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Awkward Squad / Anne Capestan #1
Kommando Abstellgleis
Das Pariser Hauptkommissariat, 36 Quai des Orfèfres hat eine neue Leitung. Ihr Ziel heißt: die Aufklärungsraten und Statistiken polieren und alle lästigen, aufsässigen und arbeitsunwilligen Mitarbeiter loswerden. Deshalb ruft die Führungsriege eine neue Brigade ins Leben, in der alle Alkoholiker, Faulenzer, Schläger, Depressive und Polizisten, die sich für etwas anderes berufen fühlen - wie z.B. Eva Rozière, die Krimis schreibt, anstatt zu ermitteln -, zusammengefasst werden sollen. Die Leitung übergibt sie Anne Capestan, einer einst hoffnungsvollen jungen Polizistin, die wegen eines fatalen Fehlers vom Dienst suspendiert wurde. Was man von ihr erwartet: stillhalten. Anne hasst aber nichts mehr, als einfach zu gehorchen. Deshalb lässt sie nichts unversucht und baut mit ihrer Truppe der verkrachten Existenzen in einem schäbigen Büro bei miserabler technischer Ausstattung, ohne Waffen und Blaulicht ein Kommissariat der unkonventionellen Methoden auf und löst - zum Schrecken der neuen Chefs - auch noch alte Fälle, die die neue Führungsriege in gar keinem schönen Licht erscheinen lassen ... Ein origineller, schwungvoller, intelligenter Krimi - zum Schießen komisch
352 pages, Paperback
First published April 8, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 379 reviews
December 30, 2020
This is a Parisian police procedural, and is a refreshing change from our vast collection of home grown products, excellent though many of them are.
Commissaire Anne Capestan is an efficient and successful officer. She has many arrests to her credit. Brave and resourceful, she is also highly emotional and has one serious flaw – she needs very little encouragement to fire her police issue gun.
As the novel opens she is about to be reprimanded by her ultimate boss, Chief of Police Buron, at 36 Quai des Orfevres, HQ of the Police Judiciaire.
She is at first relieved to hear that she has been reinstated with no demotion and is to head a new department. But when Buron describes the new department, she discovers that her team will consist of officers who have all blotted their copybooks in some way and are disliked by regular, respectable members of staff. They are to investigate cold cases and have been allocated a decrepit suite of rooms with no police car provided and requests for assistance will probably be ignored.
She is left to her own devices in her unwelcoming, barely furnished rooms. Her selected colleagues have been ordered to report to her. They seem almost entirely to be disregarding the order, but a few do drift in. The first is Lieutenant Torres, who is regarded as the bad luck of the entire force. He has been the unintentional cause of innumerable casualties. Not surprisingly he is permanently depressed. Capestan gives him the choice of any office in the building. He goes into one at the far back and shuts the door.
The second recruit couldn't be more of a contrast. She is not a young woman, but is sexy and lively, who left the police for a time to become a best-selling writer of crime fiction. Although extremely wealthy, she got bored and came back to the police force, while still continuing her literary career. She promises to furnish the offices comfortably as long as she can bring her poodle along.
Within a few days Capestan has a tough, resourceful little team which defies all convention and is united against the hierarchy. They are shown a basement full of boxes of cold case files. They select some at random and find two unsolved murders – a sea captain shot dead and thrown into the Seine in 1993 and an elderly woman strangled during a burglary seven years ago. They decide they will work on the two murders and visit the scene of the strangulation, which on the face of it appears to be a burglary gone wrong. They also visit the widow of the sea captain, Maelle Guenan, who although she was very young at the time of her husband's death, has never re-married. She is indignant that the murder remains unsolved. Not long after their interview with her, she is brutally murdered.
In the meantime the ranks of their squad are gradually swelling. They are still given every discouragement from the top brass; with Valincourt, Chief Buron's second-in-command, being particularly unhelpful.
The large array of characters become quite difficult to follow at times, but there isn't a dull moment in this novel with the eponymous Awkward Squad. Capestan'e crew positively sparkle with life, and it is full of very lively humour. Capestan gradually comes to realise that they are not being punished, but have been put there for a purpose. I now look forward to reading the next in the series.
Commissaire Anne Capestan is an efficient and successful officer. She has many arrests to her credit. Brave and resourceful, she is also highly emotional and has one serious flaw – she needs very little encouragement to fire her police issue gun.
As the novel opens she is about to be reprimanded by her ultimate boss, Chief of Police Buron, at 36 Quai des Orfevres, HQ of the Police Judiciaire.
She is at first relieved to hear that she has been reinstated with no demotion and is to head a new department. But when Buron describes the new department, she discovers that her team will consist of officers who have all blotted their copybooks in some way and are disliked by regular, respectable members of staff. They are to investigate cold cases and have been allocated a decrepit suite of rooms with no police car provided and requests for assistance will probably be ignored.
She is left to her own devices in her unwelcoming, barely furnished rooms. Her selected colleagues have been ordered to report to her. They seem almost entirely to be disregarding the order, but a few do drift in. The first is Lieutenant Torres, who is regarded as the bad luck of the entire force. He has been the unintentional cause of innumerable casualties. Not surprisingly he is permanently depressed. Capestan gives him the choice of any office in the building. He goes into one at the far back and shuts the door.
The second recruit couldn't be more of a contrast. She is not a young woman, but is sexy and lively, who left the police for a time to become a best-selling writer of crime fiction. Although extremely wealthy, she got bored and came back to the police force, while still continuing her literary career. She promises to furnish the offices comfortably as long as she can bring her poodle along.
Within a few days Capestan has a tough, resourceful little team which defies all convention and is united against the hierarchy. They are shown a basement full of boxes of cold case files. They select some at random and find two unsolved murders – a sea captain shot dead and thrown into the Seine in 1993 and an elderly woman strangled during a burglary seven years ago. They decide they will work on the two murders and visit the scene of the strangulation, which on the face of it appears to be a burglary gone wrong. They also visit the widow of the sea captain, Maelle Guenan, who although she was very young at the time of her husband's death, has never re-married. She is indignant that the murder remains unsolved. Not long after their interview with her, she is brutally murdered.
In the meantime the ranks of their squad are gradually swelling. They are still given every discouragement from the top brass; with Valincourt, Chief Buron's second-in-command, being particularly unhelpful.
The large array of characters become quite difficult to follow at times, but there isn't a dull moment in this novel with the eponymous Awkward Squad. Capestan'e crew positively sparkle with life, and it is full of very lively humour. Capestan gradually comes to realise that they are not being punished, but have been put there for a purpose. I now look forward to reading the next in the series.
May 29, 2018
3.5 France's equivalent of a sort, to Copenhagens Department Q. Suspended for six months Anne Capestan, finds out on her return, that though she gets to keep her job on the Force, she is now the leader of a rag tag unit. All those unable to be fired, but considered problems by their divisions have been shuffled off, the new unit considered an officers graveyard. Given unsolved cold cases that are not expected to amount to anything, they are surprised to find that may not be the case.
I wasn't sure when I started this what I thought, but I have a soft spot for misfits, and I was slowly drawn into their stories. There is some soft humor as these varied individuals figure out how to work together. They each have different talents that seem to compliment each other very well. Plus they will discover there are advantages to working beneath the radar, which made their crime solving entertaining. At one point one of the members sentenced to this unit because he kept wrecking police vehicles, chased a person of interest, driving a street sweeper.
A first novel, beginning of what I hope will be a series, this is a smart, well written and unorthodox crime procedural. I guess I just picked up another series.
ARC from Edelweiss.
I wasn't sure when I started this what I thought, but I have a soft spot for misfits, and I was slowly drawn into their stories. There is some soft humor as these varied individuals figure out how to work together. They each have different talents that seem to compliment each other very well. Plus they will discover there are advantages to working beneath the radar, which made their crime solving entertaining. At one point one of the members sentenced to this unit because he kept wrecking police vehicles, chased a person of interest, driving a street sweeper.
A first novel, beginning of what I hope will be a series, this is a smart, well written and unorthodox crime procedural. I guess I just picked up another series.
ARC from Edelweiss.
