Le temps est assassin (2024)

Michel Bussi writes stunning psychological thrillers, and Time is a Killer is just amazing. Translated from the French, it shifts from the past to the present, set on the island of Corsica. A 15 year old Clothilde Idrissi is the sole survivor of a car crash which kills her parents, Paul and Palma, and her 18 year old brother, Nicolas in 1989. 27 years later, now Clothilde Baron, married to Franck, and with 15 year old daughter, Valentine, aka Valou, she returns to lay the ghosts that have haunted her to rest and to visit her family from her father's side. As a teenager, Clothilde dressed as a Goth, immersed in the character of Lydia Deetz from Beetlejuice, and Dangerous Liaisons is her choice of symbolic reading matter, a harbinger of events that unfold in 1989. She believes her whole life is a dark room, a belief that is firmly reinforced in the present day. Her presence awakens the past as strange and sinister events begin to envelop Clothilde, as long forgotten echoes filter into her life, threatening to splinter her family apart and bring danger and darkness swirling thickly around her. This leaves Clothilde scared, terrified and wondering if there is anyone around her that she can trust and rely on.

Clothilde was closer to her father and extremely jealous of her mother, and now she struggles to be close to Valou and connect with her. Valou is not interested in her mother's past or Idrissi family history and is closer to Franck. The narrative goes back to 1989, resurrected through the missing notebook kept by the young Clothilde but in the hands of a unknown man. We become acquainted with the petty rivalries, jealousies, relationships and machinations of a group of hormonal teenagers surrounding Nicolas. Clothilde is also privy to some of the fissures apparent within her parents marriage and the powerful Idrissi family willing to do anything to keep Corsica free from the commercial development blighting other islands. Clothilde encounters characters from her past, many in completely unexpected circ*mstances than she would ever imagined them to be from what she knew of them in the past, including the charismatic Natale, the fisher king of princesses, dolphins and magic, her obsession and love. Clothilde begins to slowly disintegrate as she receives letters that imply her mother is still alive, a breakfast table laid out as it would have been from the past, her wallet disappears from the safe, and her daughter comes to be endangered. Idrissi family secrets slowly begin to seep out, challenging everything that Clothilde thought she knew of the past.

Michel Bussi evokes Corsica beautifully, through the characters, the landscape, family traditions and the sea that envelops the island. His ability to capture the world of a teenagers and Clothilde is extraordinary, the overheated emotions, the obsessions and passions. I loved that Clothilde was reading Dangerous Liaisons, which Bussi uses to good effect as Clothilde begins to become aware of all that eluded her in 1989. This is a cracking psychological thriller with twists that just keep on coming, making me avidly turn the pages to find out where it all ends. A superb read which I recommend highly. Many thanks to Orion for an ARC.

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*3.5 stars*

Time Is A Killer by Michel Bussi. (2018).
(Originally published in French, 2016).

Sunmer, 1989: Clotilde is 15 and on holiday with her parents in Corsica when their car plunges into a ravine and only Clotilde survives.
27 years later Clotilde returns to the island with her husband and daughter. She receives a letter from her mother - as if her mother was still alive. Clotilde begins to question the past even though she saw the corpses of her mother, father and brother; but who sent the letter and why?

This book was enjoyable but at the same time felt like a bit of a trek to read. At 452 pages long, I think it could have been a fair amount shorter and still had the same effect. I'll give it this, despite it feeling very slow the ending was very well done and while I picked some elements I certainly didn't even dream of others. I liked the technique of reading extracts from Clotilde's 1989 diary (although she was certainly an extremely well written 15 year old haha) alongside the current timeline. The location was described beautifully, Corsica sounds like it would be an amazing place to visit!
A good novel that mystery fans may really enjoy set on a gorgeous sounding Mediterranean island in the French region.

In 1989, a car crashes through a hillside barrier killing a family on holidays in Corsica. Twenty-seven years later, the only survivor revisits the scene with her own teenage daughter and husband. Through the narrative of back and forth between these time periods, the story of what really happened unfolds. The family dynamics and history are revealed with the truth of what really happened impacting on their lives. A most realistic and believable psychological thriller from Michel Bussi with a deserved 4-star rating.

