A particularly devious serial killer and profilers on his heels to prevent him from committing the most horrible crimes imaginable, it does not take more for that The Constancy of the Predatorthe latest thriller by Maxime Chattam (the president of the jury for our 20 Minutes of the Novel prize), unleashes very favorable passions on our 20 Minutes Books platform.
This novel (published by Albin Michel), it is “chattamissime! exclaims Alexe Poucy, one of our contributing readers. “I’m a big fan, even if I haven’t necessarily hung on to all his novels, but this one, I can say that readers will appreciate it,” she says.
The return of Ludivine Vancker
“When we see the recent success of the series Dahmer on Netflix, or viewership figures for crime documentaries, The Constancy of the Predator can only be unanimous among the readers of Maxime Chattam”, adds Audrey Escoin, librarian and blogger on the site Hyperfertile Readerdelighted to see Ludivine Vancker, heroine whom the author’s readers know well, joining the ranks of the DSC, the Department of Behavioral Sciences. “Suffice to say that for his first case in this cell, nothing will be spared him,” she notes.
“The crime scenes are very visual, notes Julie Perrier, blogger on the site Ju reads the words, which points to “a plot so unimaginable that it can only come out of a slightly crazy mind, it is of course not the author that I am aiming for… Although it takes a hell of a lot of analysis, of reflection on the world and a more than indispensable perspective so as not to be overwhelmed by one’s own visions. »
Sleazy, filthy and well-built
“In this thriller, we follow the story through several prisms, continues Audrey: those of the investigators, determined to understand and identify the killer. That of a victim, who fights to survive by enduring the worst and that of the killer, who has escaped everyone for far too long. This killer will quickly be nicknamed Charon by the police, like this mythical character who brings souls to the kingdom of the dead. A name like an echo of the hell it brings to life. And yet, hell must seem very sweet compared to what it does to its victims.
“If we sometimes have the impression of touching the solution with our fingertips, notes Julie, it is to misunderstand the author, who likes to play with our nerves, to torture us, to better balance the revelations. It’s creepy, it’s sometimes filthy, it’s devilishly well built and I found what I liked in The Evil Trilogy, my favorite Chattam from which I’m still waiting for a sequel! »
How to kiss your children after that?
The problem for Alexe, “is that it’s hard to let go of the book, that we move quickly, too quickly when we would like to make the pleasure last, but no! I left with the impression of having been served, delighted to find a real Chattam as I like them”. She still wonders “how this man who looks so calm and charming could put such atrocities on paper. After that, can we go out, get some fresh air, and go get our bread and kiss our children, in a harmless way? »
“I went there frankly, recognizes Maxime Chattam in the video that accompanies this article. I don’t protect the reader, he says. I didn’t protect myself while writing. I hope the suspense is up to par. Anyway, I had a lot of fun writing it. It’s weird, said like that, but I guarantee it, because it raises questions about who we are and what our society is. It is well documented on the methods of the gendarmerie, the Department of Behavioral Sciences. It is very documented on the psychological aspect of the characters and of course the criminals. But it’s totally made up. This is perhaps the most frightening. »