Welcome to a school reunion you won’t forget
FRENCH RIVIERA, WINTER 1992
On a freezing night, as her high school campus is engulfed by a snowstorm, 19-year-old Vinca Rockwell runs away with Alexis, her philosophy teacher.
No one will ever see them again.
FRENCH RIVIERA, SPRING 2017
Formerly inseparable, Thomas, Maxime and Fanny – Vinca’s best friends – have not spoken in twenty-five years. But when they receive an invitation to their school reunion, they know they must go back one final time.
Because there is a body buried in that school…
…and they’re the ones who put it there.
The Reunion by Guillaume Musso Review
A Thrilling Tale of Love, Deception, Jealousy and Friendships.. That Ends in Murder
The Reunion by Guillaume Musso (originally penned in French but translated into English by Frank Wynne) is an exciting and intriguing addition to the European Crime fiction genre scene. The story is set in the beautiful French Riviera as students are returning to attend their 25th reunion at a prestigious Lycee.
The story jumps back and forth between 1992 and the present day (2017). Thomas, Maxime, and Fanny, all alumni, harbour a deadly secret. They know a body is buried within the walls of the gym. The same gym which is set to be demolished, making way for an extension to the school.
Demolishing the gym will uncover not only a body but also items that will mean many secrets that have remained buried for 25 years will finally be exposed.
As Thomas, Maxime and Fanny grapple with their uncertain futures given the body that is about to be found, we are left wondering about the disappearance of a student and teacher back in 1992.
A beautiful and popular student named Vinca vanished one snowy and cold evening, at the very same time as a teacher by the name of Alexis.
Neither of them have been seen since that fateful day. Are they still alive? Did they run away together to start a new life? Who is buried in the walls of the gym?
Over the years, the truth of that day has weighed heavily on not only Thomas, Maxime and Fanny but also the families of both Thomas and Maxime. Guillaume skilfully uses flashbacks from 1992 to build the tension throughout the story and with each flashback, he offers a new memory and viewpoint of the tragic events that took place.
Tales of love, deception, jealousy and friendships are fuelled by an obsessive teenage fixation culminating in events that change the lives of everyone involved.
The plot is clever and intriguing, and Guillaume expertly delivers new snippets of information with each of the flashbacks. Whilst we find out who is buried in the wall of the gym quite early in the book, the twists and turns within the plot will leave you guessing the outcome right to the very end. I changed my mind with every new revaltion as to what I thought happened, and who was involved. In the end, I couldn’t have been further from the truth.
Who is buried in the wall of the gym? Who put them there and why?
The only way to find out is to grab a copy and start reading. This is the kind of crime thriller that will leave you on the edge of your seat and not able to put the book down with the need to find out what really happened.
4.5 stars
Many thanks to Tracy Fenton at Compulsive Readers and W&N for inviting us on this tour.
Published by: W&N
ISBN: 978-147461-121-3
