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Alex
Author: Pierre Lemaitre

Publisher: Quercus
ISBN: 9780857051875
Pages: 482
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Alex Prevost is the protagonist of Lemaitre’s Alex. She is portrayed as a beautiful, resourceful, and intriguing heroine, who is always trying to change her appearance and identity. Unlike most crime stories, where there is a damsel in distress who needs to be rescued, Alex is not a typical helpless damsel.

The plot of Lemaitre’s crime-suspense thriller takes place in the streets of Paris. The story’s pace moves quite quickly when Alex is abducted from the street, and transported away to a warehouse. Here, she is physically assaulted and beaten, the details of which are sometimes too gruesome and graphic. Her abductor wants nothing more than to watch her die. When a small chance at escape presents itself, Alex hurls out of the cage at lightning speed and tries to make her getaway. Meanwhile, Commandant Camille Verhoeven is racing against time to locate Alex. He has no leads, no clues, and no suspects with which he could solve the case. During his investigation, Verhoeven quickly learns that Alex is not an ordinary victim.

After reading Alex, readers will be far more intrigued by Alex herself, then the actual crime scenario. Lemaitre’s skill at making readers reevaluate what they think they already know, forces readers to plow through the novel. Unlike most crime fiction, which is typically set in the US or UK, a Parisian backdrop makes for a nice change, not just because of the scenery but also because the justice system in France is quite different, which will give readers a welcome change. Lastly, most crime stories feature a crime and a quirky detective who solves the mystery. In Alex, the characterization of the lead characters is quite different. Even though there is a Commandant trying to solve the case, the victim is also portrayed as a sharp and resourceful individua