What do you think?
Rate this book
Thief of Souls: A Novel
With her acclaimed novels The Plague Tales and The Burning Road , Ann Benson has carved out a unique place on the literary landscape with her fascinating alchemy of mystery, history, and psychological terror. Now this gifted storyteller returns with an astounding tale of two crime waves separated by nearly 600 years. In each, the victims are children. In each, the perpetrator is a man of power and renown. And in each, the pursuit of justice is spearheaded by a woman who has seen the face of evil up close—and whose own life is entwined with a madman’s.
In the city of Nantes, in the year 1440, a woman hurries through the cobblestoned streets. Her world of faith, loyalty, and family is buckling under the weight of her suspicions about a dead child…and others who may have met the same fate—all at the hands of the same killer—the infamous Gilles de Rais. Soon Guillemette le Drappière, companion to the Bishop of Nantes, is investigating the young nobleman she helped raise from infancy. To unravel the truth, Guillemette must enter a dark realm of power, perversion, bloodlust—and bring to it the unforgiving light of the church she serves.
In the city of Los Angeles, in the year 2002, a detective gets the kind of call she dreads "My child is gone." Lany Dunbar, a mother, a cop, and a veteran of human horrors, cannot be prepared for where this search will lead her. For within days, Lany is certain that this missing-child case has exposed the work of a serial killer. At odds with her own department, sure that her killer is becoming more emboldened, Lany zeroes in on a suspect—while a suspect zeroes in on her.…
Two horrific crime sprees. Two extraordinary eras. The connections between them are at once eerie, compelling, and surprising. Only Ann Benson can weave together the strands of history and suspense with such mastery. Skillfully blending past and present, myth and reality, Benson catapults us from an age when wolves ran wild through the streets of Paris to an age of high-tech criminal profiling. A riveting, rousing adventure through time, history, and forensic science, Thief of Souls introduces two unforgettable characters, separated by centuries, linked by a passionate quest for justice. For in a race to stop monsters from more monstrous crimes, both women will discover a frightening that within a killer is a child, and within a child are seeds of both innocence and evil.
In the city of Nantes, in the year 1440, a woman hurries through the cobblestoned streets. Her world of faith, loyalty, and family is buckling under the weight of her suspicions about a dead child…and others who may have met the same fate—all at the hands of the same killer—the infamous Gilles de Rais. Soon Guillemette le Drappière, companion to the Bishop of Nantes, is investigating the young nobleman she helped raise from infancy. To unravel the truth, Guillemette must enter a dark realm of power, perversion, bloodlust—and bring to it the unforgiving light of the church she serves.
In the city of Los Angeles, in the year 2002, a detective gets the kind of call she dreads "My child is gone." Lany Dunbar, a mother, a cop, and a veteran of human horrors, cannot be prepared for where this search will lead her. For within days, Lany is certain that this missing-child case has exposed the work of a serial killer. At odds with her own department, sure that her killer is becoming more emboldened, Lany zeroes in on a suspect—while a suspect zeroes in on her.…
Two horrific crime sprees. Two extraordinary eras. The connections between them are at once eerie, compelling, and surprising. Only Ann Benson can weave together the strands of history and suspense with such mastery. Skillfully blending past and present, myth and reality, Benson catapults us from an age when wolves ran wild through the streets of Paris to an age of high-tech criminal profiling. A riveting, rousing adventure through time, history, and forensic science, Thief of Souls introduces two unforgettable characters, separated by centuries, linked by a passionate quest for justice. For in a race to stop monsters from more monstrous crimes, both women will discover a frightening that within a killer is a child, and within a child are seeds of both innocence and evil.
640 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
10 people are currently reading
405 people want to read
About the author
Ann Benson
4 books15 followersLibrarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
October 31, 2016
It’s been awhile since a book has made me this angry.
There’s an undercurrent of homophobia and transphobia that runs throughout Ann Benson’s bloated, long-winded and uninteresting novel “Thief of Souls.” The story alternates between two different time periods, one the fifteenth century narrated by the former wet nurse of serial killer of young boys Gilles de Rais and the other the twenty-first century narrated by a detective investigating a string of murders eerily similar to the aforementioned serial killer’s.
