The Accident on the A35 (The Gorski Novels)

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Traffic was congested as motorists tried to find alternative routes while crash scene investigations took place, prompting police to thank the public for their patience.

I really enjoyed The Disappearance of Adèle Bedeau (2014) and so was keen to read this 2017 follow up. They said: “We would like to take this opportunity to praise the actions of those members of the public who swiftly ran to assist with first aid and immediate traffic control. His Bloody Project was presented as a collection of documents unearthed by Burnet as he traced his family tree. This time he’s the translator of a French writer named Raymond Brunet, who after publishing The Disappearance of Adèle Bedeau killed himself in 1992. Two decades later, on the death of his mother, lawyers acting for Raymond (mark the name) sent his publisher a parcel containing the manuscript of L’Accident sur l’A35. While any follow up is unnecessary, as Chief Inspector, Gorski decides he will make some enquiries for the attractive young widow. And the inconsistencies he uncovers, coupled with a puzzling reticence displayed by the dead man’s colleagues and friends soon has Gorski intrigued, and determined to find out just what’s been going on. Meanwhile, Raymond Bethelme, the accident victim’s 17-year-old son, is conducting a sort of enquiry of his own, based on a scrap of paper found in his father’s desk drawer.

\r\n\tTraffic News Across the UK

A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesperson said: “Police investigating a fatal road traffic collision on the A35 near Axminster are appealing for any witnesses to come forward. The proprietor carefully placed a bottle on a paper doily in front of him. Then he lit a cigarette himself. Usually in such a situation, the proprietor of a bar will busy himself with some menial task- polishing glasses or wiping down surfaces - so that his customer does not feel self conscious about drinking alone. Or he will feel the need to offer some banal remarks. But the proprietor of the cafe on the corner of Rue Saint-Fiacre did neither of these things. He simply stood behind the counter, watching Gorski with a placid expression.”

Accident on the A35 is a literary mystery. Not like other crime mysteries that are plot-driven with many twists and turns. It’s important to step into this novel realizing you are about to read an easy flowing mystery that is character-driven. Police investigating a crash near Axminster where an East Devon pensioner died are appealing for witnesses. In conclusion I was impressed by Graeme Macrea Burnet's skills as a writer and reading this novel has reinforced the high opinion I formed of him when reading His Bloody Project; he has intrigued and inspired me to read The Disappearance of Adele Bedeau. All the other characters we meet along the way are just as well-drawn, building up a complete picture of the two neighbouring societies at the heart of the story. Despite the relative brevity of the book, the secondary characters are allowed to develop over time, making them feel rounded and true. Short sketches of people who appear only for moments in a café or on the street all add to the understanding of the culture, which in turn adds to our understanding of how it has formed and shaped our main characters, Raymond and Gorski. Not a word is wasted – with the briefest of descriptions, Burnet can create a person who feels real, solid, entire, as if they might be a neighbour we've known all our life. The front and endpapers claim that The Accident on the A35 turned up in a bundle with another unpublished Brunet manuscript. The Scottish middleman will presumably translate and annotate the third work in due course. As Macrae Burnet is careful not to specify the genre of this final text, it may turn out to be a departure – a Brunet memoir or biography of Simenon, perhaps even a guidebook to Saint-Louis – that would, presumably, further compromise the reliability of The Disappearance of Adèle Bedeau and The Accident on the A35.I was introduced to Scottish author, Graeme Macrae Burnet, with His Blood Project, shortlisted for the Booker prize in 2016. A brilliant novel and one worth every 5 stars I gave it. Given the opportunity to read his Accident on the A35, I jumped at it. The novel is character-based, exploring the emotional journeys of a rebellious and troubled teen who is just beginning to discover who he really is and what he really wants (with echoes of Albert Camus’ The Stranger)…a shy and lovely widow whose marriage has been a sham for many years…a seasoned detective who has been living parallel lives with his wife…and a woman in the Alsace town of Strasbourg who may possibly hold the key to what really happened. Four other people - including an eight-year-old girl who suffered serious injuries - were taken to hospital following the crash on the A35 yesterday (January 16). Officers were called to reports of a collision involving a Citroen C3 car and a MAN heavy goods vehicle near the junction with the A358 at around 1.40pm, on Thursday 20 July. The Accident on the A35: An Inspector Gorski Investigation” by Graeme Macrae Burnet deservedly earned accolades as a Guardian Best Crime and Thriller Book for 2017, and was long-listed for the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year award for 2018. This highly compelling historical thriller — one of my fave genres — is beautifully described in the Publisher’s Note, which I’ll share here while awarding it 5/5!