I put a 5/5 to "just a shadow" which was for me the ultimate favorite. A book that marked me forever, I think, as I loved it. I put 4/5 to it because I found a small hair below "just a shadow" (for the points I will quote below), although, of course, it's still great Giebel , no doubt about it.
After "just a shadow," I wanted to read a book fresher, lighter, funnier, so I wanted to turn to the chick-litt 'but it was useless, the other works of Karine Giebel appellaient, I wanted to find out more about this author who tagged me as "just a shadow" and that's what fell into my hands "The bites of the shadows."
Much of the story is happening behind closed doors, in a cellar, between Lydia, a young and fragile woman flayed by life, which one does not know if she fell into madness, split personality or if it is just suffering that speaks through his actions and Benoit Lorand, womanizing cop, captured by the beautiful redhead to which he could not resist.
Besides that, Lorand the supernumeraries of that survey was to regain the lead, some passages with Gaëlle, his wife, Lydia few passages of life outside the darkness of the cellar. These passages are secondary.
The book as a whole is haunting. I do not know how Karine Giebel happens every time this feat but his books make us hooked. We need our small daily dose of Giebel once we started. When the book is closed, you think about it, you want to know the future. When we read, we live the story as if it were ours, was the beating heart, it investigates with the cops, they saw the horror with Benoit, in his basement, we would feel almost its pain, the smell of the cellar and the anguish of the dark. This is incredible! It happens a real movie in our head as writing Karine Giebel is true, well thought out, well done.
The plot is taken from a master hand by the author, as always dare I say;) Karine Giebel is very strong for that!
It happens to us and hoped tenth of seconds, has us to despair. She manages to make us laugh and doubt. Our feelings are undermined every page, really. We turned to each chapter and the closer the end, the higher the voltage climbs and climbs ...
Moreover, for those who have read the book, the passage with Lydia p. 241/242's just ... I was flabbergasted! I believed to the end :-)) as to the verdict of the coroner in the epilogue ... chilling. Again, I have had hope until the end. Oh la la, Karine Giebel is really too strong :) [incidentally, I shall not fail to acquire all his books this year as it is every time a pure REGAL to read! ]!
For small things I liked least:
* The fact that I had trouble really hang, identify with a character. Both in "Just a Shadow", I had a crush on Alexander Gomez (which I still am not called ;-)))), so here I have not really had character that m ' have hung more than that. Although of course, the characters are very strong, but their complex psychology as identification or "favorite" for a particular character, it's something I have not found here.
* I will appreciate that the book is a bit more on the side investigation of the life outside the cellar, with unknown about the man or woman (no, I do not spoilerai you;))) which took the life of Aurelia, etc in more detail because even if it is behind closed doors led, quickfire and a master hand, really, sometimes I feel a little choke with the main character in the cellar and the horrors he suffered was, I admit, sometimes unbearable. Maybe too much for me as someone very sensitive and great pacifist. Too gory at times in the abuse generated by Lydia on his victim.
For example, I have appreciated that Lydia realized earlier that she was pulmonary aspiration and it investigates, gently, with the cop in the shadow of his colleagues because I found some abuse too long, too hard, sometimes unbearable the relentlessness of Lydia.
* As quoted comment a little lower, the fact we do not know the actual end of the secondary characters: the / the killer (s), the raven, Gaëlle ... I was pretty annoyed by closing the book to have a "???" in my head on the fate of these characters. We know the final Lydia and Benoit (and what a finish! Diabolical and breathtaking!) But not those secondary characters. Those who love the "open" purposes, but certainly appreciate personally, I like to know the end of the characters clearly especially important as the / the murderer (s) and the crow are anyway the "???" throughout the novel.
* Karine, if you read me, please, let us once a positive end where we smiled, closing the book :-)) ...
Apart from these few small points, it is an absolutely exquisite book, which kept me in suspense the whole time and I really had trouble closing and that when it was closed, I did that a hastily plunge myself, know the result at all costs. Besides, you can not leave the house without my book when I read it, he followed me everywhere and I took advantage of every little moments (in the tram, waiting for the bus, in the waiting room, on the edge a lake ... everywhere!) to plunge me, if only for a few crumbs of intrigue. Addictive!
Obviously, I was completely beside the plate on / guilty and that's what I like about Giebel, his novels are always conducted smoothly, she manages to surprise us every time that we torture the mind We obsessed, the last pages are hair-raising, it gets a face full head between hope even if sometimes that hope hangs by a small wire, and despair in which we say "damn it".
A book that will put you upside the heart (the brain too! ^^).
