Mystery/ suspense/ police procedurals are my favorite reading genre. This one was a very good story that had an unusual Canadian twist. I'd not read a book set in Montreal and Martin Michaud's city details made it come to life so I could see it with my jaded American eyes. What a twist!!! But truly, the mystery is first class and the killer almost too smart for hid own good. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Great thriller which kept me turning the pages well into the night. Great characters and plot. Highly recommend to others!!

Victor Lessard, a Montreal police detective, is confronted with a series of crimes that, at first, don’t appear to be related. A young woman is the victim of a hit and run, a hospital administrator is found stabbed in his office, and a body is discovered in the trunk of a stolen car.

This is just the beginning of a story with an intriguing cast of characters, a clever plot, and several points of view. It’s a difficult book to label. It’s a police procedural and an atmospheric mystery. But, there are also touches of the supernatural as well. The twists and turns only add to the tension and uncertainty. Without Blood is so well-written and it is difficult to put down. I highly recommend this enjoyable book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

It's all about altered state of consciousness, revenge, taking responsibility for past mistakes, sacrificing for a greater good and experiencing unrelenting grief.

Lessard was demoted from the Major Crimes Unit to a smaller station after being held responsible for the deaths of two fellow cops in an operation gone haywire under his supervision. His personal life isn't much better ...he is now estranged from his wife and children.

Swearing off alcohol for good, Lessard is now in the pursuit of a hunter who stalks the streets of Montreal. A senior administrator is stabbed to death in his office at the local hospital, In another part of the city, a dead man is found in the trunk of a stole BMW. A young woman is hospitalized after an apparent hit-and-run, but she refuses treatment in order to search for the man who saved her.

what connects all these case?

In this well-written police procedural, the story is told in alternate voices ... the woman in search of her savior, Detective Lessard, and the hunter who may already have his next victim chosen. There are many multi-layered characters to follow. Twists and turns abound leading to an unexpected conclusion.

A note at the beginning suggests that we should consider “Without Blood” a prequel to the series.

Many thanks to the author / the translator / Dundurn Press / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

The storyline to this book is really unique and I loved it. I really just wish it was written more clearly. I saw that this book was originally written in French and translated to English and maybe that's where some of my struggles came into play. The finished copy may read better than this.
It was hard for me to understand what was going on at first though. There were so many viewpoints and it didn't say who we were reading about, etc.
It felt like a lot of stories just thrown together and nothing made sense until closer to the end.
This would be a five star read if it was just more cohesive and better placed together.

Martin Michaud’s Without Blood introduces Victor Lessard, a detective in Montreal who was demoted from Major Crimes, separated from his family and struggled with alcoholism. While investigating a car-jacking ring, he is called away to a hit and run. Simone Fortin was purposely run down and has been taken to the hospital, where she is in a coma. Upon awakening, she has no memory of the event. Shortly after seeing her and before he can leave the hospital, he is called to the hospital’s offices where an administrator has been murdered. A Hunter is loose in Montreal. When the vehicle involved in the hit and run is found they will also discover a third victim and Lessard searches for a link that will tie these incidents together.

As Lessard deals with the administrator’s murder, Simone checks herself out of the hospital to search for Miles. As she lay in her coma, she experienced a full day with Miles, someone who seemed to know all about her. As she searches for him, she knows that he is real and refuses to believe that she imagined him. Discovering Miles’ fate and finding his son helps her to come to terms with her own past where she was responsible for the death of a child. However, the Hunter is not done with her yet and she is in mortal danger.

Running throughout Michaud’s story is the theme of responsibility for one’s actions. Lessard realizes that his drinking damaged his relationship with his family. When his son comes to him for help he sees a chance to finally mend the relationship. Simone also faces her past and must atone for her mistakes. This is also a story of revenge that is sometimes brutal but will keep you in suspense. It is not until the final pages that Michaud finally reveals the hunter’s identity in a nail-biting conclusion. I would like to thank NetGalley and Dundurn Press for providing this book for my review.

This police procedural featuring Montreal detective Victor Lessard starts with rapidly shifting points of view that keep the reader off balance. I’m all for keeping things moving, but the effect was jarring and disjointed. Although I prefer hard-boiled procedurals rather than cozy mysteries, I’m not a big fan of witnessing grisly crimes or reading long sections written from the criminal’s point of view.

