Olivier Descosse offers us a classic but effective thriller, punctuated by the intimate flaws of these characters. A formidable “page-turner” that multiplies the red herrings, Nice Premium tells you the story of The Forbidden List.
In the very quiet town of Nogent-le-Rotrou, during a heatwave, Lieutenant Michel Diallo is brooding. Between very mediocre investigations and his disintegrating married life, this new assignment has nothing to please him. But he is called to the scene of an accident where the driver was crushed then charred. Something small awakens Diallo’s senses…
At the same time, Claire Brissac is called to a suicide in the thirteenth arrondissement, right in the heart of the Chinese quarter, a man has fallen from the 17th floor, his completely dismembered body will reveal more than one mystery…
When a novel is split between two plots, you more or less sense when the connection will be made, and sometimes you know where the link will be formed, who will be the hyphen. In The Forbidden List, the book is 599 pages long (excluding epilogue, J’ai lu editions) and the junction happens only on page 560…
Up to that point, you don’t see what could connect Claire Brissac’s case to Michel Diallo’s, despite some similarities, the worlds are too distant, as are the geographical locations taking us from Paris to the French Riviera, to Belgium, and via China.
The two investigations are conducted briskly, you don’t get bored, and the author enjoys leading us astray on paths that will turn out to be false. It’s well-written and the addiction is almost immediate, The Forbidden List meets all the conditions of a good “page-turner” despite the classic nature of the investigation.
However, the finale – the reasons for these deaths – is quite interesting and would have deserved more development as it raises many questions, moral of course but so human… Olivier Descosse leads the reader to a surprising discovery about the double game of certain characters, and you can never guess what is hiding behind these investigations.
Another point that makes the novel very attractive is the characters. Olivier Descosse has created two detectives with great detail and precision; Michel Diallo, a black man, a brute force, with formidable intelligence and a chaotic past stuck in a suburb too quiet to follow his wife. The novel begins as they are in the midst of a reassessment, she no longer knows if she loves him, if she wants to stay with him, she leaves him for the summer holidays. On her side, Claire Brissac is not better off, weakened by the assassination of her husband, whose criminal trial will probably not take place. A professional examining magistrate, whom some in the Palais are waiting for her fall. The story is enriched by their personal stories, these two characters with intimate dramas share their lives with the reader. Sometimes you get the impression that the book was written just to tell their stories.
Rich, in-depth characters, increasing suspense, twists and multiple false leads, effectiveness awaits in reading The Forbidden List, a “page-turner” with an almost immoral but so understandable ending.