A mere thirty pages in we can see where the present-day detective character, Lany Dunbar, stands on LGBT issues:
“I took a long breath before asking the next question…’Mrs. Leeds, do you have a regular companion of any kind?’
“I always hate that question. My first impulse is to say boyfriend, but we can’t do that anymore either. It’s getting silly, the way we have to talk now. Frazee had a great call once – female-sounding voice says, ‘My lover is missing.’ After the usual round of questions Frazee asks for a description. It took him about twenty minutes to figure out that the caller was a cross-dresser, and the missing lover was actually a woman but was being described as a man, the point of the whole story being that you can’t always assume things about people by looking at them or listening to them, because people do all sorts of things to make themselves look different than they really are” (28).
This could easily be disregarded as the character’s own internal transphobia, but it quickly becomes apparent throughout the rest of the novel that the author shares this opinion herself. Homosexuality is brought up in both narratives and both quickly and unapologetically link it to pedophilia. There are no characters or situations in the book that negate this wrong-headed position and it poisons the entire novel.
Indeed, the threat of the “Other,” in this case someone who doesn’t fit into the author’s personal notion of the moral, heterosexual world, permeates every page of the story. In a situation similar to the section of the novel quoted above, Wilbur Durand, the serial killer in the twenty-first century narrative, is painted as a threat merely because of his preternaturally high speaking voice:
“His voice surprised me; I expected it to have a spellbinding quality, along the lines of Vincent Price or Will Lyman. But instead of the rich, commanding voice I anticipated, he put out a series of high-pitched utterances that coalesced, against all odds, into a demand.
“An alto, if he was a singer – not a man’s voice at all, but not really a woman’s either. If he’d called me on the phone, I wouldn’t have been able to tell what sex he was. His voice almost had a fake quality to it, as if he were speaking through some distortion device or from underwater; every word felt like metal scraped on metal” (316).
The idea of LGBT people being “unnatural” is firmly presented in the coda of this scene. Once Durand stalks his way out of the police station, this exchange occurs between Dunbar and her desk sergeant:
“’Jeez, Louise,’ the desk sergeant finally said, ‘what the hell was that?’
“’I don’t know,’ I breathed. ‘I think scientists are working on it.’
“’Good luck to them,’ Spence said” (318).
But Benson saves her worst piece of homophobia for last. When the prep for Durand’s trial is taking place and a jury is being selected, Dunbar makes this rueful observation:
“…the ideal jury for Wilbur Durand, a cookie cutter group of childless males with questionable gender identity, an inborn sense of entitlement, and flexible social mores, could not be created even by the most fastidious jury consultant” (475).
Frankly, it shocks me that this was published in 2002. As a society we should’ve progressed from these stereotypical and dangerous representations of LGBT people in fiction. It appalls me that a publishing house would publish this drivel and still have it in print. Obviously we still have a long way to go.
There’s an undercurrent of homophobia and transphobia that runs throughout Ann Benson’s bloated, long-winded and uninteresting novel “Thief of Souls.” The story alternates between two different time periods, one the fifteenth century narrated by the former wet nurse of serial killer of young boys Gilles de Rais and the other the twenty-first century narrated by a detective investigating a string of murders eerily similar to the aforementioned serial killer’s.
A mere thirty pages in we can see where the present-day detective character, Lany Dunbar, stands on LGBT issues:
“I took a long breath before asking the next question…’Mrs. Leeds, do you have a regular companion of any kind?’
“I always hate that question. My first impulse is to say boyfriend, but we can’t do that anymore either. It’s getting silly, the way we have to talk now. Frazee had a great call once – female-sounding voice says, ‘My lover is missing.’ After the usual round of questions Frazee asks for a description. It took him about twenty minutes to figure out that the caller was a cross-dresser, and the missing lover was actually a woman but was being described as a man, the point of the whole story being that you can’t always assume things about people by looking at them or listening to them, because people do all sorts of things to make themselves look different than they really are” (28).
This could easily be disregarded as the character’s own internal transphobia, but it quickly becomes apparent throughout the rest of the novel that the author shares this opinion herself. Homosexuality is brought up in both narratives and both quickly and unapologetically link it to pedophilia. There are no characters or situations in the book that negate this wrong-headed position and it poisons the entire novel.