As things developed, the distinct story lines began to cohere, and the book started to make sense—that is, if you are OK with a little unanticipated science fiction. The story becomes compelling, and we root for Lessard as he struggles with exhaustion and his own problems while pushing forward the investigation.

Much as I liked the investigative team, my preference is for all subplots to be solidly grounded in reality. I would be happy to read the next installment and to seeing this team solve a different crime.

Thanks to Dundurn Press and Netgalley for a digital advance review copy.

Without Blood by Martin Michaud is the prequel of the 2020 novel Never Forget and if you have never read this author, you will want to read both and if you have already read last year’s novel, this will be a great way to learn about the hero’s background. This is a translation from French to English. This police procedural features Montreal detective Victor Lessard and his investigators. The story develops over a period of a few days and will involve two murders and a disappearance. The detectives must determine if theses crimes are related and who is the perpetrator. This is an unusual mystery because there is also a mystical plot line. The characters are wonderfully flawed and have more than one skeleton in their closet, keeping the reader totally involved until the end. There are three storylines that keep the police running in several directions and the resolution of the crimes is not evident until almost the end. And you will not guess who committed the crimes. There are other French novels by Martin Michaud and hopefully they will also be translated. This is an excellent series. Highly recommended. Thank you to Dundurn Press, NetGalley and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a book about 3 seemingly random incidents that all end up being interwoven.
Detective Victor Lessard is a Montreal police officer who is tasked with solving multiple murders and a hit and run and whose personal life is in disarray; he's in AA, his wife has left him and he's been demoted.

I found it a challenging read and I'm still unsure how much of that was down to this having been translated, or, I just found it a slow read. Probably a bit of both! However, it is worth stick with and I found it, overall, to be a solid 3* Good Read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview.

Thank you to the author, Dundurn Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is part of a series focussing on the policeman Victor Lessard - about a year ago, I read the third book of the series, which confusingly was the first to be translated into English. This book is actually the second in the series, and can be seen as a prequel. Victor is younger, more unsure of himself and struggling to find an even keel in his personal life. Several times during the first half of the book, I considered giving up - a series of unrelated crimes related in varying POVs puzzle both Victor and his team, and the reader. I found it enormously hard going. Nothing quite makes sense, and then there are esoteric elements that are not my cup of tea at all. The second half of the book gets progressively better, as the investigation comes together, but overall I wonder whether this might not work better as a film than a book.

The year is 2005 and with his marriage, relationship with his children, and career in tatters, Detective Victor Lessard is aiming to to get at least one of those things back on track while trying to crack a local car jacking ring.

When the death by stabbing of a prominent member of Montreal's elite seems to hint at a dubious background he knows it's only a matter of time before the case goes public. At the same time a local woman, Simone Fortin, is the victim of a vicious hit and run and that investigation also lands on Victor's desk.

When the discovery of a second, unidentified, body drags Victor deeper into the melee, a personal connection no one can know about suddenly becomes obvious, and he finds things getting harder to control. With all three of his investigations reaching a crescendo at roughly the same time Victor begins to doubt everything he thought he knew until a startling discovery begins to clear everything up.

Martin Michaud has a writing style which is a joy to read. The words flow so easily that pages and chapters fly by, and the picture painted is vividly enticing. This, however, is almost two books in one and I did wonder if they would converge at all. The investigation encapsulates Victor's struggles alongside clues which go nowhere or take off in unexpected directions and on its own is a good storyline.

Alongside this is the story of Simone Fortin and her quest to find the man who helped her in the immediate aftermath of the hit and run accident. This is fascinating and with a little extra detail would also make a very good book in its own right. They do work together but also seem to fight against each other for superiority. Is the case the secondary storyline or is it Simone's search and does it even matter? Even though Victor Lessard is the main protagonist it probably doesn't.

I think this is a book which will divide opinion. To begin with I had no idea where it was going and, apart from the obvious, what it was trying to achieve. Now, with hindsight, I'm still not sure why Simone's story was necessary but overall I enjoyed this and I'm glad I've read it. I will definitely continue with the series and see where the author takes us next.