March 28, 2017
This is a wonderful offbeat translated French crime novel located in Paris. In 2012 Commissaire Anne Capestan is awaiting her fate, wondering if she will still have a job after her latest fatal shooting incident. Her boss, Buron, tells her she is cleared but she is to have a new role as the head of about 4o officers, all of whom are a rag tag bunch of failures, misfits and troublemakers, that they are unable to sack. The job of the awkward squad is to look into cold cases and try to solve them. Oddly enough, Anne is undaunted by this prospect.
The squad are located in some far flung, ill equipped, and run down office suite with neither the tools for the job or the power. In a difficult start, less than a handful of officers turn up, although it eventually goes up to around 10. It's a varied bunch such as Merlot, who is an alcoholic, Evrard is a compulsive gambler, Torrez is regarded as a malevolent curse as his partners have all had the most terrible misfortune befall them and no-one wants to work with him, Lebreton is gay in a prejudiced and discriminatory police force, and the lonely Rosier has made a fortune from writing about cops. Rosier and Lebreton look into the 1993 murder of Yann Guenon, an unemployed sailor. Anne steps up and partners Torrez to investigate the botched burglary that resulted in the murder of the elderly Marie Sauzelle. Despite the initial judgement of the team as less cold case and more basket case, our oddballs find comfort and support in each other to raise morale despite being mocked, sidelined and disowned by the official police hierarchy. Capestan begins to wonder if there is an ulterior motive in setting their unit up. Their investigations awaken a killer who strikes again as it becomes clear that the cases of Yann Guenon and Marie Sauzelle are both connected with a ferry disaster that took place off the coast of Florida years ago.
The novel is a great read, with a narrative that has terrific humour and heart. Once you start reading, you become gripped by the characters and the predicaments they find themselves in. They redecorate and equip their offices in a way that reflects them, including Rosier's dog, Pilou. It is barely surprising that it becomes more home than their actual homes to them. I am hoping this is the first of the series, I loved it that much. Highly recommended. Thanks to Quercus for an ARC.
The squad are located in some far flung, ill equipped, and run down office suite with neither the tools for the job or the power. In a difficult start, less than a handful of officers turn up, although it eventually goes up to around 10. It's a varied bunch such as Merlot, who is an alcoholic, Evrard is a compulsive gambler, Torrez is regarded as a malevolent curse as his partners have all had the most terrible misfortune befall them and no-one wants to work with him, Lebreton is gay in a prejudiced and discriminatory police force, and the lonely Rosier has made a fortune from writing about cops. Rosier and Lebreton look into the 1993 murder of Yann Guenon, an unemployed sailor. Anne steps up and partners Torrez to investigate the botched burglary that resulted in the murder of the elderly Marie Sauzelle. Despite the initial judgement of the team as less cold case and more basket case, our oddballs find comfort and support in each other to raise morale despite being mocked, sidelined and disowned by the official police hierarchy. Capestan begins to wonder if there is an ulterior motive in setting their unit up. Their investigations awaken a killer who strikes again as it becomes clear that the cases of Yann Guenon and Marie Sauzelle are both connected with a ferry disaster that took place off the coast of Florida years ago.
The novel is a great read, with a narrative that has terrific humour and heart. Once you start reading, you become gripped by the characters and the predicaments they find themselves in. They redecorate and equip their offices in a way that reflects them, including Rosier's dog, Pilou. It is barely surprising that it becomes more home than their actual homes to them. I am hoping this is the first of the series, I loved it that much. Highly recommended. Thanks to Quercus for an ARC.
July 23, 2022
Welcome to the French version of Slough House! I really enjoyed this one.
Anne Capestan has been suspended from her previously very successful career in the French police force for her tendency to bring her emotions to the job and shoot people. She finds herself put in charge of a new squad comprised of all those people the higher ups wish they could fire but cannot. In other words a squad of misfits not unlike those in the Slough House series.
The new team is put into a rundown office building which they immediately begin to redecorate. There's a crazy computer expert, a crime fiction writer who brings her dog to work, an alcoholic and more. Anne herself is a great character and she immediately sets her team to solving some very significant cold cases.
It was a great read and I am really looking forward to the next book.
Anne Capestan has been suspended from her previously very successful career in the French police force for her tendency to bring her emotions to the job and shoot people. She finds herself put in charge of a new squad comprised of all those people the higher ups wish they could fire but cannot. In other words a squad of misfits not unlike those in the Slough House series.
The new team is put into a rundown office building which they immediately begin to redecorate. There's a crazy computer expert, a crime fiction writer who brings her dog to work, an alcoholic and more. Anne herself is a great character and she immediately sets her team to solving some very significant cold cases.
It was a great read and I am really looking forward to the next book.
August 25, 2018
3.5 stars
A crime writer, a drunk, a gambler, a rat & a s**t magnet….these are just a few of the police officers Commissaire Anne Capestan inherits when she is “promoted” to lead the newly formed cold case unit of the Police Judiciaire of Paris. But then she’s in no position to judge. She got the new assignment due to her tendency to shoot people.
Anne’s boss is cleaning house & that means getting rid of all unsolved cases right along with officers who have been deemed “undesirables”. Their mandate is clear. The unit will set up shop in an old apartment building, furnished with boxes of cold case files. They can work on whichever ones they want. Or not. Show up each day as if they have a real job. Or not. Just stay away from police HQ. Approximately 40 cops of various rank are assigned to the unit. On the first day, 3 report for duty.
Eva Rosière is a flamboyant woman who made a fortune moonlighting as a crime writer. Unfortunately she wrote about what she knew….her colleagues. But she still loves being a cop & will get to work right after she does something about the deplorable lack of decor in their new office.
Lóuis-Baptiste Lebreton already knows Anne. He investigated her in his previous job with Internal Affairs & they didn’t exactly part on the best of terms.
“Malchance” Torrez is like a black cat. After losing a series of partners due to injury or death, no one wants to cross his path & he can clear a room by walking in the door.
Anne decides they have nothing to lose & after digging through all the boxes, 2 cases stand out. Yann Guénan was a sailor who was murdered 20 years ago in a professional style hit. Old age pensioner Marie Sauzelle was killed in her home 8 years ago in what looked like a robbery gone wrong. Anne & her colleagues pair up & begin to dig into the past. Turns out they’re not complete screw-ups after all & before they know it, that digging results in a fresh body.
In alternate chapters we follow 2 additional story lines. One introduces us to Alexandre & his wife Rosa as they await the birth of their first child in Florida. In the other we meet Gabriel & Manon, a young couple in Paris who just got engaged. The two stories play out decades apart, keeping the reader intrigued as we gradually discover how they are related.
This is the first in a popular French series featuring colourful characters who are the dregs of the Paris police force. While the crimes are serious, the story is full of dry offbeat humour. It’s just as much about these fallen heroes as it is about the cases & we gradually get the scoop on how each ended up an outcast.
The author loves her characters & she handles them with care. At first, they have much in common with the derelict apartment they’ve inherited…..abandoned, unwanted & a little worn around the edges. When Eva takes on redecorating the place (with some interesting choices) the others begin to contribute bits & pieces, unaware they’re creating a home that reflects their new “family”. These are people who were singled out in old jobs due to their mistakes. As they make progress on the cases, there’s a genuine esprit de corps that gradually develops as they learn to accept each others’ tics & foibles. As the apartment is transformed, so too are the detectives as they find a place where they no longer stand out for all the wrong reasons.
There are some great twists as the story lines converge. The old murders are just the tip of the iceberg & Anne & her crew are in for a few surprises. There’s a genuine warmth to this story of oddballs & it makes for a nice break from some of the grittier stuff. They’re an engaging bunch & here’s hoping Sam Gordon (who provides an excellent translation) is hard at work on book #2.
A crime writer, a drunk, a gambler, a rat & a s**t magnet….these are just a few of the police officers Commissaire Anne Capestan inherits when she is “promoted” to lead the newly formed cold case unit of the Police Judiciaire of Paris. But then she’s in no position to judge. She got the new assignment due to her tendency to shoot people.
