Review of The Voice of Aliette Nouvelle

The Voice of Aliette Nouvelle

This book, by Montreal poet and filmmaker John Brooke, dropped into my lap and I was smitten: interesting premise, fascinating central character and good writing. In a sleepy French border town, Inspector Aliette Nouvelle is ready for more than ordering around local thugs. Then her boss drops a cold case on her, which might mean a promotion. Ten years ago, Jacques Normand escaped from a top-security prison. Now she must ferret him out. Poetic images, film stills and literary writing, none out of place.


The Globe & Mail

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The Voice of Aliette Nouvelle

Inspector Aliette Nouvelle, single at 35, has been handed a demanding assignment: track down and arrest Jacques Normand, an infamous criminal believed to be living in her city in the Alsace region of France. Nouvelle's only clues are an old wanted poster of Normand and an autobiography he wrote while in prison. So begins a fascinating story of detection in which one soon begins to wonder who is tracking whom. For the first third of the novel, one watches the action unfold through the eyes of Aliette. Then the perspective changes as author Brooke chooses to retell parts of the story through Normand's eyes. In essence, this novel becomes a study of two characters locked in combat, with any number of outcomes possible.


The Halifax Sunday Daily News

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