Review of the arc of blood
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- Latest Review: the arc of blood by Elizabeth Mostyn
Review of the arc of blood
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "the arc of blood" by Elizabeth Mostyn.]
The Arc of Blood: Book 3 of The Phenomenological Detective [Series], by Elizabeth Mostyn, follows Detective Patrice as he investigates a shocking murder committed at the Hotel de Jardins. His team, René, Clémence, and Fleur, begin the investigation and question all the possible witnesses but will find themselves in front of a wall because all the people staying at the Hotel des Jardins and everyone living around it remembers absolutely nothing of that night, either they saw the victim once or knew something happened when they heard the police sirens. When René questions the hotel receptionist, he finds Mollie, a girl who does not speak but may know the victim. René finds out that she has wounds all over her body. The team will investigate if the murder and the appearance of Mollie are connected. This investigation will lead the team to discover a disgusting crime taking place in Paris.
At the same time, Patrice will have to investigate whether an Artemisia Gentileschi painting is original or if it was stolen; if it was, it should be destroyed. Interpol will send him on a course in which he will learn about art history, technique, and color. He will work with Chlöe, a detective from Interpol who specializes in art. Throughout the investigation, Patrice and Chlöe will learn about Artemisia’s art evolution, her life, and how both connect in her most important paintings. Patrice will learn how to look at art, not only through his phenomenological point of view, but will also learn to appreciate the beauty in it and the meaning behind the paintings, and will also let himself be horrified by the violence in them. Chlöe will learn how to analyze paintings through the phenomenological technique. This investigation will take Patrice on a trip through various European countries to examine Artemisia’s works.
I loved this book so much. I love when women write crime novels because their view of the world differs so much from the male one: there is no insulting or diminishing of the abilities of female characters. They have personality, complex thoughts and feelings, and dignity. I am someone used to novels and series full of action, where police officers run behind suspects, bang doors, and show their police badges anytime; this novel’s rhythm makes you feel this is how crimes are solved in real life, with investigation, with brains, with compassion towards victims, and without violence committed against suspects, paying attention to the smallest of details. The female characters are the ones that stand out: from the detectives Clémence, Fleur, Chlöe, and Pucelle to the women in the life of detective Patrice, Colette, and Amélie, and the victims Artemisia and Mollie Cartwright.
Clémence, Fleur, Pucelle, and Chlöe are all part of the investigation into both crimes, and Elizabeth demonstrates how astute these women are when it comes to investigation and questioning suspects. They all show they are emotional and how the case and interviews affect them, but instead of being diminished or ridiculed, men listen and understand them and even share their feelings. Even when the feelings get the best of them, they get information. The novel shows that women working in the field are not robots or that the job turns them into insensitive beings. These women are so emotionally intelligent; they know how to hold space for their thoughts and feelings. They are brave enough to face the monsters and come out victorious after the confrontation. The respect that Patrice and the rest of the male characters working at le Trente-Six have for them is something that one cannot find all the time in these types of novels. Something that I also liked is that there are animosities between them, and they are not afraid to hide them. They feel real.
Colette and Amélie are characters who have a life of their own; they are not Patrice’s satellites. Colette, his wife, is a confident woman and helps him out of curiosity. As the novel develops, we see a character who is smart and friendly, has her job and situations to worry about, and enjoys hobbies while being independent. Amélie, Patrice’s teenage daughter, behaves like a teenager would in real life, a young woman experimenting with life, trying to separate herself from her parents, looking for her own personality, changing her style, and scaring both of them, but at the same being influenceable as any one of us were at that age by her friends; the fights, the chats between mother and daughter are believable. It is so nice to see a family acting like people in real life; contrary to most TV shows that show the tension between the police officer and their family, this one feels so close: problems any family ever faces. Still, the daughter and mother are not angry all the time with Patrice for being absent. The actions such as cooking, talking, and drinking coffee together are so precious; how both look after each other and know how to calm each other or guess without a doubt what it is that they need without talking is different and refreshing; it’s believable. I love that Colette always has the advantage of the point of view of a woman to tell details that help Patrice understand the case he is trying to solve, problems only women understand.
The connection between Artemisia’s life, her work, and Mollie Cartwright: women who are left voiceless after heinous crimes committed against them. Art is their voice and the representation of how time passes, violence against what men believe to be the weak sex stays the same, and how it is possible that reality will always either imitate or surpass art, something that was only a wish in Artemisia’s mind happens in the future because women understand that we have to stand for each other. It was so beautiful to see Patrice and Chlöe learn and tell the story of Artemisia, which at some point turned out to be much more important than the procedures: her work, her influence, her friends, her pain, the transformation of her paintings as her mind changed.
There is also a rather sad and infuriating connection between Artemisia and Mollie. It is the fact that history not only repeats itself but also that it has not changed: male characters saw them as vulnerable, characters they could take advantage of: Artemisia’s tutor did not respect her father or her talent and abused her; Mollie was a vulnerable immigrant girl and male characters took advantage of it.
I give this book a rating of 5 stars out of 5. The story is powerful enough to attract your attention and keep you hooked until the last page. I found no edition problems, no grammar or spelling mistakes that could withold the reader to enjoy this fantastic novel.
I highly recommend this book if you are an art lover, if you love mysteries and love how slowly the whole story unravels, if you love thrillers and crime novels that do not follow the established rhythm and themes, then this novel is for you. If you love characters that are smart but also have their flaws, then you should read this book. I would like to mention a small caution: some female protagonists suffer violence at the hands of men. If you are sensitive, please read the book under your criteria.
