The Lost and the Damned

Brilliant! The synopsis covers it all: "Olivier Norek's first novel draws on all his experience as a police officer in one of France's toughest suburbs."

Through the eyes of Capitaine Vincent Coste and his team, we accompany the Groupe Crime 1 of the Seine-Saint-Denis as they deal with some disturbing murders - even more than they are used to. What do they have in common, will there be any more, will Coste be able to find the truth or will it be conveniently covered up and swept under the carpet.

This is my first real foray into modern French crime fiction, having been introduced to this genre much earlier with Georges Simenon's "Maigret. I loved every page of this crime thriller - and Norek's experiences and knowledge come to the fore when weaving this dark tale that is far removed from the gentile Parisian sidewalks of "Maigret". The writing flows so well that the chapters fly by and you find yourself fully immersed in the lives of Coste and his team as they try and solve these grisly crimes.

I am hoping that this is merely the first in a series that is being translated from the original French into English for a new generations of crime aficionados. Dip your toe in, you wont be disappointed.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Quercus Books for an advance copy of The Lost and the Damned, the first novel to feature Capitaine Victor Coste of the Seine Saint-Denis Police Judiciaire.

Coste and his team are called out to a murder where a man has been found mutilated and shot to death. Then, in what may be a related murder, a man is found burned to death in unusual circumstances. At the same time Coste is receiving anonymous notes about the deaths of unidentified victims. It’s all very puzzling and he’s out of his comfort zone.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Lost and the Damned although it is not quite what I expected it to be, i.e. a straightforward police procedural, and I’m not quite sure how to describe it. The author is a former police officer in the district the novel is set in so that gives him an authority and the reader a confidence in his setting. It is a hard world as departement 93 (as it is known) is a deprived area with the attendant crime, drug use and poverty. There is no room for sentiment and the novel is unflinching in its portrayal of tough choices and practical policing. It opened my eyes to the practicalities in a way I haven’t seen before in fiction. Yet, it isn’t without its moments of black humour, like when the corpse wakes up on the mortuary slab. More please.

The novel has two plot lines, the murders and the anonymous letters. Both end up having universal motives that we’ve all seen before, but they are inventive in their detail and engrossing in their execution.

The characterisation is interesting. Obviously it revolves around Coste, who is a loner in his personal life and is still trying to deal with the loss of his girlfriend but what really comes across is the team’s loyalty and unquestioning support of one another. It could be seen as claustrophobic but it’s probably necessary in the treacherous waters of police politics and unrelenting crime.

The Lost and the Damned is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

I felt that I knew Coste by the end of this book. Displays the difference between the 'haves' and 'have-nots' perfectly.
It shows that inequality is still prevalent in today's society.
Loved it.