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Syndrome E (Franck Sharko #3)

by Franck Thilliez, Mark Polizzotti (Translation)

3.85 of 5 stars 3.85 · rating details · 536 ratings · 147 reviews

The??classic procedural meets cutting edge science in this huge international bestseller

Already a runaway bestseller in France, Syndrome E tells the story of beleaguered detective Lucie Hennebelle, whose old friend has developed a case of spontaneous blindness after watching an extremely rare—and violent—film from the 1950s. Embedded in the film are subliminal images so un...more

Hardcover, 370 pages

Published August 16th 2012 by Viking Adult (first published 2010)

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Jan 03, 2013 Christine Van Heertum rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller-suspense

Le commissaire Sharko, en congé forcé pour soigner ses crises de schizophrénie, est appelé sur le lieu d'une découverte macabre: 5 corps mutilés sont retrouvés au fond d'un trou, les mains manquent, le crâne a été scié. L'enquête s'annonce difficile.
Plus au nord, à Lille, le lieutenant Lucie Henebelle se rend au chevet de son ex, devenu aveugle après avoir visionné un court métrage au contenu malsain. Un vieil homme, ami de l'ex-fiancé et restaurateur d'anciens films est assassiné dans d'étrange...more

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Jan 22, 2013 John Brooke rated it 4 of 5 stars

Thilliez has produced several award winning thrillers. As far as I can ascertain, this is the first in English translation. I enjoyed it immensely, because: I have a soft spot for French cops. Part of the story plays out in Montreal. It has some of the most beautiful descriptions of Cairo I’ve ever read…

Yes, the story covers a lot of ground. And time – an interesting and scary premise dovetailing with the CIA approved, if not funded, LSD mind control experiments conducted here (Mtl) in the 50’s...more

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Jan 16, 2013 Holly Mcintyre rated it 3 of 5 stars

Da Vinci Code goes Cold War. I found the premise (could watching a film really make someone blind, change their brain?) interesting enough to want to read the book, but difficult to grasp throughout. I kept wanting someone to stop and explain "Syndrome E" in a way I could really grasp. By the end, I still couldn't understand exactly what was being proposed. Along the way, I found the characters interesting, especially Lucie (not so much Franck whom I found more odd than interesting.) The part wh...more

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Jul 05, 2012 Valentina rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a fascinating book, full of mystery and horror, and even some romance.
The idea of a movie that can affect its viewer is a good one. Like The Ring, anyone who watches it is deeply affected, if not killed within seven days, but what makes it scary and even more interesting is that there is no supernatural element to the story. It’s all based on things that could really happen. I don’t want to give too much away, but it really is a terrifying look into what we allow to enter our brains thr...more

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Apr 09, 2012 Javier rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A modo de resumen tenemos que un antiguo amante de la teniente de policía Lucie Henebelle se queda ciego tras ver una extraña película antigua. Al mismo tiemp se descubren cinco cadáveres brutalmente mutilados a orillas del Sena, dónde interviene el retirado comisario Franck Sharko que se reincorpora al servicio para investigar el caso. Ambos hechos guardan una insólita relación que llevará a Lucie i Frank a un viaje de no retorno al oscuro mundo del'neuromarketing'moviéndose por Francia, Bélgic...more

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Jul 25, 2012 Kimberly rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of thrillers, police procedurals and film buffs

Recommended to Kimberly by: goodreads giveaway

Shelves: favorites

Actually 4 1/2 stars.

This review is based on reading an advance uncorrected proof of this book that I received through a giveaway here on Goodreads.

"With this taut U.S. debut, Thilliez explores the origins of violence through radical science in a breakneck and erotically charged thriller rich with shocking plot twists and profound questions about the nature of humanity." - from the book description on back cover.

That's a fair summary of this story that grabbed me from the get-go. Once I started...more Actually 4 1/2 stars.

This review is based on reading an advance uncorrected proof of this book that I received through a giveaway here on Goodreads.

"With this taut U.S. debut, Thilliez explores the origins of violence through radical science in a breakneck and erotically charged thriller rich with shocking plot twists and profound questions about the nature of humanity." - from the book description on back cover.

That's a fair summary of this story that grabbed me from the get-go. Once I started this book I was loathe to put it down and I can honestly say that if my copy had been an e-book, I would have finished it in less than 24 hours.