Indeed, the threat of the “Other,” in this case someone who doesn’t fit into the author’s personal notion of the moral, heterosexual world, permeates every page of the story. In a situation similar to the section of the novel quoted above, Wilbur Durand, the serial killer in the twenty-first century narrative, is painted as a threat merely because of his preternaturally high speaking voice:
“His voice surprised me; I expected it to have a spellbinding quality, along the lines of Vincent Price or Will Lyman. But instead of the rich, commanding voice I anticipated, he put out a series of high-pitched utterances that coalesced, against all odds, into a demand.
“An alto, if he was a singer – not a man’s voice at all, but not really a woman’s either. If he’d called me on the phone, I wouldn’t have been able to tell what sex he was. His voice almost had a fake quality to it, as if he were speaking through some distortion device or from underwater; every word felt like metal scraped on metal” (316).
The idea of LGBT people being “unnatural” is firmly presented in the coda of this scene. Once Durand stalks his way out of the police station, this exchange occurs between Dunbar and her desk sergeant:
“’Jeez, Louise,’ the desk sergeant finally said, ‘what the hell was that?’
“’I don’t know,’ I breathed. ‘I think scientists are working on it.’
“’Good luck to them,’ Spence said” (318).
But Benson saves her worst piece of homophobia for last. When the prep for Durand’s trial is taking place and a jury is being selected, Dunbar makes this rueful observation:
“…the ideal jury for Wilbur Durand, a cookie cutter group of childless males with questionable gender identity, an inborn sense of entitlement, and flexible social mores, could not be created even by the most fastidious jury consultant” (475).
Frankly, it shocks me that this was published in 2002. As a society we should’ve progressed from these stereotypical and dangerous representations of LGBT people in fiction. It appalls me that a publishing house would publish this drivel and still have it in print. Obviously we still have a long way to go.
June 18, 2020
Sigh. This book.
I really wanted to finish this book and I thought I would make it, but I had to start skimming at about 65 percent.
The book follows two parallel stories. One takes place in 1440 France and follows Guillemette, an abbess who was Gilles de Rais's childhood nurse. Now, Gilles de Rais is a real historical figure who fought alongside Joan of Arc and then became a notorious serial murderer of children. This story follows Guillemette's investigation into the crimes and her growing realization that he is responsible.
The other story follows Lany, an LA homicide detective who is investigating a series of child disappearances and murders. This story takes place in modern times.
Now, I'm not squeamish when it comes to serial killer stories. In fact, I'm pretty familiar with Gilles de Rais's story. For some reason, he's not well-covered in the historical true crime community. Therefore, Guillemette's tale was the book's big draw for me; but it was also the bigger disappointment.
The Guillemette story was not engaging. First and foremost, no suspense. We knew from the beginning that Gilles de Rais was the serial killer responsible for all the disappearances. Literally, all the characters kind of figured it out by the middle of the book, except for Guillemette herself. It hurt her credibility as a smart woman. Or maybe she couldn't bring herself to believe it, but, either way...
Actually, Guillemette was a weak character in so many ways. She felt distant to me, even though she was a first-person narrator. I found her cold and inconsistent. She supposedly loved Gilles like a son (she did raise him), but it often feels as though she barely knew the guy. I felt none of her supposed emotional agony, even though her own son supposedly disappeared when out in the forest with Gilles. For some reason, it takes her a loooong time to make a connection there. :/
Gilles himself is not that much of a villain. He's rarely on the page and I just felt no menace. Therefore, I had no investment in seeing him finally brought to justice. How can this horrible monster be so dull?
I suspect the author might have tried to drag out the Guillemette story to accompany the far more compelling Lany story. Maybe a shorter story would have helped with pacing.
I actually liked Lany and watching how her investigation unfolds. Unfortunately, the big problem I had with this story was how incredibly grim it was. Maybe it was too realistic. Accompanying her as she interviews parents whose children disappeared and as she reads reports of the truly horrible conditions and surrounding these children were eventually found in? Well, again, I'm not squeamish, but I just couldn't continue. So depressing.
Between grimness on one side and disinterest on the other, this book just did not work for me.
I really wanted to finish this book and I thought I would make it, but I had to start skimming at about 65 percent.
