Dead Horsemeat

by Dominique Manotti, Amanda Hopkinson (Translator), Ros Schwartz (Translator)

A group of school friends from the heady days of 1968 France take center stage in this racy account of horse racing, public corruption, and criminal intent. Agathe Renourd and her protege Nicolas Berger are in charge of the communications network of a major European insurance consortium. Christian Deluc has become a council member at the Elysee Palace, and Amelie raises thoroughbreds. Now, in 1989, their paths cross in an unexpected fashion as events begin to spiral out of control. Racehorses die under mysterious circumstances, unimaginable quantities of cocaine appear at Parisian parties, and the dashing Nicolas Berger meets a violent end when a bomb explodes in his car. The search for resolution produces a dark ride filled with political intrigue and mystery.

Genres: Crime, France, Politics, Noir

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Dominique Manotti is a professor of 19th-century economic history in Paris. She is the author of several novels, including Rough Trade (French: Sombre Sentier), Dead Horsemeat (French: A nos chevaux!) and Lorraine Connection (2008 Duncan Lawrie International Dagger award).


Née à Paris en 1942, et j'y suis restée pendant tout ce temps.

1) Historienne de formation et de métier (des années d'enseignement de l'histoire économique comtemporaine en fac). L'Histoire comme méthode de pensée et de travail : Lectures, rencontres, réflexions. Puis choix d'un sujet d'étude, formulation d'hypothèses. Puis recherches, accumulation de faits, d'indices, de traces, critique des hypothèses de départ, imagination de ce qu'ont été la vie et la mort des hommes sur les traces desquels on travaille. Puis construction d’une machine rationnelle ramassant tous les éléments de connaissance accumulés et écriture. Une méthode parfaitement transposable à l'écriture de romans policiers ou noirs.

2) Militante, dès l’adolescence, d'abord à la fin de la guerre d'Algérie pour l'indépendance de l'Algérie, puis dans les années 60 et 70, dans différents mouvements et syndicats, dans une tonalité qu'on pourrait dire marxiste et syndicaliste révolutionnaire.

3) Romancière, sur le tard, et pas par vocation, plutôt par désespoir. L'arrivée de Mitterrand au pouvoir sonne, d'une certaine façon, comme le glas des espoirs de transformation radicale de la société. Alors, le roman noir apparaît comme la forme la plus appropriée pour raconter ce que fut l'expérience de ma génération, et ma pratique professionnelle d'historienne m'a semblé l'outil adéquat pour tenter l'expérience de l'écriture romanesque.

http://www.dominiquemanotti.com/2009/...

Reviews

[Barbara Heckendorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very exciting thriller that moves in different social milieus. On the one hand money laundering and on the other the drug cartel. It's also about nasty politicians, obedient chief officials and prostitution.
The drug trade is about horse owners who are not afraid to kill live animals. The weaknesses of individuals are deliberately made use of in order to be able to blackmail them at the same time so that the powerful can not be brought down.
The only one who can not be blackmailed, even if it is tried again and again, is Commissaire Daquin, who is open to his homosexuality. But the evildoers are not aware of that.

[KOMET · Rating 4 out of 5]

ABSOLUTELY RIVETING AND TERRIFIC! This is the second Dominique Manotti novel I've read in less than a week and it doesn't disappoint. A police procedural novel set in France in the second half of 1989. A major corporation changes direction, seeks to shift its investment portfolio more into property acquisition (given the rising prices at the time) and takes on more aggressive leadership. The web widens into money laundering, drug trafficking with a Colombian and Italian angle, government corruption, murder, and the sometimes murky world of horse racing. Taken together, they make for a rollicking, engaging, and pulse-raising experience. Reader: if you're looking for excitement and a well-crafted tale, you've come to the right novel.

[AvoKalif · Rating 5 out of 5]

Encore une grande réussite et une intrigue narrée avec un immense talent. Lu en 24 h, ce polar de qualité ne vous laisse pas tranquille tant que vous n’en connaissez pas l’issue. Les personnages sont travaillés, les rebondissements efficaces et jamais attendus, vraiment c’est un excellent polar.

[Ubik 2.0 · Rating 2 out of 5]

C'è un contrasto stridente fra la molteplicità di temi che l'autrice ha voluto inserire in questo romanzo (traffico internazionale di stupefacenti, speculazione edilizia, truffe e doping nel mondo delle corse di cavalli, prostituzione, truffe assicurative, ecc) e lo stile piatto e cronachistico adottato.

L'indagine corre via liscia e senza alcun intoppo così che il piccolo nucleo della narcotici del commissario Daquin incastra fior di affaristi, trafficanti e doppiogiochisti ricorrendo più volte al metodo di isolare un pesce piccolo, citargli tutte le conseguenze cui va incontro e poi "perdonarlo" in cambio delle giuste informazioni.

Con questa abilità investigativa ricca di risultati, i soli guai che capitano a Daquin derivano dalla sua vita privata, giacchè il commissario (presunto colpo di originalità della storia...) è gay e rimorchia giovanotti negli appositi locali.

Si tratta insomma di un presunto giallo, per nulla thriller, forse con pretese di noir (ma nel noir i personaggi hanno uno spessore psicologico non limitandosi a perseguire abitudini sessuali generalmente non attribuite alla categoria...) che conserva qualche elemento di originalità (il poliziotto/stalliere) che lo salva dall'attribuzione di un'unica stella.

Tuttavia non credo che leggerò un altro "giallo" di Dominique Manotti, con tutti gli autori (consacrati o misconosciuti) che già rendono il genere sovraffollato...

[Lars · Rating 4 out of 5]

Schöner Krimi, der Drogen- und Rennsportmilieu zusammenbringt und in ein paar Nebensätzen auch noch den Fall der deutschen Mauer historisch abhandelt. Stärke der Autorin ist aber wie immer ihre prägnante Beschreibung von Haupt- und Nebenfiguren. Dabei bedarf Manotti nur weniger Worte, was meiner Meinung nach einen guten Schriftsteller auszeichnet – die Farbe der Socken und die Länge der Haartolle beschreiben kann jeder. Die nicht immer ganz konventionellen Methoden des Fahnder-Teams, ein bisschen Sex, viel Crime und diverse politische Verstrickungen runden den klaren, direkten französischen Cop-Krimi überzeugend ab. Ich freue mich, dass ich noch einige Bände der Reihe vor mir habe.

[Cerisaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Drugs, horse racing, political corruption, property speculation and insider trading, throw in splatterings of sex and violence and you have an intense police procedural set in Paris in late 1989 just before the Berlin Wall came down. Manotti brews a heady cocktail for sure, set a murky world in which the Good Guys must resort to dubious methods to bring justice to those protected at high levels of influence. Just as well maverick flíc Daquin and his crew are more than up for doing what's necessary. This is the second book I've read in the Daquin series and I can't wait for more. A TV adaptation would be brilliant

[Rosalie Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little difficult to follow, and the writing style takes a while to get used to (probably due to the translation). Otherwise, it's dark, gritty and sexy. Very enjoyable.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

La trama è davvero ricca di personaggi e all'inizio si fa fatica a seguire i vari nomi e ruoli...poi però scorre. Troppa carne al fuoco anche se sul finale prende!

[Markus · Rating 5 out of 5]

thrilling, smart!

[HadiDee]

A lot of characters; a lot short choppy scenes; and a lot of action.

[Carlo Mayer]

Finiti

[Ann Tonks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great combination of business and policework; drugs and horses. It's better than "Rough Trade" with a great collection of (not always likeable) characters.