The premise is incredibly scary because you realize while reading it, just how vulnerable we've let ourselves become by coming home at the end of a stressful day to relax in front of our television sets, allowing ourselves to be lulled into a state of numbness, allowing who knows what kind of subliminal images into our brains to influence how we spend our money (it's called neuromarketing and corporations are using it all the time to get us to buy their products). What's really scary is that these subliminal images could be used to influence other behaviors - think civil rights and liberties, or who we vote into political office.

The two main characters, Franck Sharko and Lucie Hennebelle- detectives that start out working on very different separate cases that quickly turn out to be linked - are intelligent, likable and flawed. Franck Sharko is a paranoid schizophrenic, and I find it hard to believe that any police force would employ him. Also, I'm not entirely buying the cause of his schizophrenia, but I'm not a psychiatrist... Since his hallucinations don't distract from the story too much, I decided to let it go. And who knows, maybe his mental illness actually helps him do his job as a detective/profiler better than someone who's not mentally ill. (This is not meant to be a jab at the mentally ill, so please hold your comments and e-mails.)

The author/translator did an excellent job with the story, especially describing the places that the characters find themselves. Sharko finds himself following a lead in Cairo, Egypt and I don't know who truly deserves the credit, but they so effectively described the area, that I can confidently cross it off my "Places to See Before I Die" list. The crowds, smells, sand and oppressive heat were palpable; and this section of the book almost comes off as a love letter to Cairo and all of it's beautiful dirtiness (or dirty beautiful-ness).

The short film that causes most of the trouble is also incredibly interesting as are the lessons that we learn about it and the techniques used to make it. The characters that educate the detectives come off as real people who do what they love and love what they do. Like a good teacher, they make the subject interesting. As does the professor they visit in Belgium to learn more about the film, subliminal images, neuromarketing and how they can be used to influence us.

The book is written in a way that as the story unfolds, you figure out what's going on at pretty much the same time as the detectives or maybe just a bit ahead of them. This makes it a bit predictable, but not in a bad way. I'd rather figure it out as I go along either with or even a bit before the characters, than have the mystery make no sense throughout the story(and sometimes even at the end). The ending is bit of a let down for me(and the reason I'm giving this book 4 1/2 stars instead of 5), only because of the predictability of the story and I honestly don't think that the author could have improved upon it by much.

I highly recommend that you rush to get this book when it comes out (the back of book says "on sale August 20, 2012) and get ready to settle in for an exciting, continent-crossing, thought-provoking extremely dark thriller!

p.s. - note to viking publishing and the editor of this book - great job! I found fewer typos in this advance uncorrected proof than I usually find in recently "corrected" published books (only 4 or 5 in the entire book).(less)

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Jul 22, 2012 Karen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: police-procedural, thriller

I won this book through Goodreads and am very happy to have been the winner! It reminds me a bit of old-style science/speculative fiction. I think I've found a new author to read. M. Thilliez wrote a taut, science based book that had me finishing it in one day, despite the fact that it is summer here and the weather is lovely. I enjoyed his two main characters, both a little different from the normal run of police procedurals, but eminently likeable. There were a few tropes near the end of the n...more

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Jun 27, 2012 Candace rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is one humdinger of a book, not for the squeamish. "Syndrome E" is very graphic and very, very creepy, with a detective who's so close to the edge that every time he appears you are sure that this is it, Sharko’s going to be overwhelmed by his paranoid schizophrenia and dragged under by one of his hallucinations. He is balanced by a younger detective from another part of France who is striving to juggle motherhood and a drive not unlike his before he lost out to mental illness. Their relati...more

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Feb 22, 2013 Donna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: suspense, criminal-mystery

This book had an intriguing premise upon which layer after layer of science and conspiracy were added until I felt buried beneath it all.

In the beginning, I was fascinated by the short film that started things off by causing a man to go blind after viewing it. There were hidden images contained within it that conveyed subliminal messages that traumatized him. I was equally fascinated by the idea that the arts and sciences have steadily been invading what should be held private and sacred--our v...more This book had an intriguing premise upon which layer after layer of science and conspiracy were added until I felt buried beneath it all.

