Lucia by Bernard Minier

Abstract

Reviewed by: Lucia by Bernard Minier Nathalie G. Cornelius Minier, Bernard. Lucia. XO, 2022. ISBN 978-2-37448-406-8. Pp. 480. Like Minier's earlier works, this well-researched procedural thriller opens with a shocking prologue. Lieutenant Lucia Guerrero, a member of l'UCO, the elite unit of the Spanish Guardia Civil, discovers her naked colleague brutally stabbed, and glued to a cross in the hills outside Madrid under a pouring rain. As her name implies, this tough female lead is a powerhouse of energy and determination with a knack for tracking down elusive violent criminals (Lucia derived from "light" and Guerrero means "warrior" in Spanish). This new heroine's grit and rebellious nature is well-suited to the demands of the case despite her clichéd backstory as a crimefighter whose past traumas have pushed her to sacrifice her marriage and custody of her young son for her career. In parallel with Lucia's investigation of her partner's gruesome murder, a group of criminology students guided by professor Salomón Borges of the University of Salamanca discovers that DIMAS, their algorithmic crime-analysis database, has found correlations between a 1989 unsolved double-murder and two more recent cold-cases involving killings of couples in various parts of Spain. All victims were enigmatically posed, their bodies glued into place. Guerrero and Borges join forces in this entertaining, well-paced mystery complete with red herrings, false clues, exciting chase scenes, and atmospherically creepy locations. The readers find themselves transported to Spain, whose geographical contrasts highlight the collision between historic traditions and the country's status in the contemporary European Union. Unfortunately, this conflict between old and modern is not explored in any depth although vivid descriptions of cityscapes and references to famous writers and philosophers through the characters' names provided for that opportunity. The plot is also formulaic, lacking the creativity of some of Minier's earlier novels. Consequently, the murderer's identity is poorly obscured by the thinly developed storyline. Intriguing side-stories are all too brief and initial references to more unusual psychological disorders merited further attention rather than being subsequently ignored in favor of general platitudes on mental illness and childhood trauma. The noteworthy highlight of the novel is the exploration of violence in Ovid's Metamorphoses as the source and signature of the criminal act. The cause of Ovid's exile itself is a secondary mystery on which Minier briefly speculates, and the disturbing themes of the Renaissance and Baroque paintings inspired by Ovid's work are as unsettling as the murders Lucia must solve. Minier has voiced his intent to bring back Lucia Guerrero in the future. If so, perhaps she will return having moved beyond her prototypical characteristics and with a more challenging case to solve. In the meantime, Minier's M, le bord de l'abîme (2019) (FR 94.1) which also features a female detective while exploring the potential of intelligent technology, immerses the reader into Japanese culture and is superior on all levels to Lucia. [End Page 240] Nathalie G. Cornelius Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Copyright © 2023 American Association of Teachers of French