Mister Memory

Description

In Paris in the year 1899, Marcel Despres is arrested for the murder of his wife and transferred to the famous Salpetriere asylum. And there the story might have stopped. But the doctor assigned to his care soon realises this is no ordinary patient: Marcel Despres, Mister Memory, is a man who cannot forget. And the policeman assigned to his case soon realises that something else is at stake: for why else would the criminal have been hurried off to hospital, and why are his superiors so keen for the whole affair to be closed? This crime involves something bigger and stranger than a lovers' fight - something with links to the highest and lowest establishments in France. The policeman and the doctor between them must unravel the mystery...but the answers lie inside Marcel's head. And how can he tell what is significant when he remembers every detail of every moment of his entire life? For fans of Scarlett Thomas, Carlos Ruiz Zafon and Patrick Suskind, this is a captivating literary mystery about memory, history and fate.

Reviews

This macabre fantasy follows a trail of blood across Europe over 50 years...Stylish, thrilling and fast, you needn't be a horror fan to enjoy this. Sunday Mirror Classy, elegant and gripping... A novel for a chilly night with a cup of tea and a warm blanket where you start reading and then go on and on, unable to stop. -- John Ajvide Lindqvist, author of Let the Right One In A LOVE LIKE BLOOD manages to play with vampire tropes while lifting the novel to stranger, more compelling heights. A great read. -- Joe R. Lansdale, author of EDGE OF DARK WATER Utterly engaging and intelligently written... It has quite a cinematic feel to it with its dramatic settings and fast-paced mystery. A must for fans of sharp, fast-paced thrillers to intrigue and disturb (in the best possible way). A Case for Books This is a genre book (of whichever genre you choose, although I know which side of the fence I'm on) of great distinction and quality. Marcus Sedgwick has produced a galling amount of high quality children's and teen reads in a short career that shows no sign of relenting, nor of losing his way as he steps into the adult market. In my first mental draught of this review, before I'd read it, I was imagining myself saying 'there must have been something in the water in the Sedgwick household' to make him such a confident, firm and competent writer. But no, it has nothing to do with water - it must be in his blood... The BookBag The style is much like a Victorian ghost story with the expectation of horror building with every page, drawing the reader in... I was enthralled. Our Book Reviews A Love Like Blood features some unforgettable settings-suffice it to say that Charles' travels take him far beyond the squalor of Avignon-as well as pitch perfect pacing, a canny combination of genres, and smoothly flowing, sophisticated prose. Expect suggestive, sensory storytelling on the sentence level, then... and as I said at the outset, little things like this can pack a proper punch. As does A Love Like Blood. Tor.com