Black Water Lilies
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Three willful women: one old wicked, one young and selfish, and the third in the prime of her life. A man murdered three ways: stabbed, bludgeoned, and drowned in a stream. The mystery brings brash young Inspector Laurenç to the postcard-perfect Norman village of Giverny, home to Impressionist Claude Monet's gardens and studio. Like any small town, Giverny has its secrets. But have they to do with greed? Lust? Missing paintings? Jealous husbands? Laurenç soon finds himself head over heels for a pretty schoolteacher—and in over his head. Dider Cassegrain brings Michel Bussi's bestselling novel to life in lush, delicate watercolors worthy of the famous canvases that lend the book its name: Monet's immortal Water Lilies...
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A gruesome murder shatters the peace in Claude Monet's picturesque hometown of Giverny in this stylish if unsubtle graphic novel adaptation of Bussi's crime novel. An elderly widow, a married schoolteacher, and a tween girl are all keeping secrets tied to the murder of a wealthy local man, which is being investigated by a pair of handsome, wisecracking policemen. The clever twist the mystery hinges on successfully translates from prose to comics, but the shallow characterizations of the trio at the center of the case ("the first was wicked, the second was a liar, and the third was selfish") prove less effective. Fanette, nearly 11 years old, loves to paint, but her inner turmoil revolves around two boys in love with her and the father she's never met. Femme-fatale Stéphanie's character design borders on pin-up—her Monet-like floral patterned dresses cling to exaggerated curves. And the elderly widow, who serves as the story's unseen narrator, harbors cruel intentions. The comics are sharply drawn and colored beautifully to pay homage to Monet's springtime palette, which sets an effective mood. Regrettably, this page-turner speeds past the women ostensibly at its center.