Anne’s boss is cleaning house & that means getting rid of all unsolved cases right along with officers who have been deemed “undesirables”. Their mandate is clear. The unit will set up shop in an old apartment building, furnished with boxes of cold case files. They can work on whichever ones they want. Or not. Show up each day as if they have a real job. Or not. Just stay away from police HQ. Approximately 40 cops of various rank are assigned to the unit. On the first day, 3 report for duty.
Eva Rosière is a flamboyant woman who made a fortune moonlighting as a crime writer. Unfortunately she wrote about what she knew….her colleagues. But she still loves being a cop & will get to work right after she does something about the deplorable lack of decor in their new office.
Lóuis-Baptiste Lebreton already knows Anne. He investigated her in his previous job with Internal Affairs & they didn’t exactly part on the best of terms.
“Malchance” Torrez is like a black cat. After losing a series of partners due to injury or death, no one wants to cross his path & he can clear a room by walking in the door.
Anne decides they have nothing to lose & after digging through all the boxes, 2 cases stand out. Yann Guénan was a sailor who was murdered 20 years ago in a professional style hit. Old age pensioner Marie Sauzelle was killed in her home 8 years ago in what looked like a robbery gone wrong. Anne & her colleagues pair up & begin to dig into the past. Turns out they’re not complete screw-ups after all & before they know it, that digging results in a fresh body.
In alternate chapters we follow 2 additional story lines. One introduces us to Alexandre & his wife Rosa as they await the birth of their first child in Florida. In the other we meet Gabriel & Manon, a young couple in Paris who just got engaged. The two stories play out decades apart, keeping the reader intrigued as we gradually discover how they are related.
This is the first in a popular French series featuring colourful characters who are the dregs of the Paris police force. While the crimes are serious, the story is full of dry offbeat humour. It’s just as much about these fallen heroes as it is about the cases & we gradually get the scoop on how each ended up an outcast.
The author loves her characters & she handles them with care. At first, they have much in common with the derelict apartment they’ve inherited…..abandoned, unwanted & a little worn around the edges. When Eva takes on redecorating the place (with some interesting choices) the others begin to contribute bits & pieces, unaware they’re creating a home that reflects their new “family”. These are people who were singled out in old jobs due to their mistakes. As they make progress on the cases, there’s a genuine esprit de corps that gradually develops as they learn to accept each others’ tics & foibles. As the apartment is transformed, so too are the detectives as they find a place where they no longer stand out for all the wrong reasons.
There are some great twists as the story lines converge. The old murders are just the tip of the iceberg & Anne & her crew are in for a few surprises. There’s a genuine warmth to this story of oddballs & it makes for a nice break from some of the grittier stuff. They’re an engaging bunch & here’s hoping Sam Gordon (who provides an excellent translation) is hard at work on book #2.
January 19, 2021
This is a cleverly plotted, witty police procedural set in Paris. It follows the formation of the 'Awkward Squad' and their first investigations. It is reminiscent of the ' Misfit Mob' and 'Department Q' in crime books by other writers, but we later learn their formation is deceptive and the story unique.
Chief Buron orders Anne Capestan into his office. She had a successful arrest record but was laid off due to her shooting of an unarmed man. She had been known for her hair-trigger temper and has been punished for firing her police-issue gun once too often.
Instead of a demotion, she learns she is to be reinstated and assigned to head a newly formed department referred to as the 'Awkward Squad'. As Buron explains, it will be made up of 40 police officers who have been judged to be unmanageable or undesirable, but cannot be fired. If they chose to work it will be on closed cases or unsolved files of petty burglaries, purse snatching, and other trivialities. Buron states that by shifting these files it will give his department a 100% record of success. Capestan's new command is not expected to solve anything, and to remain anonymous to the main police force. Their true formation is a puzzle known only to Buron.
On the first day only three disgraced officers show up, but gradually the squad has 10 members. They have been assigned to a suite in a distant, decrepit office building with scarce and ugly cast-off furnishings. The initial members include Torrez, regarded as a bad luck curse because his partners have all suffered dreadful misfortunes. Others fear and avoid him. He is depressed and shuts himself in a back room.
Labreton is gay. When he brought a complaint about discrimination and harassment, he was dismissed.
Rosier is known for writing a popular TV crime series and her fellow officers were tired of her constant references to her resulting wealth. when she started writing real cases into her TV scripts it was time to banish her. She agrees to work only if her poodle can accompany her.
Capestan's squad eventually adds a few new members. Evard was an obsessive gambler. Merlot is a cheerful and useless drunk. Another is a terrible driver who wrecked police cars. There is a punch-drunk ex-boxer and a man who considers himself a computer wiz but lacks tech expertise.
They have not been given a police car, and their phone and computer are obsolete. Valincourt, Buron's second-in-command, places more obstacles in their way.
While looking through boxes of boring old files, they come across two cases that interest them. These are the murder of Yann Gueron, a sailor, and a burglary eight years previously of an old woman resulting in her death.
The wealthy Rosier adds new furnishings and up-to-date equipment, making their quarters a pleasant, homelike place. Others bring from home articles they no longer need. Soon their working space is comfortable, and the misfits bond with each other and against the hierarchy that ignores and isolates them. After interviewing Gueron's widow, she becomes a third murder victim. They believe the murders are all connected and related to a ferry sinking years earlier.
The well-plotted story abounds with humour. The translation was excellent, but I had some difficulty with terms that could not and should not be translated, such as acronyms, police ranks, and titles, and unfamiliar names. This was a truly enjoyable book and when I learned there was a sequel,' Stick Together', I immediately went to download it for my Kindle. The price was outrageous, $27.99 C +tax for the ebook, so have hesitated. I definitely want to read the follow up sometime.
Chief Buron orders Anne Capestan into his office. She had a successful arrest record but was laid off due to her shooting of an unarmed man. She had been known for her hair-trigger temper and has been punished for firing her police-issue gun once too often.
Instead of a demotion, she learns she is to be reinstated and assigned to head a newly formed department referred to as the 'Awkward Squad'. As Buron explains, it will be made up of 40 police officers who have been judged to be unmanageable or undesirable, but cannot be fired. If they chose to work it will be on closed cases or unsolved files of petty burglaries, purse snatching, and other trivialities. Buron states that by shifting these files it will give his department a 100% record of success. Capestan's new command is not expected to solve anything, and to remain anonymous to the main police force. Their true formation is a puzzle known only to Buron.
On the first day only three disgraced officers show up, but gradually the squad has 10 members. They have been assigned to a suite in a distant, decrepit office building with scarce and ugly cast-off furnishings. The initial members include Torrez, regarded as a bad luck curse because his partners have all suffered dreadful misfortunes. Others fear and avoid him. He is depressed and shuts himself in a back room.
Labreton is gay. When he brought a complaint about discrimination and harassment, he was dismissed.
Rosier is known for writing a popular TV crime series and her fellow officers were tired of her constant references to her resulting wealth. when she started writing real cases into her TV scripts it was time to banish her. She agrees to work only if her poodle can accompany her.
Capestan's squad eventually adds a few new members. Evard was an obsessive gambler. Merlot is a cheerful and useless drunk. Another is a terrible driver who wrecked police cars. There is a punch-drunk ex-boxer and a man who considers himself a computer wiz but lacks tech expertise.
They have not been given a police car, and their phone and computer are obsolete. Valincourt, Buron's second-in-command, places more obstacles in their way.
While looking through boxes of boring old files, they come across two cases that interest them. These are the murder of Yann Gueron, a sailor, and a burglary eight years previously of an old woman resulting in her death.
The wealthy Rosier adds new furnishings and up-to-date equipment, making their quarters a pleasant, homelike place. Others bring from home articles they no longer need. Soon their working space is comfortable, and the misfits bond with each other and against the hierarchy that ignores and isolates them. After interviewing Gueron's widow, she becomes a third murder victim. They believe the murders are all connected and related to a ferry sinking years earlier.
The well-plotted story abounds with humour. The translation was excellent, but I had some difficulty with terms that could not and should not be translated, such as acronyms, police ranks, and titles, and unfamiliar names. This was a truly enjoyable book and when I learned there was a sequel,' Stick Together', I immediately went to download it for my Kindle. The price was outrageous, $27.99 C +tax for the ebook, so have hesitated. I definitely want to read the follow up sometime.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 6, 2025
Una novela policiaca amable, ágil y reconfortante, perfecta para cuando se necesita disfrutar sin exigencias ni oscuridad.