The book follows two parallel stories. One takes place in 1440 France and follows Guillemette, an abbess who was Gilles de Rais's childhood nurse. Now, Gilles de Rais is a real historical figure who fought alongside Joan of Arc and then became a notorious serial murderer of children. This story follows Guillemette's investigation into the crimes and her growing realization that he is responsible.
The other story follows Lany, an LA homicide detective who is investigating a series of child disappearances and murders. This story takes place in modern times.
Now, I'm not squeamish when it comes to serial killer stories. In fact, I'm pretty familiar with Gilles de Rais's story. For some reason, he's not well-covered in the historical true crime community. Therefore, Guillemette's tale was the book's big draw for me; but it was also the bigger disappointment.
The Guillemette story was not engaging. First and foremost, no suspense. We knew from the beginning that Gilles de Rais was the serial killer responsible for all the disappearances. Literally, all the characters kind of figured it out by the middle of the book, except for Guillemette herself. It hurt her credibility as a smart woman. Or maybe she couldn't bring herself to believe it, but, either way...
Actually, Guillemette was a weak character in so many ways. She felt distant to me, even though she was a first-person narrator. I found her cold and inconsistent. She supposedly loved Gilles like a son (she did raise him), but it often feels as though she barely knew the guy. I felt none of her supposed emotional agony, even though her own son supposedly disappeared when out in the forest with Gilles. For some reason, it takes her a loooong time to make a connection there. :/
Gilles himself is not that much of a villain. He's rarely on the page and I just felt no menace. Therefore, I had no investment in seeing him finally brought to justice. How can this horrible monster be so dull?
I suspect the author might have tried to drag out the Guillemette story to accompany the far more compelling Lany story. Maybe a shorter story would have helped with pacing.
I actually liked Lany and watching how her investigation unfolds. Unfortunately, the big problem I had with this story was how incredibly grim it was. Maybe it was too realistic. Accompanying her as she interviews parents whose children disappeared and as she reads reports of the truly horrible conditions and surrounding these children were eventually found in? Well, again, I'm not squeamish, but I just couldn't continue. So depressing.
Between grimness on one side and disinterest on the other, this book just did not work for me.
June 17, 2011
It has taken me a day to process this book. Devastating is the best word I can come up with. Historical fiction based on horrifying events of the 1400's that correlate to today. The author is very good at telling two stories and keeping you on the edge of your seat. I enjoyed the characters and the stories, but be forwarned it is a very heart-wrenching one. There are detailed descriptions of some of the depravity of Bluebeard of old and the modern equivalent. As the detectives had to ask over and over, "who would do this to innocent children?", I found myself agreeing with them with all my heart. "Who would do this to innocent children?", but we know that it has happened over and over. There is Hope at the end. The Savior will heal those poor innocents.
July 18, 2008
The plot shifts rapidly between two parallel stories, each of which traverses rocky ethical, legal, and moral terrain. The heroines are two intensely humanistic women whose lives vary greatly, but who share the characteristic of willingness to sacrifice self-interest for the greater good of the communities in which they work and live.
December 15, 2022
Это омерзительная книга. Читать ее неприятно, я поминутно поражалась тому, как вообще было можно это написать.
Но все же по порядку:
Книга представляет собой две параллельные истории, одна из которых происходит в Лос-Анджелесе 2002 г., вторая во Франции 1440 г. Истории практически идентичны, развиваются параллельно, между собой не пересекаются.
Сюжет очень затянут. Исход обеих историй понятен с половины книги; учитывая что истории похожи, логично было бы предположить, что события одной могут как-то объяснить другую, но ничего такого не было, - по-видимому, автор не мог выбрать, в какой эпохе должна развиваться эта насквозь гнилая сюжетная линия. Выбрала рассказать сразу обе;
Линия, развивающаяся в 1440 г. вообще непонятна. Сознание главной героини никак не походит на сознание женщины Средневековья. То, как выражается она - тоже. Энн Бенсон просто поместила нашу современницу в реалии середины 15 века, добавила большое количество религиозных терминов, приправила избытком французских средневековых имен, описала пару бытовых ситуаций. Невозможно избавиться от чувства фальши. Как я прочитала в биографии автора, писать о Средневековье ее побудила любовь к Средневековью, но любовь в данном случае совсем не означает знание;
И последнее, - то, о чем написана эта книга, вызывает чувство омерзения. Я даже поинтересовалась автором: "Более 20 лет была дизайнером и консультантом по работе с бисером. Среди ее увлечений – садоводство и кулинария.