E’ la prima domanda che ovviamente si pone chiunque inizi a leggere “Tempo Assassino”: “E’ geniale come Ninfee Nere?” (il primo lavoro di Bussi). Risposta: no.
“Ma”, aggiungerei io, “è un bel romanzo?” Risposta: sì.
Questo per premettere che “Tempo assassino” soffre, ahimè, della sindrome da “confronto” con un primo capolavoro che ha fatto conoscere l’autore, con la sua genialità e bravura, al grande pubblico. Come un secondo figlio, che ci si aspetti sia brillante come il primogenito. Quindi la domanda spontanea ci sta. Quella genialità unica che aveva contraddistinto “Ninfee Nere”, a quel livello, no, secondo me non c’è. Questo non vuol dire che questo secondogenito sia da buttar via, anzi. La storia si fa divorare velocemente, a scapito della mole, e il lettore resta fino alla fine con quella curiosità di sapere come va a venire, come e perché, con quel “E quindi? E allora?” fra le labbra, fra le pagine che sprizzano mistero, sorprese, colpi di scena, anche ironia. E anche suspense, i passaggi in cui l’assassino compare, come un’ombra dietro l’angolo, e non si fa scrupolo di ammazzare chi gli può causare pericolo, non mancano.
Rispetto a “Ninfee nere” lo definirei più thriller “classico”, capace di tenere alta l’attenzione del lettore dall’inizio alla fine. Il doppio piano temporale, però, c’è sempre. C’è l’estate del 1989, quando Clotilde, in vacanza in Corsica con la famiglia, fa un incidente in macchina ed è l’unica della sua famiglia a salvarsi; e c’è l’estate del 2016, quando Clotilde, ormai donna, moglie e mamma, ritorna nello stesso camping della Corsica in cui aveva trascorso quella maledetta estate (e le precedenti) e qui, comincia a ricevere messaggi scritti e firmati dalla madre. Ma come? La madre si è schiantata sulle rocce di quel precipizio in cui la loro auto è caduta vent'anni prima, l’ha vista morta, con i suoi stessi occhi! E quindi? Nel frattempo altri fatti strani insanguinano questa estate del presente. E mentre questi due piani temporali s’intersecano, noi conosciamo questa protagonista, prima adolescente atipica e un po’ introversa e ora donna caparbia, decisa a tutti i costi a scoprire che cosa diavolo sta succedendo.
Una menzione particolare va all'ambientazione, la bella Corsica, descritta con una chiarezza che pare di vedersela davanti, con le sue scogliere a strapiombo sul mare, i suoi pericolosi tornanti, le sue spiagge, il suo Mediterraneo, i suoi sapori. E anche una certa chiusura mentale, legata a un fortissimo senso di appartenenza e alle sue tradizioni, che Bussi attraverso la storia sottolinea molto bene, e che sinceramente, a tal punto, non mi aspettavo. Non conoscendo la Corsica e non essendoci mai stata, mi chiedo se effettivamente sia così, o se Bussi abbia calcato un po' la mano, ma propendo per la seconda.
Insomma, Michel Bussi è uno scrittore capace, e molto. Non si può storcere il naso ora solo perché “Ninfee Nere” è stato quello che è stato, qui ci porta a leggere 500 pagine con una velocità e una curiosità che sorprendono anche noi stessi.
Quattro stelle piene e non cinque, perché nel finale alcune risoluzioni risultano poco credibili e un po’ campate in aria. E anche perché mi piacerebbe che questi autori capaci approfondissero ogni tanto anche la mente e il mondo dell’assassino, vittima come tutti, un po’ come ad esempio riesce a fare il sommo Maurizio de Giovanni. Ma non cadiamo nuovamente nei confronti, questo secondogenito ne soffre già abbastanza.

Time is a Killer is the English translation.... and I'll tell you what another killer is - 450 pages of sub Harlen Coben nonsense that manages to be both plodding and beyond rational analysis.

Corsica comes out of it well though - sounds beautiful.

Teenage Clothilde in 1980s is a 15 year old goth, addicted to Betelgeuse and on holiday with her elder brother and parents. There is a crash in a red Renault Fuego. I know this, as it must be repeated a 1000 times over the 450 pages. Her parents are wiped out.

27 years later she returns - a mother herself - and visits the crash site to lay a memorial. Its her first time back after living near Paris since the accident.

So far, so good.

The story is told in split time narrative between her teenage diary (written the way a middle aged Frenchman thinks teenagers from the 80s would write) and the present day. Its starts off OK but this approach gets deeply annoying.

Then the first revelation is made about 100 pages in - her grandparents own most of the island. And they're still alive. OK - so she hasn't been there for 27 years and presumably a fair chunk of her family are still on the island. Uhmm... unlikely.

Then she starts receiving notes - from her mother.... is she still alive? Clothilde doesnt seem overly concerned.

A mystery plays out far too slowly and collapses in a heap of complete nonsese. Without giving away spoilers, I think the Fuego comes back - but I was bored, so may have dreamt it.

