The Lady in the Car with the Glasses and a Gun

by Sébastien Japrisot

Book Overview

From the author of A Very Long Engagement comes a tangled, terrifying psychological thriller worthy of Georges Simenon, Paula Hawkins or Patricia Highsmith. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0452277779
• ISBN13: 9780452277779
• Release Date: February 1997
• Publisher: Plume Books
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

A Complex, Intelligent French Mystery

Sebastien Japrisot specializes in mysteries that are far more complex than the traditional, formulaic thrillers that dominate our local bookstores. In the Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun, he delivers another winner. The Lady concerns a young Frenchwoman (Dany) who drives her boss to the airport; afterward, Dany decides to take the boss' car on a joyride to see the Mediterranean for the first time. Several people tell Dany during her drive that they have already seen her driving through their towns in the boss' car. As the novel progresses, Dany increasingly suspects that she may be connected to a murder. In The Lady, Dany attempts both to come to grips with her past and to unravel what she did - or did not - do while driving through France. At one point, she remarks "God, how I have searched, only to find myself" (p. 127). Not surprisingly, she begins to wonder if she is losing her mind. This is familiar territory for Japrisot; in several of his books, characters struggle with issues of identity. The fact that the reader often cannot tell what is real and what is delusion gives The Lady a dreamlike, hallucinatory quality. There are many other things to like about Japrisot's writing. His descriptions are very sensual, in the literal sense of the word, in that he calls on his readers' five senses when describing a setting. The vivid, often-frightening France that Dany inhabits will intrigue readers. Also, Japrisot cleverly uses the title to divide the book into four sections: 1) The Lady, 2) The Car, 3) The Glasses, and 4) The Gun. While I enjoyed The Lady, it might not be the right book for all readers. It takes a lot of mental effort to read it; the plot is byzantine and it is easy to miss key details on the first reading. Also, though Japrisot mainly tells the story from Dany's perspective, he shifts the point of view a few times and lets other characters tell the story; this is jarring and it makes the book unnecessarily difficult to follow. Finally, I think that Japrisot's conclusion relies a bit too much on coincidence. While not perfect, The Lady is a compelling book. If you are interested in reading a complex mystery that forces you to think, The Lady would be a great book for you.

Better read 1 story like this than 1000 others

I am a writer. And any book or story I can analyze... but this story I don't want to. It's so good.

One of the best murder mysteries I've ever read

As usual, Japrisot creates a character so personable and human, that it is impossible not to care for her. The events are complicated and unpredictable. Japrisot puts the spot light on the main character's weaknesses, letting us underestimate her in every way. But the end holds a surprise.

A wild ride with a fascinating driver

A beautiful, neurotic blonde impulsively takes her employer's white Thunderbird for a joy-ride from Paris to the sea. Along the way, she keeps meeting people who insist they saw her a few days before. The situation rapidly changes from amusing to sinister to life-threatening as she seeks the (shocking) solution to the mystery. I found some of the "how it was done" parts more than a little far-fetched. But the main character is an engaging woman, psychologically complex and far more intelligent than she gives herself credit for, and watching her discover her own strengths through her ordeal is fascinating and enjoyable.

Good suspense novel to the end

A different story than A Very Long Engagement, Japrisot nonetheless takes his time in this novel to tell the rest of the story beyond the climax. The resolution was satisfying to the very last page. I had just finished A Very Long Engagement and didn't know what to expect. Mysteries aren't usually to my liking; but I liked all the twists of this one. I also liked the female heroine and the way the writer let us ride her thoughts with her.