April 16, 2018
Thank you so much to Quercus USA for providing my free copy of THE AWKWARD SQUAD by Sophie Henaff - all opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed this French crime novel! It’s such a fun and compelling read! Commissaire Anne Capestan is involved in a fatal shooting incident that leads to her suspension. Her boss calls her back to headquarters where she expects to hear bad news but instead is asked to lead a squad solving cold cases, heading a group of misfit officers called the “Awkward Squad”. She accepts the task even though she’s mocked, inadequately equipped, and is assigned to a rundown office.
Capestan is determined to make their unit succeed even though these officers are considered failures. They divide up and start working what ends up being quite a few cold cases, such as a shipwrecked ferry, a sailor that was shot, and the murder of an elderly woman. My favorite aspect of the book is the diverse cast of characters. There’s a gambler, an alcoholic, someone who is “cursed”, and an officer who leaks to the press, just to name a few.
The narrative is engrossing, unique, and witty. I love the blend of mystery and humor which makes you want to learn more about each quirky character. THE AWKWARD SQUAD is for anyone who enjoys crime fiction, especially if you want a new take on a “police procedural”. I believe this is going to be a series, so I look forward to the next installment! Highly recommended!
I really enjoyed this French crime novel! It’s such a fun and compelling read! Commissaire Anne Capestan is involved in a fatal shooting incident that leads to her suspension. Her boss calls her back to headquarters where she expects to hear bad news but instead is asked to lead a squad solving cold cases, heading a group of misfit officers called the “Awkward Squad”. She accepts the task even though she’s mocked, inadequately equipped, and is assigned to a rundown office.
Capestan is determined to make their unit succeed even though these officers are considered failures. They divide up and start working what ends up being quite a few cold cases, such as a shipwrecked ferry, a sailor that was shot, and the murder of an elderly woman. My favorite aspect of the book is the diverse cast of characters. There’s a gambler, an alcoholic, someone who is “cursed”, and an officer who leaks to the press, just to name a few.
The narrative is engrossing, unique, and witty. I love the blend of mystery and humor which makes you want to learn more about each quirky character. THE AWKWARD SQUAD is for anyone who enjoys crime fiction, especially if you want a new take on a “police procedural”. I believe this is going to be a series, so I look forward to the next installment! Highly recommended!
February 8, 2021
Some Goodreads friends rated this book pretty highly and since our library had copies of it as well as of the second book I thought it'd make a nice change of pace and it did. The cover had a graphic novel look about it which I really liked and the story was entertaining. I grew to really care about the misfits on the squad, especially Capestan. Each member of the squad has a different strength and they all work very well together. It seemed to me that the translation of this book was well done making it very easy to read. A very satisfying ending in my opinion. Again, those nice short chapters that I love interspersed with a couple of longer ones now and then. I look forward to reading the second book in the series.
July 26, 2021
Me ha gustado mucho, sobre todo por el humor y la humanidad que llena sus páginas. Es un policial entretenido y al mismo tiempo un retrato de un grupo de policías que, por diversas causas, han sido marginados en la comisaría.
Anne Capestan es una policía vocacional que cometió un error y cuando se reincorpora al trabajo le dan una misión imposible: dirigir un grupo de perdedores que desempolven casos no resueltos.
Las historias de los miembros de la brigada, incluida la de la propia Anne, van salpicando la trama. Todos están retratados con benevolencia y ternura y son como un catálogo de problemas que pueden llevar a la marginación en una estructura jerárquica, desde el alcohólico al que se cree gafe, pasando por una mujer que escribe guiones televisivos. Aparte del aspecto anecdótico, creo que hay reflexiones importantes sobre la discriminación y el aislamiento al que muchas personas se enfrentan en los ambientes laborales y como ello les impide realizarse profesionalmente.
Si te gustan los policías poco convencionales de Fred Vargas, por ejemplo, o incluso de Pierre Lemaître, te gustará esta autora.
Las tramas están bien ligadas y la narración es muy amena. Creo que le daré una oportunidad al siguiente de la serie: Aviso de muerte.
Anne Capestan es una policía vocacional que cometió un error y cuando se reincorpora al trabajo le dan una misión imposible: dirigir un grupo de perdedores que desempolven casos no resueltos.
Las historias de los miembros de la brigada, incluida la de la propia Anne, van salpicando la trama. Todos están retratados con benevolencia y ternura y son como un catálogo de problemas que pueden llevar a la marginación en una estructura jerárquica, desde el alcohólico al que se cree gafe, pasando por una mujer que escribe guiones televisivos. Aparte del aspecto anecdótico, creo que hay reflexiones importantes sobre la discriminación y el aislamiento al que muchas personas se enfrentan en los ambientes laborales y como ello les impide realizarse profesionalmente.
Si te gustan los policías poco convencionales de Fred Vargas, por ejemplo, o incluso de Pierre Lemaître, te gustará esta autora.
Las tramas están bien ligadas y la narración es muy amena. Creo que le daré una oportunidad al siguiente de la serie: Aviso de muerte.
December 19, 2021
La novela me ha sorprendido para bien.
Ha empezado algo lenta y, con tantos ir y venir, me ha costado cogerle el ritmo, pero es de un detalle espeluznante.
Terminas de leerla y deseas disfrutarla otra vez para captar más.
Ha empezado algo lenta y, con tantos ir y venir, me ha costado cogerle el ritmo, pero es de un detalle espeluznante.
Terminas de leerla y deseas disfrutarla otra vez para captar más.
September 7, 2025
لم اكملها ، بصراحة الجانب البوليسي ضعيف فيها ومليئة بالسرد والكلام الكثير ، نجمتين فقط للبداية
September 14, 2022
The Awkward Squad is the first book in the Awkward Squad/Anne Capestan series by French author, Sophie Hénaff. It is translated from French by Sam Gordon. After a six-month suspension for being a little too trigger-happy, Commissaire Anne Capestan faces the top brass of the Ile-de-France Police force hoping not to have lost her job. She hasn’t. Instead, she is to head a new squad and will report directly to her former mentor, now Chief at 36, quai des Orfèvres, Buron.
Relieving all the other squads of some of the force’s least conventional members, the undesirable ones: the drunkards, the thugs, the depressives, the layabouts and everyone in between – the people hamstringing the force but who can’t be fired – are all to be absorbed into one squad and forgotten about in some corner.
Capestan’s squad is meant to comprise forty of these, but she’ll be surprised if twenty actually show up; turns out only half that do. Their directive is to deal with all the unsolved open cases and not satisfactorily resolved closed cases that are dragging down the statistics of other squads.
By definition, those relegated to this squad of misfits will be quirky. First to turn up are: Commandant Louis-Baptiste Lebreton, a nit-picker from internal affairs who brought a discrimination complaint against his boss; Lt José Torrez aka Malchance, whose jinx has him losing partners in the worst possible way; Capitaine Eva Rosière, a flamboyant crime novelist writing a TV series; and Lt Évrard, a compulsive gambler.
Joining them a bit later are: the appropriately named Capitaine Merlot, an alcoholic deskbound grandpa; Capitaine Orsini, whose campaign against corruption includes alerting journalists to his finds; Brigadier Lewitz, a petrolhead with a history of demolishing cars; and Lt Dax, ex-Cyber-Crime, now with boxer’s brain.
They find themselves tucked away on the attic floor of an apartment building at number 3, rue des Innocents, sparsely outfitted with worn out furnishings and equipment, and allocated three knackered vehicles. They don’t hesitate to improve their lot, bringing or buying comforts to make their job more bearable.
What is perhaps surprising is that these unwanted police officers, when freed from irritating regulations and demanding superiors, when allowed to play to their strengths, are unexpectedly capable, and ready, even eager, to team up to get their teeth into some unsolved cases. “I’ve been a cast-off for years. Beforehand it was just me, but now there’s a whole team of us. As far as I’m concerned, that’s progress.”