In the beginning, I was fascinated by the short film that started things off by causing a man to go blind after viewing it. There were hidden images contained within it that conveyed subliminal messages that traumatized him. I was equally fascinated by the idea that the arts and sciences have steadily been invading what should be held private and sacred--our very thoughts and feelings--thereby, influencing them and us. There is one very effective scene in which Sharko realizes his own privacy has been breached. His reaction summed up just how nefarious were the people behind the crimes he was investigating. I could feel the violation he felt, adding sympathy onto an already sympathetic character.

The main characters are Sharko, a schizophrenic inspector from Paris coping with the loss of his family, and Lucie Henebelle, a detective who is a single mother of twin daughters, equally devoted to her job and family. These two broken characters drew me in as their two separate investigations merged, drawing each of them to one another on more than a professional level, when trying to discover who was behind the making of the film, and how eight deaths and counting might be related to it.

So why three stars and not more? I wasn't crazy about the fact that very little back story is given on these characters, allowing those of us who cannot speak French to catch up with those who have read the first two books in the series not available in English at this time. I felt as if I were always missing some vital information and was left struggling to understand these characters. Also, I wasn't crazy about the lack of names and pronouns whenever a character was referred to. Time and again, the book uses descriptions of the characters, such as 'the cop from Paris poured himself a drink' instead of simply using the name Sharko or 'he.' Though this might have been the translator's fault, it grated on my nerves.

Basically, this book was worth reading for the sympathetic characters and the suspense. But I think that it would have been better had the author not woven such a tangled story that left things floundering by the end, with him trying to explain everything. And the ending itself, setting up a sequel, was way too cliched. I might read the next book in the series, but I'd enter it cautiously.

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May 18, 2013 Ric is currently reading it · review of another edition

I wondered as I finished this book, why I was so engrossed by it, for on the surface this was a typical police procedural, and not generally my cup of tea. But inveigle me it did, and here are some of the possible reasons. (1) The character Starko, a 50-something police veteran who suffers from schizophrenia, who must deal with both his inner and the story's criminal demons, with outward gruffness - reminds me of someone I know quite well; (2) The French - both the language the original was writ...more

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Aug 03, 2012 Brenda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Syndrome E is the first of Franck Thilliez's Lucie Hennebelle and Franck Sharko detective novels to be translated into English, although apparently it is the third in each of those characters' respective series. While I did get the sense that I was missing some backstory, especially in the case of Hennebelle, I did not feel entirely lost/bereft as a result of the publisher's decision to begin translating and sharing so late in the game. However, I do hope that the previous novels will be made av...more Syndrome E is the first of Franck Thilliez's Lucie Hennebelle and Franck Sharko detective novels to be translated into English, although apparently it is the third in each of those characters' respective series. While I did get the sense that I was missing some backstory, especially in the case of Hennebelle, I did not feel entirely lost/bereft as a result of the publisher's decision to begin translating and sharing so late in the game. However, I do hope that the previous novels will be made available in the English language...soon.

Since characterization is often more important to me than the ultimate resolution of who-done-it, I have to say that I greatly appreciated the way in which Franck Sharko's schizophrenic visions are worked into this text. His conversations with the child Eugenie, whom no one else could see, provided much insight into the inspector's psyche. (Her constant demands for candied chestnuts and cocktail sauce also add welcome moments of lightness to a very dark story.)

While the protagonist of TNT's Perception successfully acts as an advisor to the police, despite frequent visitations by Joan of Arc and other characters, he seems a little too calm and collected to be a convincing schizophrenic. That is not the case for Franck Sharko, who clearly struggles with his illness and with other losses in his life. Still, he manages to get the job done. I think that Thilliez provides a useful reminder that schizophrenics can be productive members of society. Thankfully, the schizophrenic in this novel does not turn out to be the killer.

Indeed, it is not unusual for crime solvers in fiction to be damaged--and both of Thilliez's investigators have histories of psychological distress. But, neither is quite as antisocial as Lisbeth Salander of the Dragon Tattoo series. Still, I think fans of Larsson's work may appreciate Thilliez's approach.

What most appealed to me, however, was the manner in which Thilliez drew upon real historical events to build this thriller. I was particularly intrigued by the way he handled research into collective hysteria and experiments with subliminal messaging. I learned quite a bit in reading this novel. I was not, for example, familiar with the Canadian case of the Duplessis Orphans and wondered why more studies of this historical horror do not appear to be available. (Do not google "Duplessis Orphans" before their relevance is mentioned in the plot if you do not want to have any facets of the mystery revealed in advance. Canadian readers are more likely to be familiar with this history so I'm going to hide this review for its potential spoiler. I'm not giving away much here, but some readers may prefer to remain as much in the dark as possible.)

