I love taking books with me to the countryside on weekends, there's something about reading in nature that just feels more refreshing. But to be honest, I was in a rush this time and just grabbed a few random, thin books.
Frank Tietjens isn't really my favorite author, I'm not a fan of the excessive brutality in his books, but he's a master at crafting plots and it's really engaging - I ended up reading this book in just a few days.
"The Honey Trap" is the third book in the Charcot and Leneve series, and while the first two books are standalone, this one is a direct sequel to the first one, with events from the books intersecting.
Publisher: AzbukaYear of publication: 2021
Number of pages: 317
Publisher: Azbuka
Format, printing
I'm a big fan of detective and thriller novels, and I often buy them in the mini format to save money and space on my bookshelves. This book is tiny, thin, and has a soft cover. The pages are gray, like newspaper print. It's really hard to fully open the book, the binding is fragile.
The cover is a bit weird, I still don't get what it's supposed to represent and how it relates to the plot. It's just a vague memory that quickly fades away.
The text is standard, and the print quality is good - no smudges or poorly printed text. However, there are quite a few typos in the book that really stood out to me.
On the back cover instead of the usual blurb, there are some biographical paragraphs and reviews of the book.
Plot
Frank Charcot is back in the game after a long break, and he's diving headfirst into his work. He's tasked with solving several really gruesome crimes, but to do that, he needs to unravel complex puzzles. And the more he solves them, the more terrifying the consequences get. He's delving deep into the darkest corners of someone else's life, but in doing so, he's also on the edge himself - broken, shattered, haunted by past memories, tormented by guilt, and constantly plagued by nightmares and hallucinations.
After my wife and daughter passed away, I was a mess. Sleepless nights, guilt, grief... It's hard to focus on work when you're feeling so broken. But new developments forced me to snap back to reality: a woman's body was found in the church, and there were butterflies fluttering around it. The body looked weird - no hair anywhere, everything was shaved, and the internal organs looked like they'd been blown to pieces. It seemed like the killer was a puzzle enthusiast who enjoyed inflicting calculated suffering. And it was clear he wasn't going to stop anytime soon. For me, this case was personal - it was a journey into the depths of the human soul: the killer's, and my own.
My Impressions
I'm terrified of spiders - they're one of my worst nightmares. I've gotten used to small ones over time, but some of the bigger, creepier ones still freak me out. In 'The Honey Trap', all my worst nightmares came to life - there's an entire swarm of insects, some of which are rare, terrifying, and deadly. While some people are terrified, others are fascinated, collect them, hunt them down, and are willing to pay top dollar to get their hands on a rare specimen.
I was surprised by how interesting the insect world was - I picked up some new information about them. The writing was realistic and atmospheric, and the story fit perfectly with the summer vibe. I'm glad I live in an area with minimal deadly insects, though - I was so impressed that I was actually scared to go outside in the evenings.
Compared to the previous books in the series, I enjoyed 'The Honey Trap' way more. In addition to the main plot with the insects, the book also delves into the world of the subconscious, a diseased mind, and a wounded soul. Tille loves exploring themes like psychiatry, hypnosis, and diving into the depths of human consciousness.
I find this topic fascinating too - the human brain is incredible, and its abilities are endless. I couldn't put the book down - it was dark, tense, and full of unexpected twists. The murders were still twisted and brutal, which is par for the course in Tille's books. However, this one was more of a psychological thriller than a gruesome crime novel. We got to see more of Frank's inner world, and his secrets were slowly revealed. He's completely broken on the inside, but still obsessed.
I've read my fair share of detective novels, and while some of them can be engaging, others are just too predictable. I mean, it's not hard to guess who the killer is, especially if the plot is full of clichés. But this one was different. The storyline was new to me, and I devoured the book in no time. It's not a traditional detective novel, but rather a fantasy one, and it's far from realistic. Still, there were moments when I found it both thrilling and terrifying. The mystery was well-crafted, with no loose ends, and the investigation was meticulous. I loved how the enigmatic girl fit into the story, leaving me wondering if she was an angel, a demon, or just a product of someone's imagination.
One thing that bugged me was the author's writing style, which sometimes felt a bit repetitive. I'm not sure if it's just the translation, but it did get a bit annoying at times. However, the book was still engaging, and I found myself wanting to read more of the series. The next one on my list is 'The Phantom Pain'.
My reviews of thrillers:
"The Hellbound Express for the Red Angel" by Frank Schätzing - After reading this book, owners of Labradors will have one more thing to fear
The Dead Room, Frank Schätzing - "This is not a game, Lucy, and not a treasure hunt. In the end, there will be nothing but death and despair." That's how I would describe this book.
The Grave Silence, Tess Gerritsen - Mystery, ancient legends, family secrets that have been kept for decades
The Puzzle, Frank Schätzing - Not all of them are aliens, most are just ordinary earthbound psychopaths