishers Weekly (starred and boxed review), PRAISE FOR ALEX "Fascinating, horrifying, not to be missed." - Rolling Stone (Italy) " Alex . . . moves from read-as-fast-as-you-can horror to an intricately plotted race to a dark truth." -Alison Flood, The Guardian "Enthralls at every stage of its unpredictability." -Marcel Berlins, The Times "What begins as a search for a missing person soon becomes a beguiling series of investigations linked only by Alex, a Parisian version of Lisbeth Salander. Camille, volatile, brilliant and just under 5ft, is an equally riveting figure."-John Dugdale, The Sunday Times "A weaver of dark and disturbing crime fiction . . . Lemaitre brings his stinging, bitter story to a genuinely unexpected conclusion. We are not in the comfortable world of Inspector Maigret here-this is harsh, fierce crime writing with a Gauloise tinge. It would not be out of place filmed in black-and-white by the late, lamented Francois Truffaut, who loved crime tales like this." -Geoffrey Wansell, The Daily Mail "Relentlessly gripping . . . Various subtle variations of the crime novel are handled with aplomb . . . By page 200 you may believe that you''re moving to a pulse-raising conclusion. But you will be wrong; in some senses, the novel has only just begun."-Barry Forshaw, The Independent "Exhilarating, literary, Hitchcockian . . . This new investigation of Commandant Camille Verhoeven resumes with the sense of suspense, the art of the unexpected twist, the play on emotions that so seduced us and in which the influence of Hitchcock breaks out." - Le Monde Magazine "Hailed as the most important crime novel in translation since Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo , Alex similarly features as an intriguingly flawed feminist heroine bent on vengeance, and will likely prove a sensation of the crime fiction year."-Declan Burke, The Irish Times "An impressive American debut . . . unexpected plot twists will keep readers turning the pages."-Publishers Weekly (starred review) "[Lemaitre's] fourth novel keeps its bloody promises." - Metro "Pierre Lemaitre has achieved a milestone with his new novel: half mystery, half thriller, 100 percent successful." -Jean-Christophe Buisson, Le Figaro "Lemaitre raises the bar high, and brilliantly rises to the challenge he has set himself . . . [ Alex is] as chilling as it is fascinating…gives an exhilarating lightness to the horror depicted. The work of an artist." - Carrefour Savoirs "A thriller that grapples with the codes of murderous insanity. The author offers us an infernal and unpredictable plot, taking the art of suspense and terror to the limit." - Ici Paris "A novel of two halves, each as astonishing and unexpected as the other, served by extraordinary characters, and skillfully written. The torment and the twists of the book will keep you from sleeping." - Point de Vue "Thriller fans who still haven't heard of Pierre Lemaitre should rush to discover this great author who manipulates suspense as well as the pen. Alex , his fourth novel, is violent, dazzling, terrifying, exhilarating . . . the talent of Lemaitre is as much in delivering a formidably effective whodunit as providing 400 pages of literature." - Service Litteraire "Sex, murder. Strategy, insanity. [Pierre Lemaitre] isn't cautious with his scenario, dissolving the victim-executioner relationship in sulfuric acid." - Alibi "A powerful whodunit." - Pelerin "In fewer than four years, Pierre Lemaitre has established himself as the most ingenious constructor of Hitchcockian plots . . . [ Alex ] demonstrates that the imagination of the author is still as diabolical and that he is capable of trying something new in a genre where most of his peers only get by with a great deal of implausibility and obvious plot contrivances . . . A tour de force ." - L'Humanité "Lemaitre's skilled and beautiful writing is a mixture of details at the edge of shock and lyrical passages." -Giancarlo de Cataldo, La Repubblica From the Hardcover edition., "Before you can say Gone Girl , he discovers the crime is far from random and Alex anything but an ordinary victim. This gritty page-turner, Alex, is the first in a promised trilogy.Plus, s'il vous plait."'e" Thom Geier, Entertainment Weekly