To my delight, plans to adapt this film for the screen have been reported in the news media--and I'm looking forward to the final result, which I expect to be something of an homage to film making as well as a thriller since the central case revolves around a surrealist film of the 1950s. Thilliez alludes explicitly to Un Chien Andalou later in the novel, but some readers will get the allusion as soon as an eye-slitting scene appears in the first viewing of another disturbing movie in Thilliez's text.

I am grateful to First Reads for providing this Advanced Reader's Copy as part of their giveaway program.(less)

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Aug 08, 2012 Jenifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi, thriller

This novel started a little slow for me. Probably because not only were there quite a few different characters introduced within the first two or three chapters but the chapters also initially alternated between two protagonists and two different locations. Once I realized that Syndrome E is essentially two separate mysteries or crimes that eventually come together with a common relevance, it all made sense. I do like the way the author started his novel with these two crimes and two protagonist...more

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Sep 10, 2012 Irene B. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

I'm giving this book five stars, because I simply could not put this psychological thriller down!

On Labor Day, I had planned to work on some projects, but instead I picked up this book and read it almost through. There were many gripping facets to the plot: An odd 1950s movie that makes someone go hysterically blind; more gruesome mysteries revealed involving the film, the star, and the film maker; further conspiracy/paranoic/criminal developments in France, Egypt, and Quebec that tie together...more

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Jan 23, 2013 Rich Rosell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Apparently Thilliez is a big deal in Europe, and this is his first work released in the U.S., a twisty thriller with enough plot points for three books. Based on this one: sign me up for more, Franck.

Yet another writer that I came across this by accident at the library, and I felt like living dangerously. As a thriller it's a quick read, filled with short chapters that make it easy to "just read one more". The central character is a quirky profiler (and he has some bigtime personal issues) inve...more

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Aug 15, 2012 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, twenty-twelve, crime-novels, horror, reviewed, series-books

This was an excellently plotted thriller and the science was very interesting. I'm not sure how much was accurate and how much was embellished, but it had the benefit of believability. I wasn't aware that this was the third book in a series which may explain why the main character didn't feel very well drawn. I'm sure the author didn't feel the need to over explain a character he'd already written two other books about. The story was very absorbing and managed to convey a lot of interesting info...more

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May 04, 2013 Joop Liefaard rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime

Ludovic Sénéchal verzamelt oude films. Als er een advertentie in de krant verschijnt waarin een grote collectie wordt aangeboden is hij als eerste aanwezig om er een aantal te kopen. Zijn nieuwsgierigheid wordt gewekt door een ongedocumenteerde film en als hij 's-avonds de bewuste film in zijn privetheather afspeelt, wordt hij getroffen door blindheid. Ludovic die de oorzaak van zijn blindheid associeert met het kijken naar de film vraagt zijn vroegere vriendin, rechercheur Lucie Henebelle de fi...more Ludovic Sénéchal verzamelt oude films. Als er een advertentie in de krant verschijnt waarin een grote collectie wordt aangeboden is hij als eerste aanwezig om er een aantal te kopen. Zijn nieuwsgierigheid wordt gewekt door een ongedocumenteerde film en als hij 's-avonds de bewuste film in zijn privetheather afspeelt, wordt hij getroffen door blindheid. Ludovic die de oorzaak van zijn blindheid associeert met het kijken naar de film vraagt zijn vroegere vriendin, rechercheur Lucie Henebelle de film te laten onderzoeken door een filmrestaurateur. Na dit onderzoek blijft Lucie zitten met een paar vragen: welke boodschap verbergt de schokkende film, wie heeft hem gemaakt en met welk doel? Wie is het meisje dat in de film voorkomt en waarom wordt zij plosteling zo geweldadig? Zij is er zo door gefascineerd dat zij besluit de zaak verder te onderzoeken.