Not all of them see themselves as on the shelf, cretinous officers in the naughty corner, however. One tells her “I consider my role to be more of a supporting one, commissaire.”
Having resorted her secret weapon (Orsini and his journalist pals) to get a result in their parc Morceau drug dealer case, Capestan begins to wonder if her mentor has set the whole thing up to suit his own purposes. He is known for manipulation: does he have an agenda? It won’t deter her from investigating two further cases, whether or not they get any cooperation from #36.
The concept of shoving all the misfits together somewhere out of the way so they can’t do any more damage will strike a chord with readers of Mick Herron’s Slough House series, although the Awkward Squad’s leader is quite the polar opposite of Jackson Lamb. But like his staff, Anne’s squad are glad to see some action.
Hénaff’s plot is clever enough to keep the reader guessing and the pages turning. Her characters are fun and more than one-dimensional, taking very little time to endear themselves to the reader. Luckily there are two further books in the series, although English-speakers will be hoping that #3 is translated soon. Very entertaining!
Relieving all the other squads of some of the force’s least conventional members, the undesirable ones: the drunkards, the thugs, the depressives, the layabouts and everyone in between – the people hamstringing the force but who can’t be fired – are all to be absorbed into one squad and forgotten about in some corner.
Capestan’s squad is meant to comprise forty of these, but she’ll be surprised if twenty actually show up; turns out only half that do. Their directive is to deal with all the unsolved open cases and not satisfactorily resolved closed cases that are dragging down the statistics of other squads.
By definition, those relegated to this squad of misfits will be quirky. First to turn up are: Commandant Louis-Baptiste Lebreton, a nit-picker from internal affairs who brought a discrimination complaint against his boss; Lt José Torrez aka Malchance, whose jinx has him losing partners in the worst possible way; Capitaine Eva Rosière, a flamboyant crime novelist writing a TV series; and Lt Évrard, a compulsive gambler.
Joining them a bit later are: the appropriately named Capitaine Merlot, an alcoholic deskbound grandpa; Capitaine Orsini, whose campaign against corruption includes alerting journalists to his finds; Brigadier Lewitz, a petrolhead with a history of demolishing cars; and Lt Dax, ex-Cyber-Crime, now with boxer’s brain.
They find themselves tucked away on the attic floor of an apartment building at number 3, rue des Innocents, sparsely outfitted with worn out furnishings and equipment, and allocated three knackered vehicles. They don’t hesitate to improve their lot, bringing or buying comforts to make their job more bearable.
What is perhaps surprising is that these unwanted police officers, when freed from irritating regulations and demanding superiors, when allowed to play to their strengths, are unexpectedly capable, and ready, even eager, to team up to get their teeth into some unsolved cases. “I’ve been a cast-off for years. Beforehand it was just me, but now there’s a whole team of us. As far as I’m concerned, that’s progress.”
Not all of them see themselves as on the shelf, cretinous officers in the naughty corner, however. One tells her “I consider my role to be more of a supporting one, commissaire.”
Having resorted her secret weapon (Orsini and his journalist pals) to get a result in their parc Morceau drug dealer case, Capestan begins to wonder if her mentor has set the whole thing up to suit his own purposes. He is known for manipulation: does he have an agenda? It won’t deter her from investigating two further cases, whether or not they get any cooperation from #36.
The concept of shoving all the misfits together somewhere out of the way so they can’t do any more damage will strike a chord with readers of Mick Herron’s Slough House series, although the Awkward Squad’s leader is quite the polar opposite of Jackson Lamb. But like his staff, Anne’s squad are glad to see some action.
Hénaff’s plot is clever enough to keep the reader guessing and the pages turning. Her characters are fun and more than one-dimensional, taking very little time to endear themselves to the reader. Luckily there are two further books in the series, although English-speakers will be hoping that #3 is translated soon. Very entertaining!
August 15, 2023
English version below
******************
Eine Reihe von Polizeibeamten, die von ihren Vorgesetzten aus verschiedenen Gründen als unbrauchbar erachtet wird, wird zu aus ihren Dienststellen aussortiert und in einer neuen Abteilung zusammengefasst, die auch räumlich weit entfernt in einem abgeranzten Altbau untergebracht wird. Dort sollen sie vorgeblich ungelöste Fälle bearbeiten, in Wahrheit jedoch im Prinzip nichts tun, was mit Polizeiarbeit zu tun hat.
Zu Beginn erinnert mich der Roman ganz stark an einen französischen Film den ich mal gesehen habe. Dort wurden auch unerwünschte Mitarbeiter einer großen Firma in einer neuen Abteilung zusammengefasst und in einem fensterlosen Gebäude untergebracht. Ein extra dafür engagierter Berater sollte dafür sorgen, dass die Leute bald so frustriert sein würden, dass sie das Handtuch werfen un kündigen.
Dieser Roman entwickelt sich dann doch etwas anders. Im Prinzip ist es die klassische Story wie sich eine Gruppe Underdogs zusammenrauft und über sich hinauswächst.
Es gibt auch einige unerwartete Wendungen, die zwar nicht wirklich glaubwürdig sind, aber sehr zur Spannung und zum Amüsement beitragen.
Gerade zum Ende hin wurde es noch sehr lustig und auch so richtig spannend.
Mir hats gefallen und ich freue mich schon auf die weiteren 2 Bände der Reihe.
------------------
A number of police officers, deemed useless by their superiors for various reasons, are sorted out of their departments and grouped together in a new department, which is also housed far away in a battered old building. There they are supposed to work on unsolved cases, but in reality they should rather do nothing that has to do with police work.
At the beginning, the novel reminds me very strongly of a French film I once saw. There, undesirable employees of a large company were grouped together in a new department and housed in a windowless building. A specially hired consultant was supposed to make sure that the people would soon be so frustrated that they would throw in the towel and quit.
This novel then develops somewhat differently. Basically, it is the classic story of a group of underdogs growing together and rising above themselves.
There are also some unexpected twists that are not really believable, but add a lot to the suspense and amusement.
Especially towards the end it became very funny and also really exciting.
I liked it and I am looking forward to the next two volumes of the series.
******************
Eine Reihe von Polizeibeamten, die von ihren Vorgesetzten aus verschiedenen Gründen als unbrauchbar erachtet wird, wird zu aus ihren Dienststellen aussortiert und in einer neuen Abteilung zusammengefasst, die auch räumlich weit entfernt in einem abgeranzten Altbau untergebracht wird. Dort sollen sie vorgeblich ungelöste Fälle bearbeiten, in Wahrheit jedoch im Prinzip nichts tun, was mit Polizeiarbeit zu tun hat.
Zu Beginn erinnert mich der Roman ganz stark an einen französischen Film den ich mal gesehen habe. Dort wurden auch unerwünschte Mitarbeiter einer großen Firma in einer neuen Abteilung zusammengefasst und in einem fensterlosen Gebäude untergebracht. Ein extra dafür engagierter Berater sollte dafür sorgen, dass die Leute bald so frustriert sein würden, dass sie das Handtuch werfen un kündigen.
Dieser Roman entwickelt sich dann doch etwas anders. Im Prinzip ist es die klassische Story wie sich eine Gruppe Underdogs zusammenrauft und über sich hinauswächst.
Es gibt auch einige unerwartete Wendungen, die zwar nicht wirklich glaubwürdig sind, aber sehr zur Spannung und zum Amüsement beitragen.
Gerade zum Ende hin wurde es noch sehr lustig und auch so richtig spannend.
Mir hats gefallen und ich freue mich schon auf die weiteren 2 Bände der Reihe.
------------------
A number of police officers, deemed useless by their superiors for various reasons, are sorted out of their departments and grouped together in a new department, which is also housed far away in a battered old building. There they are supposed to work on unsolved cases, but in reality they should rather do nothing that has to do with police work.
At the beginning, the novel reminds me very strongly of a French film I once saw. There, undesirable employees of a large company were grouped together in a new department and housed in a windowless building. A specially hired consultant was supposed to make sure that the people would soon be so frustrated that they would throw in the towel and quit.
This novel then develops somewhat differently. Basically, it is the classic story of a group of underdogs growing together and rising above themselves.