******
the arc of blood
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The Arc of Blood: Book 3 of The Phenomenological Detective [Series], by Elizabeth Mostyn, follows Detective Patrice as he investigates a shocking murder committed at the Hotel de Jardins. His team, René, Clémence, and Fleur, begin the investigation and question all the possible witnesses but will find themselves in front of a wall because all the people staying at the Hotel des Jardins and everyone living around it remembers absolutely nothing of that night, either they saw the victim once or knew something happened when they heard the police sirens. When René questions the hotel receptionist, he finds Mollie, a girl who does not speak but may know the victim. René finds out that she has wounds all over her body. The team will investigate if the murder and the appearance of Mollie are connected. This investigation will lead the team to discover a disgusting crime taking place in Paris.
At the same time, Patrice will have to investigate whether an Artemisia Gentileschi painting is original or if it was stolen; if it was, it should be destroyed. Interpol will send him on a course in which he will learn about art history, technique, and color. He will work with Chlöe, a detective from Interpol who specializes in art. Throughout the investigation, Patrice and Chlöe will learn about Artemisia’s art evolution, her life, and how both connect in her most important paintings. Patrice will learn how to look at art, not only through his phenomenological point of view, but will also learn to appreciate the beauty in it and the meaning behind the paintings, and will also let himself be horrified by the violence in them. Chlöe will learn how to analyze paintings through the phenomenological technique. This investigation will take Patrice on a trip through various European countries to examine Artemisia’s works.
I loved this book so much. I love when women write crime novels because their view of the world differs so much from the male one: there is no insulting or diminishing of the abilities of female characters. They have personality, complex thoughts and feelings, and dignity. I am someone used to novels and series full of action, where police officers run behind suspects, bang doors, and show their police badges anytime; this novel’s rhythm makes you feel this is how crimes are solved in real life, with investigation, with brains, with compassion towards victims, and without violence committed against suspects, paying attention to the smallest of details. The female characters are the ones that stand out: from the detectives Clémence, Fleur, Chlöe, and Pucelle to the women in the life of detective Patrice, Colette, and Amélie, and the victims Artemisia and Mollie Cartwright.
Clémence, Fleur, Pucelle, and Chlöe are all part of the investigation into both crimes, and Elizabeth demonstrates how astute these women are when it comes to investigation and questioning suspects. They all show they are emotional and how the case and interviews affect them, but instead of being diminished or ridiculed, men listen and understand them and even share their feelings. Even when the feelings get the best of them, they get information. The novel shows that women working in the field are not robots or that the job turns them into insensitive beings. These women are so emotionally intelligent; they know how to hold space for their thoughts and feelings. They are brave enough to face the monsters and come out victorious after the confrontation. The respect that Patrice and the rest of the male characters working at le Trente-Six have for them is something that one cannot find all the time in these types of novels. Something that I also liked is that there are animosities between them, and they are not afraid to hide them. They feel real.
Colette and Amélie are characters who have a life of their own; they are not Patrice’s satellites. Colette, his wife, is a confident woman and helps him out of curiosity. As the novel develops, we see a character who is smart and friendly, has her job and situations to worry about, and enjoys hobbies while being independent. Amélie, Patrice’s teenage daughter, behaves like a teenager would in real life, a young woman experimenting with life, trying to separate herself from her parents, looking for her own personality, changing her style, and scaring both of them, but at the same being influenceable as any one of us were at that age by her friends; the fights, the chats between mother and daughter are believable. It is so nice to see a family acting like people in real life; contrary to most TV shows that show the tension between the police officer and their family, this one feels so close: problems any family ever faces. Still, the daughter and mother are not angry all the time with Patrice for being absent. The actions such as cooking, talking, and drinking coffee together are so precious; how both look after each other and know how to calm each other or guess without a doubt what it is that they need without talking is different and refreshing; it’s believable. I love that Colette always has the advantage of the point of view of a woman to tell details that help Patrice understand the case he is trying to solve, problems only women understand.
The connection between Artemisia’s life, her work, and Mollie Cartwright: women who are left voiceless after heinous crimes committed against them. Art is their voice and the representation of how time passes, violence against what men believe to be the weak sex stays the same, and how it is possible that reality will always either imitate or surpass art, something that was only a wish in Artemisia’s mind happens in the future because women understand that we have to stand for each other. It was so beautiful to see Patrice and Chlöe learn and tell the story of Artemisia, which at some point turned out to be much more important than the procedures: her work, her influence, her friends, her pain, the transformation of her paintings as her mind changed.
There is also a rather sad and infuriating connection between Artemisia and Mollie. It is the fact that history not only repeats itself but also that it has not changed: male characters saw them as vulnerable, characters they could take advantage of: Artemisia’s tutor did not respect her father or her talent and abused her; Mollie was a vulnerable immigrant girl and male characters took advantage of it.
I give this book a rating of 5 stars out of 5. The story is powerful enough to attract your attention and keep you hooked until the last page. I found no edition problems, no grammar or spelling mistakes that could withold the reader to enjoy this fantastic novel.
I highly recommend this book if you are an art lover, if you love mysteries and love how slowly the whole story unravels, if you love thrillers and crime novels that do not follow the established rhythm and themes, then this novel is for you. If you love characters that are smart but also have their flaws, then you should read this book. I would like to mention a small caution: some female protagonists suffer violence at the hands of men. If you are sensitive, please read the book under your criteria.
******
the arc of blood
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: the arc of blood by Elizabeth Mostyn