My only real problem with this is the same one I had with the previous instalment, this is the first book in the series but released as the second in its English format.  To describe it as a prequel seems slightly ridiculous when so far there are only two books and it would have been, to me at least, more sensible to release them in the correct order.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. I enjoyed this but still have some reservations about it.

This was a fast-paced and captivating thriller set in Montreal that introduces us to Detective Victor Lessard. Several different story lines come together to make for a very satisfying read. I thought the translation was good and put the only other translated book in this series on by to-read list as soon as I finished. There is a little surreal alternate reality in this book. I didn't really understand what was going on when it was first introduced, and that part of the story line, though dealt with nicely at the end, kept this book from hitting a five star rating for me.

If you’re a fan of Quebec thrillers, don’t miss Without Blood. Author Martin Michaud has been dubbed the master of the Quebec thriller. After reading two books in the Victor Lessard series, I can see why.

Though this is the second Victor Lessard novel published in English, it’s actually the first in the series by Martin Michaud. I haven’t figured out why the publishers didn’t publish the translation in the same order as the original series titles. It doesn’t really matter, to be honest. Both stand alone.

PLOT
(I tried to avoid spoilers.)

Without Blood opens with a killer anticipating his first kill. He’s successful. The victim dies, no one detects the killer, and he loads his victim into the trunk of a stolen car. Then it jumps to Simone, a young woman hiding from unknown events in her past. The killer sees her crossing the street, loses his cool, and hits her with the car. (Mind you, he stole the car. And he has the corpse in the car trunk!)

Here’s where the story gets weird. After the killer hits Simone, a man named Miles rescues her. They hit it off and spend the entire day together: have coffee, listen to his neighbor, a jazz musician, play his instrument, and even tour the cemetery where he works. She spends the night in his apartment. In the meantime, detective Victor Lessard receives reports of a hit-and-run that has left a young woman hospitalized. Simone awakens in a hospital and decides to find Miles. And off she goes, narrowly avoiding the killer stalking her . . .

Meanwhile, a hospital official is murdered. (You can guess who the killer is.) Because of the man’s political connections and wealth, the case grabs the media spotlight. And with it, detective Lessard. His boss puts intense pressure on Lessard. Who, by the way, doesn’t need any more pressure on him. He’s a recovering alcoholic. Newly divorced, he’s aching over the separation from his wife and kids. (Michaud does a great job using this element in the story.) Plus he feels guilty over an operation that caused his demotion and the death of two of his men. But he doesn’t want his boss to have any reason to hand over this murder case to Lessard’s former colleagues in the Major Crimes Unit. It’s unthinkable.

MULTIPLE POINTS OF VIEW

The story is told from several points of view. Detective Victor Lessard, of course. But we also dive into the mind of the nameless killer and one of his prey, Simone. Along the way, we get bits and pieces from other views, too: a car thief with a strange sense of honor; the first murder victim as he dies, worrying about the unemptied trash can; and various other minor characters. While Simone’s passages are in 1st person, the others are in 3rd person. As well, there are times when the narrator steps back from the present action and reflects on it in hindsight. (“If I had only known then what I know now . . .”) I’m more accustomed to a close 1st or 3rd person POV, and Michaud’s method took some time to adjust to.

He doesn’t stay in any one particular head for long. The story rapidly switches from one view to another, often several times in one chapter. It can be disorienting. Add to that the possible supernatural aspect to the story, and I spent a good part of the first half of the book confused. At times, I felt disconnected from the narrative because I didn’t know what was going on and couldn’t guess where the events were going.

CHARACTERS
I wished that the book had focused more on Victor than Simone. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of time with Victor. But Simone wasn’t as interesting as he was and she is a major viewpoint. Sometimes she came across as not only confused, but deranged, and helpless (which seemed odd for a person in her previous line of work). For the longest time, I didn’t know why she desired to fly under the radar or what traumatic event led to her reluctance to relate to other people. That made it difficult to sympathize with her.

I found some of the other characters very intriguing. Miles, obviously: I wanted more of him! I enjoyed the car thief named Snake, too. Lessard's other detectives are interesting, too. Michaud does a great job with characterizing them.

SOME IMPROBABLE ELEMENTS
Certain plot points felt improbable. For example, a nurse allows a character to visit a hospitalized man at 3 a.m. The man and the visitor are strangers to one another, so this seemed strange to me. At other points, minor characters don’t react as I would expect. At one point, Simone barges into a stranger’s apartment, looking for Miles, and the homeowner, rather than call the police or even become angry/fearful, is merely annoyed. And invites her to look at her wedding album. Are people in Montreal this incredibly hospitable and trusting? Even in my relatively safe city, no one would react this way to an intruder. (You’d probably be shot, to be honest. The intruder, that is. The home owner would be the one pulling the trigger. We’re a little gun-crazy in the South.)

As well, there were a number of times when the police or Simone receive helpful information from strangers by sheer coincidence. This weakens the plot, unfortunately, because the story doesn’t move forward except through the killer’s actions. And even he looks rather incompetent.

UNEVEN START BUT EVENTUALLY SATISFYING
The book is uneven. The first half is bumpy. Lots of confusion, lots of characters, various plot elements to juggle. At times, I wondered if this might not work better as television or movie. It’s much easier to rapidly switch storylines in a visual medium, in my opinion.

Once I fell into the story’s rhythm–which took longer than I wanted–I enjoyed the novel. I even stayed up late to finish reading because I wanted to know what happens. The second half of the book made up for the first half.

In the end, all the elements came together. It’s a wild, strange ride that embraces the messiness of life. We can’t know everything through facts and empirical proof. There’s an element of mystery that threads through our existence, and Martin Michaud does an excellent job showing this.

RECOMMENDED
I recommend Without Blood to those who enjoy thrillers with a possible supernatural element.

Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

This will appear on my blog on March 1, 2021.

This atmospheric series is to Montreal what the late Swedish writer Henning Mankell’s crime novels are to Stockholm and has the popular prestige-TV series adaptation "Victor Lessard" (well into its third year on Quebec streamer Club Illico), to prove it. Happy to include this gritty, grisly crime book in Novel Encounters, my monthly top ten roundup column of notable upcoming fiction titles for Zoomer magazine’s Books section. To read the feature, click on the link.

DNF at 64%.
1 star.
Has multiple POVs which I usually enjoy but here I had to guess everytime. Disliked the protagonist, and didnt like any characters. Its based in Montreal but mostly in the french community. Couldnt get myself to read more after the disappointment.
Thank you Netgalley for an eARC of the book.

Without Blood reads like a glorious fever dream as it begins weaving a story using multiple perspectives, points in time, and even possible alternate realities. At it's centre is Victor Lessard, a conflicted but dogged Montreal detective who must solve multiple murders along with a hit and run that may all be connected. Recommended for those who like a little surreal mixed in with their mystery.
Many thanks to Netgalley for providing an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was looking forward to reading this book but it was too disjointed and incoherent to enjoy reading.

This is a book that requires a lot of thought for me to write a review without spoiling the plot. I found it a very interesting read, and I would recommend it to true mystery fans that like a very puzzling and interwoven story.

Set in Montreal this story follows detective Victor Lessard and his team trying to work out the link between several crimes including murders and a hit and run..
Originally written in French this book is now translated into English.
Victor is a recovering alcoholic and has been dumped by his wife . He is struggling with his addiction.
Simone, the hit and run victim recovers from her coma and leaves the hospital to find the man who helped her when she was run down - what she doesn’t realise is that the murderer is stalking her trying to finish the job he started.
Lots of twists and turns - so the reader needs to pay attention to the story as I had to reread parts to make sure I was following the storyline.
Not the run of the mill thriller.
Looking forward to reading more.
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for a fair review.

Another fantastic book from the master of Canadian thrillers. When I read the author's note on the story stating revenge, alternate world and redemption, I didn't understand. But then, What a plot! The initial part of the story is disjointed and confusing as it is told in differing POV. Once we get around that it is easy to understand and follow the characters. This book gives the necessary background on Lessard. I feel this one should have been translated first. A very good series and I am waiting for the others to be translated. Don't miss it.