This is the sixth of Garnier's short books I have read in a short time. They are addictive. You know things are going to get quite dark after an initial setup, you just don't know how. This is perhaps the most nihilistic one yet. It's almost possible to pity the lead characters, a man returning to Versailles for the funeral of his mother, a woman he meets (and used to know quite well), and her blind brother. But they're really all so horrible in their own ways, that it's more like watching a train wreck. Except it's a train wreck full of really nasty people, so it's kind of fun. As a more positive note, this book may put you off drinking for a while. Remains to be proven in my case, however. Unfortunately, Garnier, like Jean-Patrick Manchette, is no longer with us. But as I work my way through their body of work--almost all consisting of short novels, or novellas really, I'm gaining quite an appreciation for French noir. ( )

I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first book by Pascal Garnier and I must confess that going into this novel I knew practically nothing about him as a writer or his works. I must say that I have been missing out. I quickly put several other of his works recently published by Gallic Books on my wish list and will be working my way through them for the next year or so. I always love encountering a new (to me) writer that has a back list of books to enjoy. Ignorance may be bliss, but then again sometimes so is discovery.

Any fan of noir will love this novel. It begins introducing us to our main protagonists with a wit and snarkiness that drew me in right away. I could tell right away that I was going to enjoy Garnier’s style and as the plot developed and we descended into the twists and turns (and slow reveals) of this dark, dark story, I found that he was as good a storyteller as he was a writer.

I don’t want to give away much of the novel but I will say that it is masterfully plotted and will appeal to fans of noir, psychological thrillers, or literary dark fiction.

5 stars. Sign me up for the rest of his books.

Garnier is a French Hitchcock. A master.
( )

I like Pascal Garnier's crime thrillers. They are short and to the point; they are page turners; they are easy to read and from time to time they shock with their sudden unexpected turns of events. I found The Islanders quite disturbing. The main protagonists - a couple - are totally unpleasant, in particular the main manipulator who is evil. ( )

An atmospheric tale set in Versailles around Christmas.
A dinner party is held, but the days after bring mystery and death.
A bleak story, but one that didn't hold my interest.
I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher Gallic Books via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review. ( )

I didn't think it was possible to be disappointed by one of Pascal Garnier's little noir gems, but The Islanders did not live up to the high expectations generated by Moon in a Dead Eye and The A26. This is not to say that The Islanders is a bad book. It is, in fact, a fun, dark Christmas read.

Strangely, although The Islanders is my least favorite Garnier book thus far, it hews most closely to such classic noir hallmarks as a fascination with the grotesque, anxieties about masculinity, and doomed characters who, to quote Otto Penzler, "are caught in the inescapable prisons of their own construction." Every action taken by the blind, obese, and malignant Rodolphe; his alienated sister Jeanne; and the enervated Olivier leads to their inevitable downward spiral. What bothered me was the close resemblance of Olivier's alcoholic madness to that so chillingly documented in the underappreciated 2006 film Bug, starring Ashley Judd and Michael Shannon. Having seen that movie, I was not as disturbed by Garnier's verbal depiction of the ant infestation and the sealing of the apartment as he probably intended the reader to be.

Nevertheless, those who have listened to one too many renditions of "Jingle Bells" will find The Islanders a welcome respite; just be sure to bring the bourbon but leave the eggnog behind.

I received a free copy of The Islanders through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )