Le vol des cigognes (The Flight of the Storks) by Jean-Christophe Grangé

I read this book as part of the 2014 book bingo that I started in January.  To fill in the last square, I needed "the first book by a favorite author."  Grangé's books have been favorites of mine ever since I saw the movie "Les Rivières Pourpres" in 2000.

What always pulls me in to his stories are the complex psychological mysteries.  However, his first book is overwhelming.  There is too much violence, and a main character who seems drawn from comic book character rejects.  The ending is tied up in a little bow, which I have appreciated in Grangé's previous works, but is too tidy for this messy, messy voyage through hell and back.

If you'd like the best of Grangé, French cinema already chose the best for you.  Read Les Rivières Pourpres, and then go back to some of your own favorites.