There are also some unexpected twists that are not really believable, but add a lot to the suspense and amusement.
Especially towards the end it became very funny and also really exciting.
I liked it and I am looking forward to the next two volumes of the series.
July 23, 2023
Libro amable que contruye una brigada policial con los descartes de otras. El caso es un poco secundario, aunque un buen golpe en la línea de flotación de la policía Top. Policías perdedores que demuestran que son mucho mejores de lo que los demás puensan. Entretenido para intercalar. No sé si es cosa mía o hay algún desajuste en la traducción. Da igual, desengrasa y entretiene.
January 6, 2021
Anne Capestan is a rising star in the Paris police department until she gets suspended for a controversial shooting. She considers herself fortunate to retain her job. However, her “good fortune” comes at a peculiar cost.She is tasked with heading up a new cold case unit. It is composed of a group of departmental” deadbeats” who can not be fired and are not even required to report to work.The unit is not expected to solve any cases and their primary function is to remain quietly unobtrusive.
The potential roster numbers forty but only a few report to work when the team goes live. Their group includes an alcoholic, a compulsive gambler, a fading diva who writes books and screenplays about cops and a punch drunk former department boxing champion. Anne, however, is not deterred by this group and slowly begins a process of team building by focusing on two cold murder cases that are buried among the reams of trivial purse snatching and petty burglaries in the files.Through patience and trial and error, Anne begins to cohere this quirky group of misfits and they bond in a unique way. Slowly, it becomes evident that the two separate cold cases have links that bind them and consequences that reach into the present day.
While the mystery itself is well crafted, it is the writing that elevates this book. The writing is both descriptive and witty. There is an element of tongue in cheek that rivals Mick Herron but with a more whimsical touch. Who can resist a book that has an alcoholic policeman named Merlot? This work is both suspenseful and a lot of fun at the same time.It is not to be missed.
The potential roster numbers forty but only a few report to work when the team goes live. Their group includes an alcoholic, a compulsive gambler, a fading diva who writes books and screenplays about cops and a punch drunk former department boxing champion. Anne, however, is not deterred by this group and slowly begins a process of team building by focusing on two cold murder cases that are buried among the reams of trivial purse snatching and petty burglaries in the files.Through patience and trial and error, Anne begins to cohere this quirky group of misfits and they bond in a unique way. Slowly, it becomes evident that the two separate cold cases have links that bind them and consequences that reach into the present day.
While the mystery itself is well crafted, it is the writing that elevates this book. The writing is both descriptive and witty. There is an element of tongue in cheek that rivals Mick Herron but with a more whimsical touch. Who can resist a book that has an alcoholic policeman named Merlot? This work is both suspenseful and a lot of fun at the same time.It is not to be missed.
August 15, 2022
Grilled Chickens Take Roost
Review of the MacLehose Press paperback (2017) translated by Sam Gordon from the French language original Poulets grillés (Grilled Chickens*) (2015)
[3.5 rounded up]
Parisian police Commissaire Anne Capestan has been on temporary suspension for a shooting incident, the latest of many. She returns to the office to hear her fate, which is to be put in charge of a newly formed squad to work on cold cases. The job sounds ideal, until she discovers that the squad will consist of 40 or so misfits which no one else wants to work with.
Only a few members of the squad actually report for duty on the first days at their new brigade headquarters. Capestan still endeavours to make the most of a bad situation and the several members of the squad sort through the boxes of cold case files looking for potential solvable cases. Two murders come to their attention and they proceed to chase down what few clues that exist. The text meanwhile has flashback interjections of a boating accident from decades past and a concurrent plot of a young man planning to marry his girlfriend. At first these seem to have no relationship to the investigations at hand, but by the end all of the plot strands come together.
The Awkward Squad was a quick and enjoyable read which played up the comic elements of the several characters but which still made for an interesting police procedural. There was no apparent acknowledgement of its inspirations, but readers will likely notice some similarities with Mick Herron's Slough House/Slow Horses and Jussi Adler-Olsen's Department Q.
Cover image of one of the original French language editions showing a cartoon interpretation of several of the main characters. Image sourced from Collectif polar : chronique de nuit.
The Awkward Squad is the first of three books in the Anne Capestan series and the first of two to be translated into English. The second book is Stick Together (2018) translated from the French language original Rester groupés (2016). The third book Art et décès (2019) is currently only available in the original French language.
Trivia and Links
* Although the French title literally translates as "Grilled Chickens", it basically means "Disgraced Cops". The Parisian slang for the police is "poulet" (French: chicken) due to the central police station on Île de la Cité being built on the site of a former chicken market. "Grillés" (French: grilled) is slang for disgraced. My thanks to Charly M. on Twitter for pointing me to this background history at https://twitter.com/metralch/status/1....
Movie poster for the French language TV film adaptation. Image sourced from IMDb.
The Awkward Squad was adapted for a 2022 French language TV movie under its original title of Poulets grillés (Marketed in English as The Undercops). You can watch two French language TV trailers for it (turn on subtitles and then turn on annotations and select an auto-translate language of your choice) here and here. The trailers leave the impression that the adaptation may not be completely faithful to the book.
Review of the MacLehose Press paperback (2017) translated by Sam Gordon from the French language original Poulets grillés (Grilled Chickens*) (2015)
[3.5 rounded up]
Parisian police Commissaire Anne Capestan has been on temporary suspension for a shooting incident, the latest of many. She returns to the office to hear her fate, which is to be put in charge of a newly formed squad to work on cold cases. The job sounds ideal, until she discovers that the squad will consist of 40 or so misfits which no one else wants to work with.
Only a few members of the squad actually report for duty on the first days at their new brigade headquarters. Capestan still endeavours to make the most of a bad situation and the several members of the squad sort through the boxes of cold case files looking for potential solvable cases. Two murders come to their attention and they proceed to chase down what few clues that exist. The text meanwhile has flashback interjections of a boating accident from decades past and a concurrent plot of a young man planning to marry his girlfriend. At first these seem to have no relationship to the investigations at hand, but by the end all of the plot strands come together.
The Awkward Squad was a quick and enjoyable read which played up the comic elements of the several characters but which still made for an interesting police procedural. There was no apparent acknowledgement of its inspirations, but readers will likely notice some similarities with Mick Herron's Slough House/Slow Horses and Jussi Adler-Olsen's Department Q.
Cover image of one of the original French language editions showing a cartoon interpretation of several of the main characters. Image sourced from Collectif polar : chronique de nuit.
The Awkward Squad is the first of three books in the Anne Capestan series and the first of two to be translated into English. The second book is Stick Together (2018) translated from the French language original Rester groupés (2016). The third book Art et décès (2019) is currently only available in the original French language.
Trivia and Links
* Although the French title literally translates as "Grilled Chickens", it basically means "Disgraced Cops". The Parisian slang for the police is "poulet" (French: chicken) due to the central police station on Île de la Cité being built on the site of a former chicken market. "Grillés" (French: grilled) is slang for disgraced. My thanks to Charly M. on Twitter for pointing me to this background history at https://twitter.com/metralch/status/1....
Movie poster for the French language TV film adaptation. Image sourced from IMDb.
The Awkward Squad was adapted for a 2022 French language TV movie under its original title of Poulets grillés (Marketed in English as The Undercops). You can watch two French language TV trailers for it (turn on subtitles and then turn on annotations and select an auto-translate language of your choice) here and here. The trailers leave the impression that the adaptation may not be completely faithful to the book.
December 22, 2019
A group of unwanted cops are formed into a new squad. The boss has a history of violence during arrests, her team consists of a drunk, a gambler, an outcast from internal affairs, a man who is not afraid of going to the press if he sees something wrong, a woman who has made a fortune writing crime novels, a man who is believed to be a carrier of bad luck, etc.
It has the makings of an interesting set of characters and the book spends a lot of time on their backgrounds. So it took a while to get into the actual crime and then it was solved rather easily. Maybe as the series evolves the stories will improve.
It has the makings of an interesting set of characters and the book spends a lot of time on their backgrounds. So it took a while to get into the actual crime and then it was solved rather easily. Maybe as the series evolves the stories will improve.