I give the book 2 stars - and one of those was for Corsica.

Ātri vien iegrimu Korsikas atmosfērā, vietām traucēja tas, ka grāmata tiešām prasīja pamatīgu iedziļināšanos, jo laika līnijas juka un radu raksti tāpat. Grāmata likās tik…sievišķīga, romantiska, neskatoties uz sāpīgo detektīvlīniju.

Bailed out at 41%. Corny, not terribly original, and withholds information in an irritating manner because the whole thing would fall apart if it didn't. The structure - one chapter in the present, followed by one chapter from the central character's 1989 diary, which reads exactly like how a 40-odd year old man thinks a teenage girl would write - grates, especially when something half-way interesting happens, because you know you'll have to wait another chapter for a follow-up, and maybe not even then. Having the mysterious diary-reader chip in their thoughts at the end of each diary chapter isn't a major problem, but it's annoying given how little they have to add. Add in the 1989 cultural references that are just SLIGHTLY off enough to not be credible (a French-Italian 15 year old crowing about being a Nirvana fan less than 2 months after Bleach was released in the States ... sure). Characters whose responses to situations make no sense, not even seeming to following a believable train of thought. Giving this another day-plus of my attention is not a wise use of time.

J'ai vraiment essayé, je savais d'emblée que ça risquait de ne pas tomber dans mes cordes mais j'étais remplie de bonne foi.

Les personnes sont inintéressants, tout comme l'intrigue, l'écriture et la construction. Les chapitres dans le passé, présentés sous forme de journal sont remplis de placotages enfantins qui, au mieux ne font pas avancer l'histoire, au pire décourage le lecteur de poursuivre sa lecture.

J'ai fini par lire une page sur cinq, et à sauter directement à la fin, mais je n'avais tellement aucun intérêt pour cet univers que j'ai abandonné, surtout quand j'ai compris ou l'auteur nous amenait.

Aïe, aïe, aïe, je m'excuse Michel ! Mais je suis persuadée que tu sais trouver ton public. Un roman idéal pour les lecteurs/trices de Musso-Levi-Gounelle-Hildebrand.

Quel pied ce bouquin ! une intrigue fascinante, avec, comme c’est si bien le faire l'auteur, pas mal de petit* rebondissem*nts qui nous tiennent en haleine jusqu’au judicieux dénouement ! Bref, une intrigue prenante, de la nostalgie autour de l’année 1989 ( Le Grand Bleu, la Lambada … ) , du suspense et de l’émotion ( que sont devenus nos rêves et passions adolescentes … ) . Un très grand Bussi ! Une grande réussite ! Un livre » d’atmosphére « que je conseille à ceux qui avaient adoré » Nymphéas noirs » ! 19/20

http://www.ilestbiencelivre.com/1611/...

Romāns neattaisnoja manas gaidas no autora, ko uzturēja emocionāli spēcīgais iespaids pēc "Melnajām ūdensrozēm".
Visas trīs zvaigznes ir Korsikai un Klotildes dienasgrāmatai, ko viņa rakstījusi 15 gadu vecumā pirms traģēdijas, kad auto negadījumā (tīšā / netīšā) gāja bojā viņas vecāki un brālis, bet viņa izdzīvoja, lai sadūšotos pēc 27 gadiem šeit atgriezties.
Šodienas (2016.gads) notikumi neaizrāva un es tiem nenoticēju, lai gan pati Klotilde bija visnotaļ OK varone.
Beigas nu stipri par saldu.
Nedaudz vairāk https://lililasa.wordpress.com/2019/0...

Un scénario certes rocambolesque, qui tient néanmoins en haleine et participe au sensationnel du récit. La lecture idéale pour la détente (soleil, vacances, secrets de famille, premières amours et retour aux sources). Tous les ingrédients sont réunis pour concocter une bonne tambouille !

Scritto male, noioso, improbabile, personaggi che definire stereotipati è un complimento.

Bisī grāmatas ir brīnišķīgas - ne tikai detektīvintriga, bet ievešana citā pasaulē, šajā grāmatā- Korsikā. Turklāt tīri reālā - kartē var atrast visas minētās vietas, pat zinātniskais institīts ir:)
Grāmata, kuru patiešām NEVAR nolikt malā.

He descubierto un autor al que sé que volveré y me alegro. No creo que sea un thriller perfecto y creo que podría haber sido igualmente eficaz o incluso más con algunas páginas menos, pero se lee con interés y el autor escribe bien.
Las descripciones ambientales de Córcega son estupendas, me ha hecho sentirme allí cuando me sumergía entre sus páginas y eso para mí ya es muy importante. He podido viajar desde mi casa.