In een gehucht in Normandië wordt een diep graf ontdekt waarin de stoffelijke resten van vijf mannen worden gevonden. De schedels van deze mannen zijn geopend en de hersenen, de ogen en de handen zijn op deskundige wijze verwijderd. Commissaris Franck Sharko van de Dienst Bestrijding Geweld Gericht tegen Personen wordt gevraagd de plaats delict te onderzoeken op mogelijke sporen. Aanvankelijk heeft hij geen idee in welke richting hij zijn onderzoek moet vervolgen. Hierin komt verandering als Lucie een tip ontvangt waarin een verband wordt gelegd tussen de film en de moord op de vijf mannen. Lucie Henebelle en Franck Sharko moeten samenwerken en komen terecht in een angstaanjagende wereld waarin
manipulatie, geweld, hysterie en massapsychose de boventoon voeren.

Van Franck Thilliez zijn verschillende boeken in Nederland uitgebracht en de ontvangst was steeds positief. Het weeshuis is de eerste misdaadroman met Lucie Henebelle en Franck Sharko als hoofdpersonen. Het boek is in 2010 geschreven. Er is inmiddels een tweede deel onder de titel De schakel in Nederland verschenen.

Het weeshuis bevat twee verhaallijnen en hoewel die op het eerste gezicht niets met elkaar te maken lijken te hebben, is het tegendeel het geval. Het verhaal zit goed in elkaar. Franck Thilliez heeft van een aantal ingewikkelde wetenschappelijke thema's een begrijpelijke verhaal gemaakt. De twee hoofdpersonen in het boek, Lucie en Franck, zijn goed uitgewerkt. Ingrijpende gebeurtenissen in hun leven hebben diepe sporen nagelaten en dat maakt hen boeiend en intrigerend. De interactie tussen de twee is soms heel vanzelfsprekend en op andere momenten onhandig. Het verhaal kent een aantal gruwelijke passages. De spanning is goed opgebouwd en de zinderende ontknoping eindigt met een verontrustend open einde.

Het weeshuis is een uitstekende misdaadroman die de moeite van het lezen zeker waard is. Het is ook een beangstigend boek. Zijn wij onderweg naar een samenleving waarin het mogelijk is het menselijk brein dusdanig te beinvloeden en te manipuleren dat daarmee elk willekeurig gedrag bij mensen opgeroepen kan worden? Technieken die, als zij in handen van de verkeerde mensen vallen, catastrofale gevolgen kunnen hebben? In Het weeshuis worden dergelijke vragen niet beantwoord maar het boek biedt genoeg stof om er over na te denken.

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Sep 09, 2012 Pascale rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really did not know what to expect when I picked up this one. The blurb made it sound like a horror novel and the first hundred or so pages did feel quite terrifying, however this turned out to be quite an intriguing thriller/mystery novel. The translation was mostly well down some phrases were badly done which altered the flow of the story but these were few and far between. I am greatly looking forward to the next in the series as the cliffhanger as whetted my appetite for more. The characte...more

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Aug 20, 2012 Mark Matthews rated it 5 of 5 stars

A vintage movie connoisseur answers an ad and buys some rare movies, and after watching the clip, goes blind. Thus begins Syndrome E, and the novel explodes from this point, tracing the effects on a single persons Eyes to other areas of the world. Subliminal messages of horror are slowly revealed in the clip, and strange deaths where the eyes have been removed, the skulls sawed open, and the bodies buried to hide decomposition are connected to the movie clip.

Yes, larger world implications begin...more A vintage movie connoisseur answers an ad and buys some rare movies, and after watching the clip, goes blind. Thus begins Syndrome E, and the novel explodes from this point, tracing the effects on a single persons Eyes to other areas of the world. Subliminal messages of horror are slowly revealed in the clip, and strange deaths where the eyes have been removed, the skulls sawed open, and the bodies buried to hide decomposition are connected to the movie clip.

Yes, larger world implications begin and end through the complexities of one’s eyes.

Syndrome E is a smart horror story, yet can also be considered a piece of dark, literary crime fiction.

While the easy comparison is to the horror movie, 'The Ring', I hardly think this gives the story justice as the novel is much more complex. Two detectives investigating are battling with their own personal instabilities, a backdrop of science and the nature of the human mind guides the novel, and some accurate historical fiction is sprinkled in.

