In his third novel featuring the detective Georges Gorski, Scottish author Graeme Macrae Burnet has completed a stunning meta crime fiction series set in the small town of Saint-Louis, on the French-Swiss border. A CASE OF MATRICIDE (Text Publishing 2024) is ostensibly by the (fictional) author Raymond Brunet, translated and with a Foreword by Graeme Macrae Burnet. Very meta! But also a simple, lucid and extraordinarily intimate account of the goings on in this place, and its quirky inhabitants.
In the Foreword, Macrae Burnet gives a potted history of the ‘author Raymond Brunet’ (a clever anagram of his own name), from the screen adaptation of Brunet’s novel THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ADELE BEDEAU in 1982 to his death by suicide when he threw himself under a train in 1992. It was believed that THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ADELE BEDEAU was his only novel, but after his death, two further manuscripts were sent to his publisher, THE ACCIDENT ON THE A35 (also now published) and this one, A CASE OF MATRICIDE. As Macrae Burnet (supposed translator and fan of Brunet’s work) states, the title should be an obvious clue as to why these books were not released in Brunet’s lifetime. The Foreword continues to explore Brunet’s ‘lost narrative’ rise to fame (again), and discusses the ethical issues of publication of the third novel, A CASE OF MATRICIDE, about which he says: ‘Tragically, (it) makes it all too clear why both Raymond Brunet’s life and writing career ended in the way they did’.
Confused? Don’t be. Macrae Burnet is a skilled and clever craftsman. I’ve also loved his other novels, especially HIS BLOODY PROJECT, which was another example of how Macrae Burnet loves to write about writing, assume the character of author, and present auto fiction that could be memoir or equally could be fiction. He blurs the lines between what constitutes certain genres, which makes for really interesting reading.
He writes with character absolutely front and centre. Every plot line is derived from the engaging characters, and he scrutinises humanity and our many foibles with microscopic intent. Themes include desire, greed, ambition, fallibility, insecurity, deceit, deception and identity. His books are gripping psychological thrillers, dark and unnerving but also spare and funny. Throughout he includes vignettes of a peek at the life of certain characters at a specific time on a given day, which provides the reader an overview of the characters of this town and how they all fit together. In the main narrative, Chief Inspector Georges Gorski puzzles over the pieces, trying to assemble the facts – a woman believes her son is going to kill her, a prominent manufacturer suddenly dies, a mysterious stranger stalks the streets (or is he stalking Gorski himself?) As Gorski moves between the bars of the small town, drinking, eavesdropping on conversations, interviewing suspects and following clues, he is also struggling with his own personal problems (covered in the previous two novels but expanded upon even further in this one).
This book is described as ‘entertaining, profound and moving’ and it is indeed all of those things. Who is reader and who is writer? Who is narrator and who is protagonist? Who is investigator and who is suspect? What dark secrets lie behind the eyes of everyone living in Saint-Louis, including perhaps the Chief Inspector himself?
It is impossible to accurately describe Macrae Burnet’s writing style. His prose is simple, evocative, deeply atmospheric, beguiling, seductive, intensely human, playful, intelligent and yet highly readable and accessible. He is a writer I have come to admire and respect for his ability to develop wholly authentic and believable characters, and to befuddle the reader with just enough sleight of hand to make us wonder who is actually in control of this book, and whether a reader’s own insights might change the way the book is received.