Jean-Marc Montjean is a nerdy, reserved, small town doctor. He had the misfortune to sock his boss at one of Paris' best insane asylums, not once, but twice. His outlook for another job looked bleak at best until he was offered a job in a small Basque town near where he had grown up. He felt uneeded, unwanted, and closed-in in that job until he met the wonderful, devil-make-air Katya and her brother and father. They were, at best, quite idiosyncratic, and at worst, dangerous. The father had been cleared of first degree murder awhile ago in Paris and the family had made a quick exit. They landed near the town that Montjean worked in. The circumstances surrounding the death of the young man that had been courting Katya were suspect and foreboding. There was a true mystery about just who did kill the young man.
Travanian does an excellent job recreating that period just before World War I. The norms and customs of 1914 are excellently portrayed. All of the characters are fleshed out enough so that we actually care about them. This makes the unraveling of the mystery at the end of the book all the more telling. Trevanian kept my attention and concern focused throughout the novel. I highly recommend this book.
Travanian does an excellent job recreating that period just before World War I. The norms and customs of 1914 are excellently portrayed. All of the characters are fleshed out enough so that we actually care about them. This makes the unraveling of the mystery at the end of the book all the more telling. Trevanian kept my attention and concern focused throughout the novel. I highly recommend this book.
Interesting story. The secret will stay with you long after you finish the book.