August 26, 2017
Me ha gustado mucho. Me ha parecido muy entretenida esta novela policial con toques de humor y con una trama bien llevada. Recuerda al Departamento Q de Jussi Adler Olsen. Voy por el segundo!
July 25, 2022
Yes, there is similarity to "slow horses" series from Nick Herron in that a group of misfit cops are joined together in a new unit that is housed apart from mainstream police. But this is Paris vs London.
The group works well together and succeeds in solving an oldie despite lacking a cop car they could have used and do bargain for at the successful end of their work on a complex case that goes back a number of years with a number of locations and important people involved. The misfits work well together.
The group works well together and succeeds in solving an oldie despite lacking a cop car they could have used and do bargain for at the successful end of their work on a complex case that goes back a number of years with a number of locations and important people involved. The misfits work well together.
April 4, 2025
فكرتها لذيذة جدا
August 22, 2018
Actual rating is 3.5. It was a good book. Bunch of police outcast are being put into a new squad located in a remote building.
In searching for an interesting file they come across two unsolved murder cases and start working on them, oblivious to the fact that someone out there still likes these cases to remain unsolved.
In searching for an interesting file they come across two unsolved murder cases and start working on them, oblivious to the fact that someone out there still likes these cases to remain unsolved.
August 4, 2021
Finalizado. Novela negra muy distinta a la que suelo leer, pero que me ha tenido la mar de entretenida. La Comisaría Anne Capestan se tiene que hacer cargo de una brigada policial formada por los despojos de los distintos departamentos policiales. Nos vamos a encontrar con un gafe, un borracho, una escritora de novela y su perro, un gay viudo, una adicta al juego y muchos más. Con ese elenco, tendrá que investigar casos cerrados desde hace tiempo. El argumento no es novedoso, pero la forma se contarlo sí. Mezclar en un mismo libro asesinatos, investigación policial con muchos giros, pequeños toques de humor, personajes brutales… y que salga un producto bueno, no es nada fácil. Seguiré con la saga. Recomiendo.
October 7, 2019
Primera entrega de la serie protagonizada por la comisaria Anne Capestan, brillante policía parisina que, ha sido relevada de sus funciones por haber disparado a un hombre durante una investigación.
Alternados con los episodios de acción, la autora nos irá descubriendo a cada uno de los personajes y sabremos qué situación ha llevado a cada uno a formar parte de la brigada.
Con la comisaria a la cabeza, el grupo de marginados se revelarán contra su destino. Entre ellos se irán estableciendo unos lazos y crearán una comisaría a su medida. Juntos conseguirán resolver casos, aunque seguirán sin tener el reconocimiento del resto de brigadas.
Una novela negra distinta, con una historia sencilla y toques divertidos. Un buen comienzo para una saga que nos hará pasar buenos ratos.
Alternados con los episodios de acción, la autora nos irá descubriendo a cada uno de los personajes y sabremos qué situación ha llevado a cada uno a formar parte de la brigada.
Con la comisaria a la cabeza, el grupo de marginados se revelarán contra su destino. Entre ellos se irán estableciendo unos lazos y crearán una comisaría a su medida. Juntos conseguirán resolver casos, aunque seguirán sin tener el reconocimiento del resto de brigadas.
Una novela negra distinta, con una historia sencilla y toques divertidos. Un buen comienzo para una saga que nos hará pasar buenos ratos.
January 15, 2022
I tried, I really did. But some books you just have to give up on. It took me forever just to get to page 75 (chapter 14), so I put it down. There were so many characters in the story that were working different cases and I kept getting them mixed up. I didn't want to write down everyone just to enjoy the story. Needless to say, I will NOT continue with this series.
December 3, 2016
Ho proprio voglia di fare una recensione su questo libro perché, stranamente, è riuscito a colpirmi molto, facendomi ridere e commuovere insieme. Era da tanto che un libro contemporaneo non faceva questo e mi è dispiaciuto vedere che pochi hanno letto questo gioiellino e ancora meno ne hanno parlato.
Prima di tutto, devo avvertire che, anche se l'autrice è, appunto, una donna francese e la storia parla di agenti di polizia, NON è la Vargas. Ripeto, NON è la Vargas, ottima scrittrice francese di gialli, il cui "spalatore di nuvole" è famoso e amato in tutto il mondo.
Evitiamo comparazioni.
Sarebbe come mettere a confronto Eco e Manzoni perché entrambi sono italiani e i loro romanzi sono di genere storico.
Anne Capestan, la protagonista, è un brillante commissario di polizia finché non usa la pistola una volta di troppa.
Dopo essere stata mandata in congedo, non solo mantiene il proprio lavoro ma riceve una promozione e diventa capo di una brigata.
Dov'è l'inghippo?
I suoi sottoposti sono la feccia della polizia, a cui verranno assegnati tutti i casi irrisolti: ubriaconi, giocatori compulsivi, violenti, sfasciamacchine, spioni, portasfiga...
Armata di buona volontà e di un gruppetto tosto di poliziotti che, nel bene e nel male, provano a fare il proprio lavoro, Anne cerca di non arrendersi e di continuare a fare ciò in cui riesce meglio: arrestare criminali.
E quando tra i fascicoli trova due casi di omicidio molto particolari, sa di non poter demordere.
Poiché questo è un giallo e il bello di questo genere sta nella suspense, nel fare ipotesi per poi vedersele confermate o meno, lascerò da parte tutto il discorso sui crimini e sulle vittime.
Il punto forte di questo romanzo sono i personaggi e le loro storie personali, di cui vediamo alcuni lampi, che spero saranno approfonditi dei prossimi libri della serie.
Hénaff riesce a dare a ognuno dei poliziotti che rappresenta una propria voce, rendendoli riconoscibili e reali, nonostante molti appaiano tardi o per poche battute.
Anne stessa è ben delineata come una donna forte, che reagisce e scommette sulla sua brigata, senza giudicarli e rendendoli davvero suoi colleghi, quando il corpo di polizia li ha resi dei parìa.
Ho apprezzato molto Torrez, il portasfiga, colui i cui partner precedenti sono sempre finiti male e che viene tenuto a distanza da tutti, tranne che da Anne, per cui la sfortuna non esiste.
E mi è piaciuto che ognuno fosse ben conscio del motivo per cui fosse lì e venisse spiegato, aggiungendo un tocco di realtà alla situazione.
Lebreton, per esempio, integerrimo poliziotto, finisce lì per la sua omosessualità, nonostante non avesse mai compiuto un errore in vita sua. E questo mentre deve anche sopportare il lutto per il compagno, morto da otto mesi, senza nessuno che lo consoli perché, in fondo "non era una famiglia".
Rosière, diventata famosa scrittrice di polizieschi ispirati alla sua carriera, continua, nonostante il successo, a lavorare perché in realtà è sola, profondamente sola. Ha un figlio ormai adulto e quasi nessun amico, dal momento che ha usato tutto ciò che conosceva come trama per i suoi libri.
Prima di tutto, devo avvertire che, anche se l'autrice è, appunto, una donna francese e la storia parla di agenti di polizia, NON è la Vargas. Ripeto, NON è la Vargas, ottima scrittrice francese di gialli, il cui "spalatore di nuvole" è famoso e amato in tutto il mondo.
Evitiamo comparazioni.
Sarebbe come mettere a confronto Eco e Manzoni perché entrambi sono italiani e i loro romanzi sono di genere storico.
Anne Capestan, la protagonista, è un brillante commissario di polizia finché non usa la pistola una volta di troppa.
Dopo essere stata mandata in congedo, non solo mantiene il proprio lavoro ma riceve una promozione e diventa capo di una brigata.
Dov'è l'inghippo?
I suoi sottoposti sono la feccia della polizia, a cui verranno assegnati tutti i casi irrisolti: ubriaconi, giocatori compulsivi, violenti, sfasciamacchine, spioni, portasfiga...
Armata di buona volontà e di un gruppetto tosto di poliziotti che, nel bene e nel male, provano a fare il proprio lavoro, Anne cerca di non arrendersi e di continuare a fare ciò in cui riesce meglio: arrestare criminali.
