Without Blood: A Victor Lessard Thriller by Martin Michaud

Martin Michaud is an accomplished Canadian author with a large body of work written in French, his mother tongue. His Lessard novels are being meticulously translated to English and Without Blood is the second novel in the series. It is a spellbinding story of the nth degree.

The story is told from three different perspectives. Unique in its delivery, one voice – that of Simone Fortin – is in the first person and the two other main characters are in the third person. While this may not work in some cases, it adds another dimension to a riveting tale.

We are introduced to the antagonist first. His deadly games begin with clear and precise details and there is blood. The next person on his list is Simone. Before he can carry out his evil plans, fate changes their courses. Simone is struck down by a passing vehicle. This is when the real twists and turns start.

“There is a lot going on but Michaud ties everything together in a very neat package.”
allan hudson

Michaud introduces us to Detective Lessard, a former alcoholic, separated from family, a dedicated cop who has been demoted from the Major Crimes Unit. He’s sent to investigate the hit and run but Simone is nowhere to be found at first. A good man down deep, his morals are tested when he makes a startling discovery concerning an important detail in his investigation.

We step into another world when Simone meets a mystical character who has saved her life. This adds a second story to the novel, cleverly intertwined with a touch of what some may consider paranormal but that’s for you to decide.

I felt the touch of his hand on my arm and a tugging sensation as he raised my body toward his own. In a moment I was on my feet, facing the man who had just saved my life.

When Lessard discovers her whereabouts, he intends to visit her in the hospital for questioning only to discover another murder takes place while he’s there and misses Simone who has checked herself out, against her doctor’s advice.

There is a lot going on but Michaud ties everything together in a very neat package. Michaud’s prose and themes draw us into the story with eager anticipation. Just when we think we know where things are going, Michaud artfully gives us another jaw-dropping moment. The ending is intense. Of all the thriller novels I’ve read over the past few years, I can recommend no other as highly as this one. Michaud should be at the top of your to-be-read collection.

Martin Michaud is a bestselling author, screenwriter, musician, and former lawyer. His critically acclaimed Victor Lessard series has won numerous awards, including the Arthur Ellis Award and the Prix Saint-Pacôme for Crime Fiction, and is the basis for the award-winning French-language TV series Victor Lessard. He lives in Montreal.

Publisher : Dundurn Press (Jan. 19 2021)
Paperback : 384 pages
ISBN-10 : 1459742095
ISBN-13 : 978-1459742093

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Allan Hudson

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Growing up in South Branch, Allan Hudson was encouraged to read from an early age by his mother who was a schoolteacher. He lives in Dieppe, NB, with his wife Gloria. He has enjoyed a lifetime of adventure, and travel and uses the many experiences as ideas for his writing. He is an author of action/adventure novels, historical fiction and a short story collection. His short stories – The Ship Breakers & In the Abyss – received Honourable Mention in the New Brunswick Writer’s Federation competition. He has stories published oncommuterlit.com, The Golden Ratio and his blog - South Branch Scribbler.