Yes, the story of CIA MK-Ultra experiments is based on fact, as is the reference to a horror movie made so real that the director was called in to testify to prove nobody was actually murdered during the shooting of his impalement scenes. Google ‘Cannibal Holocaust’

The novels greatness is in its exploration inward into the human mind, and its larger implications to the world at large. The origins of mass killings and genocides derive from the sensory impact images have upon our eyes and our brains, yet it is told through the tale of two individuals who have a personal stake in the outcome.

The ending of the novel - meaning when the 'suspect' is apprehended - was a bit unsatisfying but interesting in the mea culpa explanations, but this was made up in the final paragraph. An unresolved question dangles before your eyes, and the last sentence has continued to play on in my head, long after the credits roll and the kindle is closed.

A movie version is on it’s way. Let’s hope they do this incredible novel justice.

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Aug 04, 2012 Sylvia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: goodreads-first-reads

I received this book as an Advance Uncorrected Proof from Goodreads.

Lucie Hennebelle – a policewoman from Lille - gets a disturbing call.
A friend who was watching a very old movie had gone blind.
At the same time, Inspector Franck Sharko, an analyst at a special police unit in Paris, is called to a particularly gruesome crime scene. Five corpses with brutal mutilation and opened skulls are found.
It does not take long and the paths of Lucie and Sharko cross.

Both characters are not unusual, but we...more

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Jul 28, 2012 Mark Janveau rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

This was a very well executed novel. I received it as a Goodreads pre-release giveaway and wasn't sure what to expect. I ended up thoroughly enjoying it though even when it wasn't earth shattering in terms of plot or originality.
What set it apart from any number of police procedural / science based thrillers I've read was most likely the fact that it was a translation. Let me state right now that the translation from French was top-notch. I've read a number of foreign language books interpret...more

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Oct 15, 2012 April rated it 2 of 5 stars

This was a new addition to the bunch of international novels started by the 1998 Japanese movie Ringu, in which viewing a video inexplicably causes pain, horror, and eventually death. French writer Franck Thilliez has a police procedural take on the idea, following the lives of 2 police, one a divorced female beat cop and one a somewhat unstable detective undermined by grief and fighting his way out of pyschotic hallucinations. Lucie Henebelle and Franck Sharko learn about the international rami...more

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Oct 23, 2012 Alexandra rated it 3 of 5 stars

I wanted to like this book, I really did, but after reading through it, I couldn't help thinking that it's simply a French thriller writer doing what American thriller writers have been doing for years: put two dysfunctional people (preferably cops) in a case with a creepy supernatural-ish twist and a conspiracy theory, and you'll get a bestselling story.

And Syndrome E has everything included to make a bestseller: a male and female lead who initially clash and have to learn to work together, a s...more I wanted to like this book, I really did, but after reading through it, I couldn't help thinking that it's simply a French thriller writer doing what American thriller writers have been doing for years: put two dysfunctional people (preferably cops) in a case with a creepy supernatural-ish twist and a conspiracy theory, and you'll get a bestselling story.

And Syndrome E has everything included to make a bestseller: a male and female lead who initially clash and have to learn to work together, a series of unsolved murders, a creepy film that might be killing people, conspiracy theories, and lots of technical jargon that is supposed to be smart, but comes off as silly instead. The only thing that sets Syndrome E apart from any other thriller on the American market is that it was written in French, translated to English, and sold in the States.

Looking past the familiar plot - an art house film causes blindness in one viewer in Lille, and might be linked to the deaths of at least a half dozen people in southern France - Syndrome E has other problems. Its characters are two-dimensional (at best); the female lead is predictably torn between motherhood and the job of being a detective, and the male lead is a paranoid schizophrenic whose psychosis presents itself more vividly as the story goes on. He might also take the prize for most ill-conceived male lead detective character of the year.

The translation from French to English is what ultimately killed this book for me. Certain terms and idioms are translated from French to English in such a fashion that they jarred me out of the experience. When I saw the phrase 'the whole shebang' used in the book, as well as the frequent use of 'the cop', 'CSI', and 'ME' to describe police personnel, I started to get frustrated. These are American phrases and terms, not French, and they kill the flow.