E quando tra i fascicoli trova due casi di omicidio molto particolari, sa di non poter demordere.
Poiché questo è un giallo e il bello di questo genere sta nella suspense, nel fare ipotesi per poi vedersele confermate o meno, lascerò da parte tutto il discorso sui crimini e sulle vittime.
Il punto forte di questo romanzo sono i personaggi e le loro storie personali, di cui vediamo alcuni lampi, che spero saranno approfonditi dei prossimi libri della serie.
Hénaff riesce a dare a ognuno dei poliziotti che rappresenta una propria voce, rendendoli riconoscibili e reali, nonostante molti appaiano tardi o per poche battute.
Anne stessa è ben delineata come una donna forte, che reagisce e scommette sulla sua brigata, senza giudicarli e rendendoli davvero suoi colleghi, quando il corpo di polizia li ha resi dei parìa.
Ho apprezzato molto Torrez, il portasfiga, colui i cui partner precedenti sono sempre finiti male e che viene tenuto a distanza da tutti, tranne che da Anne, per cui la sfortuna non esiste.
E mi è piaciuto che ognuno fosse ben conscio del motivo per cui fosse lì e venisse spiegato, aggiungendo un tocco di realtà alla situazione.
Lebreton, per esempio, integerrimo poliziotto, finisce lì per la sua omosessualità, nonostante non avesse mai compiuto un errore in vita sua. E questo mentre deve anche sopportare il lutto per il compagno, morto da otto mesi, senza nessuno che lo consoli perché, in fondo "non era una famiglia".
Rosière, diventata famosa scrittrice di polizieschi ispirati alla sua carriera, continua, nonostante il successo, a lavorare perché in realtà è sola, profondamente sola. Ha un figlio ormai adulto e quasi nessun amico, dal momento che ha usato tutto ciò che conosceva come trama per i suoi libri.
October 27, 2019
Un romanzo noir vivace. La brigata dei reietti si legge tutto d’un fiato (o forse sono io che sto leggendo TUTTO d’un fiato dopo essere incappata in un paio di letture che mi sono trascinata più del previsto).
Anne Capestan è una poliziotta brillante. Solo che dopo essere stata promossa alla sezione Minori, ha deciso che quando aveva a che fare con un certo tipo di psicopatici (che se la prendevano con i minori) non era grave sparar loro, ogni tanto. Dopo aver ucciso a sangue freddo l’ultimo spietato criminale, viene messa a capo di una brigata di poliziotti che il corpo non vuole vuole tra i piedi, ma che non possono essere licenziati.
C’è Torrez che nessuno vuole perché porta sfiga, i suoi partner sono tutti morti. C’è Lebreton ex Corpi Speciali ed ex disciplinare che viene discriminato perché è gay. C’è Rosiere che nessuno vuole tra i piedi perché fa quello che le pare essendo miliardaria, soldi che le arrivano dall’essere autrice di una serie di libri nella quale si ispira molto a quello che le succede al lavoro (prendendo ovviamente di mira magistrati incapaci e politici). C’è Merlot che è un beone, Evrard che è una giocatrice compulsiva e non mi ricordo chi altro.
La cosa buona e giusta del romanzo, oltre che la scrittura umoristica e brillante, è che alla fine ognuno resta quel che è. Cioè, non è che perché risolvono casi diventano anche dei poliziotti migliori o risolvono i loro problemi. Affatto. Alla faccia dei cliché dei gialloni con protagonisti tormentati e difficili, qui ognuno resta col proprio difetto (a parte forse Torrez, che si redimerà dall’essere un menagramo).
Cade un po’ sul finale quando la trama si semplifica e diventa più una sorta di libro comico che di poliziesco solido.
Anne Capestan è una poliziotta brillante. Solo che dopo essere stata promossa alla sezione Minori, ha deciso che quando aveva a che fare con un certo tipo di psicopatici (che se la prendevano con i minori) non era grave sparar loro, ogni tanto. Dopo aver ucciso a sangue freddo l’ultimo spietato criminale, viene messa a capo di una brigata di poliziotti che il corpo non vuole vuole tra i piedi, ma che non possono essere licenziati.
C’è Torrez che nessuno vuole perché porta sfiga, i suoi partner sono tutti morti. C’è Lebreton ex Corpi Speciali ed ex disciplinare che viene discriminato perché è gay. C’è Rosiere che nessuno vuole tra i piedi perché fa quello che le pare essendo miliardaria, soldi che le arrivano dall’essere autrice di una serie di libri nella quale si ispira molto a quello che le succede al lavoro (prendendo ovviamente di mira magistrati incapaci e politici). C’è Merlot che è un beone, Evrard che è una giocatrice compulsiva e non mi ricordo chi altro.
La cosa buona e giusta del romanzo, oltre che la scrittura umoristica e brillante, è che alla fine ognuno resta quel che è. Cioè, non è che perché risolvono casi diventano anche dei poliziotti migliori o risolvono i loro problemi. Affatto. Alla faccia dei cliché dei gialloni con protagonisti tormentati e difficili, qui ognuno resta col proprio difetto (a parte forse Torrez, che si redimerà dall’essere un menagramo).
Cade un po’ sul finale quando la trama si semplifica e diventa più una sorta di libro comico che di poliziesco solido.
November 16, 2019
Zur Verbesserung der Polizeiarbeit wird in Paris eine neue Brigade geschaffen, welche als Sammelbecken für Polizisten dient, die keiner haben will und die man anderweitig nicht loswird. Bearbeiten soll diese Truppe ungeklärte Fälle, die eh niemanden interessieren und die nur die Statistik beeinträchtigen.
Die Mitglieder dieser Sonderbrigade bringen ihre Geschichten und Macken aber auch Talente mit und in den cold cases finden sich schnell ein paar lohnende Fälle auf die man sich recht unkonventionell stürzt - man ist eh ganz unten gelandet, wozu also Rücksicht nehmen.
Das hinter der ganzen Geschichte Intrigen auf höchster Ebene stecken stellt sich erst mit der Zeit heraus.
Die einzelnen Charaktere sind sorgfältig aufgebaut und sorgen häufig für ein Schmunzeln beim lesen, ohne zu sehr in den Klamauk abzugleiten (die Verfolgungsjagd mit der frisierten Kehrmaschine mal ausgenommen -lol).
Fazit: amüsantes und spannendes Lesevergnügen; 4,5 Sterne und Vorfreude auf Teil 2
Die Mitglieder dieser Sonderbrigade bringen ihre Geschichten und Macken aber auch Talente mit und in den cold cases finden sich schnell ein paar lohnende Fälle auf die man sich recht unkonventionell stürzt - man ist eh ganz unten gelandet, wozu also Rücksicht nehmen.
Das hinter der ganzen Geschichte Intrigen auf höchster Ebene stecken stellt sich erst mit der Zeit heraus.
Die einzelnen Charaktere sind sorgfältig aufgebaut und sorgen häufig für ein Schmunzeln beim lesen, ohne zu sehr in den Klamauk abzugleiten (die Verfolgungsjagd mit der frisierten Kehrmaschine mal ausgenommen -lol).
Fazit: amüsantes und spannendes Lesevergnügen; 4,5 Sterne und Vorfreude auf Teil 2
August 20, 2017
Hier schwanke ich stark zwischen den drei und vier Sternen und würde das Buch eigentlich eher in der Mitte einordnen. Einerseits macht der Roman in seiner Leichtigkeit viel Spaß, weil es eine angenehme, durchdachte Art des Unterhaltungskrimis ist, andererseits schießt er an einigen Stellen auch einfach übers Ziel hinaus, wird bei manchen Figuren ungewollt überzeichnend, vielleicht sogar gewollt, aber damit dann erst recht zu fancy für meinen Geschmack. Trotzdem ist "Kommando Abstellgleis" in seiner Ensemblewirkung ziemlich pfiffig und wenn es mal nicht so harte Krimikost sein soll, bei der man aber nicht automatisch sein Gehirn an der Garderobe abgeben muss, dann ist das hier vorläufig meine erste Wahl. Ich freu mich auf den zweiten Band, der im Oktober in deutscher Übersetzung erscheinen wird.
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