Опубликовала четыре книги по технике бисероплетения, ставшие бестселлерами и принесшие ей стабильный доход, после чего решила написать книгу совсем в другом жанре." "Похититель душ" - четвертая книга этой американской домохозяйки, и рассказывает она (спойлер) о двух (!) извращенцах, совершенно больных, насквозь гнилых педофилах, которые насилуют маленьких мальчиков при жизни, убивают их, а потом насилуют еще раз. Я не упоминаю подробностей, но это не все, о чем посчитала нужным сообщить своему читателю Энн. Расчлененка, море крови, внутренние органы и другие милые вещицы, рожденные сознанием консультанта по бисероплетению, - все это описывается без стеснения и растянуто на 450 страниц.
Мне жаль, что эта книга попала мне в руки и я никому, никому не желаю ее читать, потому что удовольствия никакого, интрига очевидна и неинтересна, герои банальны, и не дай Боже встретить эту милую женщину на каких-нибудь курсах кулинарии.
Но все же по порядку:
Книга представляет собой две параллельные истории, одна из которых происходит в Лос-Анджелесе 2002 г., вторая во Франции 1440 г. Истории практически идентичны, развиваются параллельно, между собой не пересекаются.
Сюжет очень затянут. Исход обеих историй понятен с половины книги; учитывая что истории похожи, логично было бы предположить, что события одной могут как-то объяснить другую, но ничего такого не было, - по-видимому, автор не мог выбрать, в какой эпохе должна развиваться эта насквозь гнилая сюжетная линия. Выбрала рассказать сразу обе;
Линия, развивающаяся в 1440 г. вообще непонятна. Сознание главной героини никак не походит на сознание женщины Средневековья. То, как выражается она - тоже. Энн Бенсон просто поместила нашу современницу в реалии середины 15 века, добавила большое количество религиозных терминов, приправила избытком французских средневековых имен, описала пару бытовых ситуаций. Невозможно избавиться от чувства фальши. Как я прочитала в биографии автора, писать о Средневековье ее побудила любовь к Средневековью, но любовь в данном случае совсем не означает знание;
И последнее, - то, о чем написана эта книга, вызывает чувство омерзения. Я даже поинтересовалась автором: "Более 20 лет была дизайнером и консультантом по работе с бисером. Среди ее увлечений – садоводство и кулинария.
Опубликовала четыре книги по технике бисероплетения, ставшие бестселлерами и принесшие ей стабильный доход, после чего решила написать книгу совсем в другом жанре." "Похититель душ" - четвертая книга этой американской домохозяйки, и рассказывает она (спойлер) о двух (!) извращенцах, совершенно больных, насквозь гнилых педофилах, которые насилуют маленьких мальчиков при жизни, убивают их, а потом насилуют еще раз. Я не упоминаю подробностей, но это не все, о чем посчитала нужным сообщить своему читателю Энн. Расчлененка, море крови, внутренние органы и другие милые вещицы, рожденные сознанием консультанта по бисероплетению, - все это описывается без стеснения и растянуто на 450 страниц.
Мне жаль, что эта книга попала мне в руки и я никому, никому не желаю ее читать, потому что удовольствия никакого, интрига очевидна и неинтересна, герои банальны, и не дай Боже встретить эту милую женщину на каких-нибудь курсах кулинарии.
October 6, 2020
Technically this isn't a part of the Plague Tales trilogy, but characters from this book feature in the finale, so I would recommend reading it between book 2 and 3.
Thief of Souls follows two timelines 600 years apart both dealing with child sexual assault/murder.
That escalated quickly.
It is difficult to read and didn't seem to fit with the author's style, but it was well researched and I would read it again were I to pick up the Plague Tale series again.
Thief of Souls follows two timelines 600 years apart both dealing with child sexual assault/murder.
That escalated quickly.
It is difficult to read and didn't seem to fit with the author's style, but it was well researched and I would read it again were I to pick up the Plague Tale series again.