I'm ultimately disappointed, because I was hoping for something more along the lines of Koji Suzuki's The Ring (novel that the film is based on), not a weak French-written American thriller. While reading Syndrome E, I was reminded why thrillers are at the low end of my reading spectrum. I like brain candy, but it has to make me think, not make me want to give myself a concussion.(less)

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Aug 15, 2012 Marci rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, 2012-goodreads-challenge

Lucie Hennebelle receives a call from an ex-lover. He has suddenly gone blind after watching a film. She decides to watch the film and suddenly finds herself in the midst of a series of crimes that spans across fifty years and three continents, which leads her to seek the assistance of Inspector Franck Sharko. The fact that everyone that seems to come into contact with the film ends up dead does not help her search for answers.

Franck Sharko gets called to a gruesome crime scene-a mass grave to...more

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Jun 07, 2012 Rebecca Harrison rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Syndrome E by Franck Thilliez

This book was excellent. It was a very convoluted and far reaching mystery. Franck Sharko is a seasoned policeman working on a possible murder when he meets Lucie a fairly new officer from a different region in France. He immediately sees himself in her, an obsessed, relentless investigator. Lucie is working on a case that hasn't really become a case yet. A friend of Lucie's is blinded by watching a movie and the doctors cannot figure out how. These two cases eventua...more

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May 04, 2013 Ed rated it 5 of 5 stars

Franck Thilliez certainly keeps one on the edge of their seat....... there are two primary characters, both French Police; Lucy Hennebelle and Franck Sharko. I should tell you the book ends in a cliff hanger..... The plot is complicated ..... even when you have 90% of the book read there are more twists and turns... I enjoyed it thoroughly.
The bad news all the books are written in French and German.... and I will have to wait for the translation.....
The good news; there are 4 Lucy Hennebelle bo...more

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Apr 23, 2013 Alicia Platas rated it 2 of 5 stars

En "El síndrome E" Thilliez ha ganado algo en calidad literaria, sus descripciones sobre Egipto son hasta bonitas en algún momento, sus personajes son más creíbles y menos encorsetados. El enfrentamiento de la un poco más alegre Lucie con el triste Sharko resulta interesante y la historia es más dinámica. Pese a ello se sigue repitiendo como en los libros anteriores, explica de un modo innecesario las mismas cosas una y otra vez. Y hace un refrito de historias de cine, huérfanos, violencia y pas...more

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Aug 27, 2012 Dianne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Pyschological thriller which is hard to put down.
When I started it very much reminded me of the Ring. A movie affects a view to the point he is blinded, but not everyone who views it reacts the same but they all are affected.
Why?
What is the connection to murders and various violent psychological phenomenon around the world?
Sharko is a great character. I love that in France a head detective can have obvious mental/emotional problems and not have to worry about his job. He is still tough as nails....more

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Aug 14, 2012 Denise rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads-giveaways, crime-and-mystery

First Reads giveaway
Syndrome E: A Novel by Franck Thilliez

I really enjoyed this thriller, it was a page turner and you went along for the ride through Paris, Egypt and Canada to find out who and what caused a fifty year old murder that led to finding five new bodies in Paris that had the same MO. Wrapped in the story of a subliminal film that led to more deaths and a cover up that went all the way back to the French Foreign Legion and the CIA!

Franck Sharko is the main inspector that is investig...more

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Aug 24, 2012 Oolookitty is currently reading it

Shelves: fiction, thriller, cinema, france, detective, film

This one reminds me of "Flicker", though not as well-written, though this may be the fault of the translation; I'm enjoying it so far, but the text is really cliche-ridden. Things are heavy as lead, people are walking on eggshells, other people are on things like white on rice.... it's not great writing or, again, perhaps it's not great translation.

Intriguing so far though and am looking forward to seeing where it goes.

Update: have abandoned it for the moment. It's just so flatly written and cli...more

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Nov 20, 2010 My Inner Shelf rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporains, polar-thriller

Encore un polar haut de gamme ! Thilliez ne m’a pas encore déçue, même s’il me manque 2 titres de l’auteur (Deuil de miel et Train d’enfer pour ange rouge).
Comme d’habitude, on plonge dans un roman parfaitement maîtrisé, rien n’est laissé au hasard et le contexte scientifique est encore une fois très documenté. Tout repose sur des faits et des événements réels, seule l’intrigue est une pure fiction, mais basée sur une réalité encore plus effrayante.
On retrouve à la fois Henebelle et Sharko, chac...more

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Syndrome E (Franck Sharko #3)

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Syndrome E (Franck Sharko #3)

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