Questo libro mi ha stregata. Non mi capitava da un bel po’ di trovare un libro così coinvolgente e appassionante, che mi lasciasse senza un attimo di respiro. Non capisco chi ha scritto che i personaggi sono mal caratterizzati, sinceramente a me sono sembrati riusciti e credibilissimi (tranne per un solo episodio, che non rivelerò per non fare spoiler). A differenza di Ninfee nere, che mi aveva lasciata un po’ arrabbiata con l’autore perché a mio parere aveva giocato sporco, qui mi sono divertita fino alla fine. Bussi è maestro nel descrivere le ambientazioni, e anche i sentimenti che muovono le azioni umane. La sua scrittura è godibile e scorrevole, i suoi colpi di scena sempre ben studiati e originali. Non vedo l’ora di leggere anche Non lasciare la mia mano!

The reviews I had read of this book and author enticed me to want to read it but unfortunately I struggled to get into it. The initial story of Clothilde being left alone following the devastating crash that killed her family was an intriguing start with much potential but I found there were too many characters and the storyline so slow moving that I lost the will to carry on reading it. The descriptive writing however is wonderful, just a shame that this was not my type of read but you can't have everything.

Très joli livre mettant en miroir les troubles et questionnements de l adolescence, et où on se retrouve 30 ans plus tard. Que sont devenus nos rêves et nos illusions, avec le suspense en prime. Donne aussi envie de retourner vite fait en Corse. Parfait pour les vacances.

Saisissant! D'abord tout va un peu lent, on a envie de se passer de tous ces descriptions pour apprendre l'essentiel, mais puis, on ne peut pas juste laisser tomber sans terminer.

Clotilde avait 15 ans quand ses parents et son frère sont morts en un accident de voiture en Corse. Vingt-sept ans après, elle retourne à l’endroit de l’accident avec son mari et sa fille qui a maintenant l’âge de Clotilde lorsqu’elle a perdu sa famille.

La haine que j’ai ressentie pendant je lisais ce livre est difficile à décrire. Pourtant j’essaierais de faire une liste sur chaque aspect que j’ai détesté :

•Clotilde : Cette femme était une hypocrite. Elle passait la plupart du livre en critiquant autres femmes et après elle fessait exactement les choses qu’elle avait critiqué chez les autres.

•Natale : Cet homme était selon le livre le meilleur homme du monde, mais d’après moi il était le pire du livre. Je ne comprends pas pourquoi tout le monde croyait qu’il méritait mieux qu’Aurélia quand c’est Aurélia qui méritait mieux que cet adultère.

•Le mystère : Cela n’est pas un mystère quand on sait dés le début que la mère était vivante. Et en plus, j’avais si peu intérêt à cette famille qu’il ne m’intéressait pas savoir qui les avait tués.

•Le sexisme : Cela était une constante pendant le livre. Clotilde était extrêmement machiste et le même pour la plupart des gens de ce livre, mais on était toujours dans la tête de Clotilde. Elle n’avait aucun scrupule de nous faire voir que les femmes autour d’elle étaient des salopes (selon elle). Mais ce n’est pas seulement qu’elle soit machiste. Le livre l’était aussi. Clotilde se comparait toujours physiquement avec les autres filles et femmes pour nous rappeler que le plus important pour une femme est être désir�� par les hommes. En plus, ce n’était pas seulement avec des femmes au hasard, mais avec sa mère et sa propre fille aussi.

•La longueur : Je sais que même des gens qui n’ont pas aimé le livre ont apprécié les descriptions de la Corse, mais pour moi il y en avait trop. A chaque moment, l’auteur arrêtait l’histoire pour nous décrire tous les paysages et je désirais que le livre finisse.

En résumé, je n’ai pas aimé ce livre et je crois que ne lirais rien de Bussi dans le futur.
Pardon pour mon français, ce n’est pas ma langue maternelle.

Clothilde, sole survivor of a tragic accident twenty seven years earlier, returns to Corsica with her husband and teenage daughter. Memories of that year come flooding back as she re-encounters her childhood acquaintances, but some odd occurrences make her doubt the reliability of her recollections. Going against the advice of her husband, Clothilde needs to put her ghosts to rest.
Michel Bussi has produced a gripping thriller, page after page when the need to know becomes hardly bearable. Just as in ‘After the Crash’ the author employs the use of a diary writer, alternating chapters between 1989 and now. No stone is left unturned in the search for the truth in this slick, clever and considered novel set in the stunning Corsican countryside.
With thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group

Michel Bussi has once again created a story where I was completely engrossed in the world and the plot. It kept me guessing until the very end. It was a tad slow to get going and I am not sure that the translation from French to English was as smooth as previous books, as at times I found it difficult to follow. However, the plot remained easy to follow and the ending was just as surprising, and satisfying as other books by Mr Bussi.