October 26, 2020
Because I really enjoyed Ann Benson's three Plague novels, I finally decided to read Thief of Souls. The subject matter was brutal and heartbreaking, and I almost quit reading several times, but as the story unfolded I was drawn in and wanted to find out what happened. The part of the novel taking place in Los Angeles was up to the quality of some of Michael Connelly's novels. This novel is not for everyone, but Ann Benson is an accomplished author in my opinion.
February 13, 2018
At times I was transported into another time as I read this book. I could imagine myself living in France during the Renaissance. The subject matter is a little chilling, but it is always interesting they way Ann Benson ties together two stories taking place in different eras. I was hooked in right from the beginning. About 2/3 of the way through it really picked up steam.
June 25, 2020
A chilling look into the minds of evil men. Two horrific stories, taking place centuries apart, are woven together quite seamlessly. We are shown an entirely realistic slice of the 15th century, alternating with present day LA.
May 23, 2018
Un policíaco-histórico entretenido de leer y que trabaja una de las figuras históricas que me llama la atención: Barbazul. No puedo decir más: entretenido.
April 30, 2020
Anne Benson is a master of research and keeps a reader engaged by jumping between centuries. If you enjoyed The Plague Tales and/or The Burning Road, put this on your list.
January 15, 2021
Well written and suspenseful, but the subject matter made it a hard read.
October 19, 2022
Se hace pesado, sobran páginas que no aportan nada a la trama.
November 15, 2015
In Frankreich des 15. Jahrhunderts verschwinden mehrere männliche Jugendliche. Zunächst beachtet keiner die Vermisstenmeldungen, da die Kinder hauptsächlich aus der ärmeren Bevölkerungsschicht kommen. Erst als sich die Äbtissin Guillemette Nachforschungen anstellt tut sich das Ausmaß der verschwundenen Jungen dar. Und bald gibt es auch einen Verdächtigen: Alle Spuren zu ihren Ziehsohn Gilles de Rais.
Los Angeles, Gegenwart. Detective Lany Durban untersucht das Verschwinden eines männlichen Jugendlichen. Zunächst gibt es kaum Spuren und Hinweise wer der Täter sein könnte. Der einzige Hinweis ist, dass der Täter sich eventuell gut verkleiden kann. Als Lany noch 2 weitere Fälle von verschwundenen Jungen untersucht fallt ihr auf, dass sich die Jungen alle ähneln. ihre Ermittlungen führen sie tief in die Vergangenheit und bald hat sie einen auch schon einen Tatverdächtigen ermittelt.
2 Kriminalfälle in verschieden Epochen die sich gleichen. Der Fall in der Vergangenheit beruht auf historischen Tatsachen Gilles des Rais soll mehrere hundert Jugendliche ermordet haben. Beide Teile des Krimis sind spannend und gut zu lesen. Der moderne Teil des Buches ist etwas spannender, da man noch nicht weiß wie es ausgeht. Ann Benson hat es gut geschafft zweimal dieselbe Geschichte zu erzählen ohne sich zu wiederholen oder die Spannung zu minimieren.
Los Angeles, Gegenwart. Detective Lany Durban untersucht das Verschwinden eines männlichen Jugendlichen. Zunächst gibt es kaum Spuren und Hinweise wer der Täter sein könnte. Der einzige Hinweis ist, dass der Täter sich eventuell gut verkleiden kann. Als Lany noch 2 weitere Fälle von verschwundenen Jungen untersucht fallt ihr auf, dass sich die Jungen alle ähneln. ihre Ermittlungen führen sie tief in die Vergangenheit und bald hat sie einen auch schon einen Tatverdächtigen ermittelt.
2 Kriminalfälle in verschieden Epochen die sich gleichen. Der Fall in der Vergangenheit beruht auf historischen Tatsachen Gilles des Rais soll mehrere hundert Jugendliche ermordet haben. Beide Teile des Krimis sind spannend und gut zu lesen. Der moderne Teil des Buches ist etwas spannender, da man noch nicht weiß wie es ausgeht. Ann Benson hat es gut geschafft zweimal dieselbe Geschichte zu erzählen ohne sich zu wiederholen oder die Spannung zu minimieren.
