Lately, I’ve been lucky to receive review books from Minotaur, which is a mystery/detective imprint. Just in this year, I’ve read more mysteries than ever before, and frankly I’ve loved it. Usually, I’m a science fiction and fantasy reader. Through in the occasional literary fiction, and that’s the genres I stick to. But Minotaur is publishing some excellent mysteries that are excellent stories. My latest read from them is The Dark Edge of Night by Mark Pryor. This is a historical mystery set in World War 2 in the Nazi occupied city of Paris. The Dark Edge of Night is the second book in the Henri Lefort series, and it makes me want to read the first book. The setting, the historical backdrop, the characters, it all comes together to form an excellent follow-up to Die Around Sundown.
Disclaimer: The publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Any and all opinions that follow are mine alone.
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TL;DR
The Dark Edge of Night by Mark Pryor is a wonderful detective novel set in Nazi occupied Paris. Henri Lefort is an excellent character, and you’ll like him too. Highly recommended.
From the Publisher
“Sharp eyed and sharp mouthed police detective”* Henri Lefort, is determined to solve homicides and uncover any German conspiracies threatening France—in Mark Pryor’s newest World War II mystery, The Dark Edge of Night.
Winter 1940: With soldiers parading down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, Nazi flags dangling from the Arc de Triomphe, and the Eiffel Tower defaced with German propaganda, Parisians have little to celebrate as Christmas approaches. Police Inspector Henri Lefort’s wishes for a quiet holiday season are dashed when the Gestapo orders him to investigate the disappearance of Dr. Viktor Brandt, a neurologist involved in a secret project at one of Paris’s hospitals.
Being forced onto a missing persons case for the enemy doesn’t deter Henri from conducting his real job. A Frenchman has been beaten to death in what appears to be a botched burglary, and catching a killer is more important than locating a wayward scientist. But when Henri learns that the victim’s brother is a doctor who worked at the same hospital as the missing German, his investigation takes a disturbing turn.
Uncovering a relationship between the two men—one that would not be tolerated by the Third Reich—Henri must tread carefully. And when he discovers that Dr. Brandt’s experimental work is connected to groups of children being taken from orphanages, Henri risks bringing the wrath of both the SS and the Gestapo upon himself and everyone he loves.
*New York Times bestselling author Cara Black
Review: The Dark Edge of Night by Mark Pryor
Henri Lefort, a French police inspector in German occupied Paris, is no stranger to being threatened by the Nazis. In Die Around Sundown, Lefort had to solve a murder for the SS or lose his life. His prior success means that the Nazi’s are gonna play the same ole tune. In The Dark Edge of Night, he must find a missing German doctor or be hung. Lefort, a veteran of the previous World War, has no love for the Nazis, but he also doesn’t have a death wish. And, as a detective, solving mysteries is kind of his thing. With the help of an assistant, who is secretly his sister, his therapist, Princess Marie Bonaparte (distant relation to Napoleon, himself), and his sister’s beau, who is keeping secrets of his own, Lefort races against time to find the missing doctor. And because the best way to get things done is to give them to busy people, he also receives an assignment to investigate a dead body. As the case proceeds, Lefort uncovers horrors that the Nazi’s wish to keep hidden. Secrets suffuse The Dark Edge of Night, and if Lefort wants to stay alive, he has to figure out which to expose and which to keep.
The Dark Edge of Night by Mark Pryor is a first person, hard-boiled detective novel. Henri Lefort is detective with a secret that if exposed, would get him fired and likely hung. This book is set in World War 2 Paris under German occupation. Croissants have been outlawed, and Parisians are suffering under Nazi occupation. The setting is gloomy, dangerous, and, yet, Parisian.
History
Being set in World War 2 requires a verisimilitude greater than other historical eras. World War 2 is extensively written, researched, and used in all kinds of media. Finding a new way to describe it is difficult but not impossible. Necessarily, similar ground will be retrod, but what matters is how does the setting, how does the history support the book. Pryor, in setting his series in occupied Paris, has chosen to focus, at least in this novel, on the everyday hardships that Parisians had to face. The shortages of food, of wine, of vehicles. Coffee as a delicacy. The need to rebel clashing with the need to survive. Despising collaborators while having to work for the occupiers. Pryor effectively adds this layer to already tense situations. The setting is more a feeling than descriptions of buildings and streets. It’s about the mood of the city and its people. The hardships that Pryor describes are consistent with what I’ve read of Parisian occupation.
At the end of the book, he adds some historical notes that he used in the book. Princess Marie Bonaparte was a real person, and Pryor’s note was quite interesting. I want to look up more about her.
Hardboiled Detective
Henri Lefort is as hardboiled as they come. He’s a jerk to, well, everyone but only means it with some. He pushes with his attitude and his comeback. But he will recognize a need to pull back. He has trouble with authority and suffers from misophonia, also known as sound rage. He smokes; he suspects everyone; and he’s got to protect his own secrets.
Hardboiled detectives can grate on my nerves. It’s a trope that gets leaned on too hard. Pryor, however, achieved the right balance. Lefort is hardboiled but not stupid. He will walk into situations that are dangerous, but he won’t risk himself unnecessarily. He’s observant without being showy. His inner monologue feels real as if we’re reading his thoughts. Lefort is a great detective character.
Secrets Can Overstay Their Welcome
The Dark Edge of Night is a book filled with secrets. Nazi secrets, Lefort’s personal secrets, victims secrets, family secrets, etc. This is unsurprising in a mystery novel. Part of the allure of mysteries is the uncovering of secrets. Skilled authors know how to pace the reveals to keep the reader interested. If a secret is hinted at or discussed for too long without a reveal, it feels frustrating. Pryor falls into this trap on one and only one secret throughout the book. Lefort talks about his secret, one that is large enough to get him fired from his job and possibly hung. The fact that he has such a big secret comes up a lot. While we do get the answer, it comes so late I kind of didn’t care when I found out. It’s good to know, but I was frustrated. The reveal didn’t feel earned or even part of the story. Overall, this is a small complaint, and it’s entirely possible that this is only a me thing. Your mileage may vary, here.
Conclusion
Mark Pryor’s The Dark Edge of Night is a fantastic detective novel. I loved it. Henri Lefort is a wonderful character surviving in a dark yet hopeful setting. If you like historical mysteries, the Henri Lefort series must be on your to be read pile. Highly recommended.