A really good read and one that I enjoyed.

Bussi m'avait vraiment habitué à mieux. Grosse grosse déception. Les personnages n'ont aucune profondeur, l'intrigue traîne en longueur et est totalement superficielle par moment et la fin est carrément invraisemblable. Je n'ai pas du tout accroché.

pessimo. storia sciatta, personaggi ridicoli, finale imbarazzante.

Di Bussi avevo già letto Ninfee nere e Mai dimenticare e mi erano piaciuti entrambi, con i suoi thriller ci vuole una buona propensione alla sospensione dell'incredulità ma sono libri piacevoli e per nulla scontati: da leggere quando hai voglia di una lettura scorrevole, non troppo pesante e che catturi fortemente. In più ogni libro è ambientato in una diversa regione francese, che viene descritta sempre con grande amore, riuscendo a far venir voglia di organizzare un viaggio in una zona di cui prima magari non si sapeva niente.
Purtroppo Tempo assassino è stato una delusione e al netto dei lati positivi (libro comunque scorrevole, prima parte abbastanza intrigante, ottima descrizione paesaggistica della Corsica), i lati negativi sono stati preponderanti.
1. Il libro mi è parso fin troppo lungo e ripetitivo. L'alternarsi tra passato e presente, che all'inizio funziona, diventa poi un po' pesante. La seconda parte l'ho letta un po' in stanca.
2. Va bene la sospensione dell'incredulità, fino ad un certo punto, ma con questo libro Bussi ha tirato fin troppo la corda, anche per i suoi standard. l'ultraottantenne che si butta da una scogliera altissima e pericolosissima e salva due donne da un auto che sta affondando in mare non ha bisogno di commenti. Anche le motivazioni degli assassini hanno ben poco senso. A dirla tutta pure la descrizione degli abitanti della Corsica mi è parsa un po' esagerata, con la comunità che tiene imprigionata una donna per 30 anni
3. L'ultimo zuccheroso capitolo da carie è il colpo di grazia che trasforma la delusione in incazzatura.

Un Bussi meno pirotecnico, con pochi fuochi d’artificio ed una struttura narrativa meno sofisticata di altri suoi romanzi. Non ti lascia a bocca aperta per gli “effetti speciali”, né con il fiato sospeso per scoprire l’assassino (anche se é un thriller e ci sono morti ammazzati). Dopo 27 anni dalla tragedia che le ha sconvolto la vita, Clo’ torna in vacanza in Corsica (la terra dei suoni nonni, fiera, struggente, bellissima!) e fa i conti con i propri fantasmi: palcoscenico e protagonisti sono gli stessi, o quasi, di tanti anni prima, in un intreccio che porta passato e presente a “ricongiungersi” nel finale. Alla fine, la morale del libro (“La vita era tutta li, nel godersi la bellezza del mondo, la sua poesia, l’armonia…”) sembra un hashtag alla moda: #sivivedisolabellezza!

„Czas jest mordercą” to dramatyczna rodzinna opowieść w środku skwierczącego lata, w której wątek kryminalny zdaje się być rozmyty, niewyraźny, drgający, unoszący się w rozgrzanym powietrzu. Pośród morza i gór, bajecznych zatoczek do nurkowania, rozmigotanej wody… Korsyka to nie tylko miejsce akcji, ale cicha bohaterka Michela Bussiego – urokliwa, zjawiskowa, ale też śmiertelnie niebezpieczna, pełna sekretów, o których lepiej zapomnieć. Dzięki niej, „Czas jest mordercą” może zdawać się niemal plażową, letnią lekturą, ale dobrze wiemy, że zbrodnia odnajdzie się też i rozgości w tej listopadowej szarudze, która czeka na nas za oknem.

3+ par to, ka sen nebija lasīts kads krimiķis

Spriedze bija, siltais klimats arī aizrāva šovasar (bet aprakstu vietām bija par daudz) + trillera sajūta kaut nedaudz, bet pastāvēja. Tomēr viss stāsts likās pārāk izvilkts garumā.

Kas par daudz, tas par skādi :D
Bet kopumā viduvējs Bisē darbs. Citi man patika labāk.

J’ai pas accroché …

Knygos mintis, ideja patiko, bet kazkaip knyga skaitesi sunkiai, pasirode kiek istempta.

Very good 9/10