The Murdered House [Hardcover]

One of the most exciting trends in mystery fiction over the past several years has been the availability for American readers of mysteries originally published in other languages. Traditionally, literature in translation has been a hard sell for the American reading public. However, with bestselling mystery series from international authors, mystery lovers in the United States are bucking that trend.

Some of the most widely-read international mystery novelists are those from Scandinavian countries; now, with the publication of Pierre Magnan's THE MURDERED HOUSE, aficionados are bound to discover that the French also possess their own talent for suspense. Magnan's novel was originally published in France in 1984 (when it won Best Novel of the Year), but its rich plot and evocative setting make it just as chilling today.

The novel begins in 1896, in the Alps of Upper Provence. A somewhat tense family scene opens the book, in the last minutes before all the members of a young family are murdered in their home, La Burlière. The only surviving family member is the three-week-old baby, Séraphin Monge, whose own father (or is he?) has his doubts about his wife's fidelity and the child's paternity even in the moments before his own violent death.

Twenty-three years later, Séraphin returns home to Provence. He was raised an orphan, with no real understanding of the tragedy with which his life began. His mind has been more concerned with recent horrors, namely those in the bloody trenches of World War I. But when he hears the story of his family's gruesome death and sees the stains and scars that still mar the family home, he becomes obsessed with two things: destroying the scene of the crime and tracking down those responsible. When the prime targets themselves turn up dead before Séraphin can do the job himself, the mystery grows increasingly complicated.

THE MURDERED HOUSE is notable not only for introducing American readers to a newly translated voice in suspense fiction (this is Magnan's third novel to be published in the U.S. in the past two years) but also for its unusually rich, atmospheric setting. As readers may guess from the title, the house in which the Monge family's murders occurred becomes as much a character as Séraphin himself: "Life was ebbing away from the building with every stone that hit the ground and every piece of lime that quietly disintegrated. Its lamentation could be heard in the voice of the tall holly-oaks moaning in the wind. The whispering ruins invited him to consider their dismal example, the fragments to which they had been reduced."

Patricia Clancy's translation from the French may strike some readers as overly faithful to the original; others may appreciate the somewhat foreign-sounding phrasing and, particularly, the inclusion of original Provence dialect and definitions thereof in footnotes. But the suspenseful, foreboding setting and the angry, vengeful youth at the novel's center will speak to readers regardless of their native language.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

OK. I sludged thru this. Finally got to the 60 year later epilogue. Who is this guy talking to Marie? Why does he kill her?

This book was difficult to get into, but the longer I read it, the more absorbed I became. I think it would make an interesting movie or play. The plot twists and turns in all directions. The play and movie "Sleuth" comes to mind. I really enjoyed this book and considered buying it but I'm not sure I would read it again.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 8 reviews  2.8 out of 5 stars