Black Water Lilies: A stunning, twisty murder mystery - Softcover

Bussi, Michel

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1474601758 ISBN 13: 9781474601757

Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2016

Synopsis

Giverny. During the day, tourists flock to the former home of the famous artist Claude Monet and the gardens where he painted his Water Lilies. But when silence returns, there is a darker side to the peaceful French village.

This is the story of thirteen days that begin with one murder and end with another. Jérôme Morval, a man whose passion for art was matched only by his passion for women, has been found dead in the stream that runs through the gardens. In his pocket is a postcard of Monet's Water Lilies with the words: Eleven years old. Happy Birthday.

Entangled in the mystery are three women: a young painting prodigy, the seductive schoolteacher and an old widow who watches over the village from a mill by the stream. All three of them share a secret. But what do they know about the discovery of Jérôme Morval's corpse? And what is the connection to the mysterious, rumoured painting of Black Water Lilies?

About this title

Review:

A work of genius befitting the masterpiece by Monet at its heart . . . Simply stunning (DAILY EXPRESS)

A bestseller in France, it is a dazzling, unexpected and haunting masterpiece (DAILY MAIL)

Bussi's portrait of the difficulties of investigating a closed community is fascinating, and the novel ends with one of the most reverberating shocks in modern crime fiction. (SUNDAY TIMES)

Murder always seems especially appalling against a beautiful backdrop, which is why Michel Bussi's novel begins to strikingly (SUNDAY EXPRESS)

enjoyment of this intelligent and absorbing book need not be confined to Monetists (THE TIMES)

A work of genius befitting the masterpiece by Monet at its heart. The award-winning author weaves an enchanting tale that kept me absolutely hooked as Bussi cleverly breaks all the perceived rules of plotting in a story containing riddles within riddles. It works on multiple levels and left me completely baffled, yearning to work out how the different strands connect. But every loose thread is meshed neatly together in the final pages until the jaw-dropping big reveal at the end. The result is simply stunning (DAILY EXPRESS)

A novel so extraordinary that it reminded me of reading Steig Larsson for the very first time . . . Bussi breaks every rule in the book, but I doubt I'll read a more brilliant crime novel this year (Sunday Times on AFTER THE CRASH)

Thriller of the month (Good Housekeeping on AFTER THE CRASH)

A richly satisfying story...a hugely enjoyable ride. (Irish Independent on AFTER THE CRASH)

Book Description:

From the bestselling author of AFTER THE CRASH ('a novel so extraordinary it reminded me of reading Stieg Larsson for the first time' Sunday Times), a thrilling intrigue about a murder that takes place in Monet's garden.

About this edition

• Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1474601758
• ISBN 13: 9781474601757
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 368