July 19, 2015
No me suelen gustar los thrillers por alguna razón. No voy a mentir y decir que soy el cuchillo más afilado del cajón y, la mayor parte del tiempo, los misterios no son mi fuerte. Lo policiaco, menos. Entonces, ¿qué cojones hago leyendo este thriller-policiaco-historico? Pues, básicamente, me interesó la parte histórica. Había escuchado hablar de Grilles de Rais, pero nunca había leído de él. Así que empecé el libro bajo un montón de ecs, venga, tú puedes porque había leido unas críticas que acusaban al libro de ser demasiado fuerte/explicito/cruel y... hm, ahora tengo miedo de pensar que soy dura como una roca porque mientras que considero a estos dos asesinos unos grandes hijos de puta, tampoco me parece que el libro se explaye tanto o sea tan gráfico. Que lo es, ¿no? Que salen detalles y cuando se trata de críos siempre nos molesta un poco más, pero... no sé. Sinceramente me he quedado un poco preocupada con lo referente a ese grado de fuerza que se supone debería haberme echado para atrás.
Por lo demás, previsible, muy previsible. Entretenido. Una lectura diferente a las que suelo hacer. Recomendable, que no regalable. Tres estrellas me parecen justas.
Por lo demás, previsible, muy previsible. Entretenido. Una lectura diferente a las que suelo hacer. Recomendable, que no regalable. Tres estrellas me parecen justas.
June 4, 2015
This was a great mystery & historical novel all rolled into one. The parallels between Gilles de Rais and the child killer in modern day LA were chilling. For those unfamiliar with Gilles de Rais, he was a brother in arms to Joan of Arc, but he had a deep dark secret in that he was one of the fiercest child killers in history. He was appropriately punished for his crimes, but not all the children that he murdered were recovered as most of them were burned by his accomplices.
The story is told half in the Middle Ages and the other half in modern LA. Detective Lany Dunbar picks up the phone in her office one morning about a missing boy, and spearheads a case involving missing children that spans decades. In 1440, Sister Guillemette La Drappière starts to suspect that Gilles de Rais, one of the richest men in Brittany and her "fils de lait" is guilty of the most horrendous crime of child killing. Both very strong women. I recommend this book to anybody that loves both crime novels & historical novels.
The story is told half in the Middle Ages and the other half in modern LA. Detective Lany Dunbar picks up the phone in her office one morning about a missing boy, and spearheads a case involving missing children that spans decades. In 1440, Sister Guillemette La Drappière starts to suspect that Gilles de Rais, one of the richest men in Brittany and her "fils de lait" is guilty of the most horrendous crime of child killing. Both very strong women. I recommend this book to anybody that loves both crime novels & historical novels.
August 21, 2013
I was a little disappointed in this book compared to her other trilogy. In the Plague tales trilogy there was s solid connection between past and present, and in this one it was really just two stories that had parallel similarities to them. There was no other deeper connection other than that the women were involved in a child abductor's capture and trial. In fact the historical side had less for the character to do than the present day one. I wouldn't revisit this one again. Shame because I think she's carved out a really interesting niche for herself.
February 19, 2008
I have thoroughly enjoyed all of Ms. Benson's books greatly!! I highly recommend them to anyone who loves a thought-provoking, semi-spiritual or "character-building" book balanced with intrigue!! Great reads all!!
June 21, 2010
This was an interesting mix of fiction and historical fiction - really two stories in one! The historical fiction story is an account of the person who ispired the tale of Bluebeard. I was not familiar with this character so it was compelling. A fast-moving, at times gruesome,read!!
December 15, 2010
A little bit long winded. Would've made 2 very good books tho. Found myself wanting to skip chapters so I could read the whole medieval story, and then go back and read the modern one - but restrained myself. Enjoyed it nonetheless.
June 23, 2008
a little slow, but still interesting
October 31, 2011
3.5 stars
Not for the faint-hearted...
Not for the faint-hearted...
Read
July 12, 2011riveting, but disturbing
September 3, 2011
Really liked this book. My favorite of this author is the Plague Tale Series. Excellent reading.
January 23, 2016
Well written mystery with a deeply disturbing subject matter that is not often written about. It haunted me after I read it long ago and for some reason I did a reread. Fascinating true history.
February 9, 2013
Not sure how this plot could end up as kind of a boring book.
July 21, 2015
will write the review soon ...
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews