The King of Fools

Reading internationally wouldn't be complete without something Gallic, of course. This novel, randomly found on Netgalley, is a terrific example of French noir set in a post WWII Europe on both sides of the pond, from Côte d'Azur to Scotland and back. To call Dard prolific would be an understatement, the man put out something like 3 to 5 novels a year, amounting to something like 300 in total, written under something like 17 pseudonyms. This is my first read by the author, it's one of his stand alones, my preferred format, and it was a very auspicious literary introduction. Put me in mind of a European James M. Cain. All the classic trappings of noir, atmospheric thriller with a proper femme fatale, a naïve easily drawn in man, murder, etc., so basically the main protagonist pursues an alluring woman he thinks he's in love with and gets entangled in a messy web of her making. Consequences of romance can be brutal in the world of noir and any man who follows his passions can be made a king of fools. Beware the damsel, but what a fun world to visit via a book, especially in the right mood. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

The works of Frederic Dard are a constant source of delight for me, and The King of Fools is one of the best I have read to date. With its compelling blend of the suspense of Hitchcock, and the psychological claustrophobia of Simenon and Highsmith, this is a taut and tense tale of infatuation and murder played out on the Cote D’Azur, and the grim, dark streets of 1950’s Edinburgh. Jean-Marie is a wonderfully flaky man, ruled by his baser instincts, that lead him to pursue the pale, and lets be honest, quite unprepossessing Marjory from sensual France to down at heel Scotland. Dard delights in painting a dark and depressing picture of Scottish life, and its environs, that causes the reader to question further the indefatigable will of Jean-Marie to wrest the seemingly hapless Marjory from a loveless marriage. But Dard being Dard, you know that there will be dark deeds afoot, that will explode in a moment of madness, but which of our loved up pair will be caught in the crossfire? That would be telling, and I’m sure you will accrue as much pleasure from finding it out as I did. Dard once again shows his knack for ordinary people being put in extraordinary circumstances, with all the psychological darkness and violence that became his trademark. Highly recommended.

Jean-Marie Valaise, an adding machine salesman, was vacationing at the Cote d'Azur. His life was ho-hum. Having spent six years with girlfriend Denise in a relationship going nowhere, he was alone having weathered their latest break-up. When exiting a restaurant, he found to his surprise, an attractive woman in a wet bathing suit, sitting in his auto. A possible mistake? Her car was a facsimile of his. After her apology she vacated, but alas, she left her beach bag under the dashboard. The stage had now been set by Marjorie Faulks, femme fatale.

How convenient that Jean-Marie and Marjorie found themselves at the same roulette table at a casino. He informed her that she left her beach bag in his car and arranged for its return. She seemed to have a troubled look, an aura of discontent. After one hour with her, however, he felt like a new man. When Jean-Marie's on again- off again girlfriend surprised him by arriving at the Cote d'Azur, Jean -Marie was already smitten with Marjorie. Leaving Denise behind, he took a train to Edinburgh, Scotland where Marjorie would be staying, sans husband Nevil, for a few days. Despite vague feelings of apprehension, a fatally attracted Jean-Marie had followed her to Edinburgh. Jean-Marie's obsessive thoughts about her ensnared him in a dangerous game he was unable to escape. He was a king of fools, entranced by a seductress with a deadly agenda.

Jean-Marie was bewitched by Marjorie. He was a perfect subject and fall guy for her wicked scheme. She was a drama queen appearing to be vulnerable and fragile but slowly morphing into a manipulative, cold and calculating woman. "The King of Fools" by Frederic Dard was a short, atmospheric crime fiction read of murder, mystery and manipulation.

Thank you Steerforth Press, Pushkin Vertigo and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "The King of Fools".

Prolific French crime writer Frederic Dard’s latest book to be translated into English is a somewhat far-fetched but entertaining murder mystery and psychological thriller, an absorbing, if not always realistic, tale of romance, manipulation and murky motives. Jean-Marie Valaise is on holiday on the Cote D’Azur when he meets an attractive Englishwoman whom he instantly falls for. Thinking that his feelings are reciprocated he follows her to a damp and cheerless Edinburgh where the affair doesn’t turn out quite as he had hoped. Valaise narrates the whole sorry tale and part of the pleasure of the book is gradually realising just what a fool he is. Well worth suspending disbelief and spending an enjoyable couple of hours in his company.

What a delightful day it was when Pushkin Press and Virago teamed up to publish newly translated works of some of the greatest, most iconic crime fiction from around the world together with Pushkin Vertigo Originals which are exciting contemporary crime writing by some of today ’s most accomplished authors. Frédéric Dard is the master of French Noir and The King of Fools is a lovely read.

Originally published in 1952, The King of Fools begins in Juan-les-Pins, but most of the action takes place in Edinburgh which was a delightful surprise for me as I had not been expecting that at all.

Jean-Marie Valaise is an adding machine salesman (you can tell that Dard has not troubled to make him interesting or mysterious from this fact alone.)

He is in Nice on holiday following one of his sporadic break ups from his on- off long-term girlfriend, Denise. He muses to himself that his life is going nowhere “Like the water, my life bore the traces of rust in the pipework”.

Then, by chance he meets a young Englishwoman, herself on holiday and the two exchange a few words over a mistaken car.

Later, idling away his time in the local casino, he sees a rather beautiful woman and discovers, much to his surprise, that this is the same woman who earlier had mistaken his car for her own.

The two are drawn together and though nothing seriously untoward occurs, this is the start of a mutual infatuation that engulfs them both. But Marjorie is married and about to set off for a holiday in Scotland with her husband. It is clear to Jean-Marie that hers is not a happy marriage and when he asks if he might write to her, he is thrilled by her enthusiastic response.

Correspondence ensues and on impulse, driven by his passion and romantic feelings, he sets off for Edinburgh in the midst of a major travel strike to find Marjorie and try and persuade her to come away with him.

What follows is a nicely drawn portrait of a man who considers himself to be worldly, but who is in fact both naïve and hopelessly romantic. The tale has tension, duplicity, murder and a degree of mayhem as Jean-Marie and Marjory conspire to enable her to escape the clutches of her husband, Nevil.

The portrayal of 1950’s Edinburgh is fascinating in itself – Dard sees it as a bit of a granite grim place, full of badly dressed people, usually raining and with tourist coaches being met by tartan kilt wearing pipers. (I think he had visited). His description of the Learmonth Hotel is pitch perfect. I enjoyed too, the dour Scottish policeman, Brett who is charged with unravelling the heinous crime committed in Princes Street Gardens.

Not a lengthy read, The King of Fools is a beautifully told tale with a dark underside and a witty ending. I really enjoyed it.

An expertly craft mid-century noir. The pacing, the characters, and the attitudes were all so congruent with the period and themselves that this was almost breathtaking in its skill.

A book that deserves the description of french noir! very atmospheric and nicely written thriller that kept me hooked and interested from start to finish!
Worth a read!