Saturday, July 14, 2012

More great summer reading!



I am currently immersed in Franck Thilliez' thriller, SYNDROME E, which has apparently already been purchased by a Hollywood studio for eventual movie magic.  The tale combines the talents of a female cop who must juggle a sick child in the hospital, another child at camp, a very hot summer, and a busman's holiday of a vacation in which she ends up investigating a very disturbing film that leads to a friend's hysterical blindness.

On a different case (which will soon be related, I think), Franck Sharko, an officer of the Paris police, must investigate the appearance of five badly-mangled bodies recently unearthed at a construction site.

The book is fascinating, not only for its details about film, embedded images, and the unconscious, but also because of its discussion of neuroscience.  A wonderful way to pass a hot summer day!!




Next up is Larissa Reinhart's PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY, which looks as though it will be much lighter, less stressful fare than Thilliez' SYNDROME.  But Reinhart's book has a very unusual premise: that an artist is asked to paint a portrait of a dead man for that man's grieving family, and in the process she becomes involved in some unsavory situations.  Looks promising!