Coco returns!
And better late than never, ‘Quatre Pièces’ is finally here. There are a hundred and one reasons (if you know me, you’ll know exactly what song I started singing as I typed those words..) for the delay. It’s all practical and has a lot to do with what happened in the latter half of last year, but what it also meant was that I was left alone to my own devices, not having to stop writing to do pesky edits, which means that I was free to write and not have to keep stopping. The result was that I now have five unpublished books in various forms. My logic is that if I ever do fancy a bit of an extended holiday, I can, but the chance would be fine! Instead, it’s been fun to write and not worry about the minutiae, and I have some fun stories to share, two new Coco books, two Hugo investigations and then the premiere of the ‘Les Enquêteurs’ series. As of right now, I’m working on the second in the Les Enquêteurs series. Lots of exciting stuff to come!
Back to QP. It had an interesting journey to being written. I originally thought of it as the 2nd in the series, but that was back when I thought the Coco books would only be a trilogy. When I finally started it, it also took several different turns and as is usual with me, I changed my mind about several different aspects of the story, but it all worked out in the end. What was most interesting is that it introduced me to Caspar Olivier Minoru and (re)introduced me to Jérémie Berger and they became the foundation of what was to become the brand new series, ‘Les Enquêteurs.’ They are both quite interesting characters and while Caspar shares similarities to Hugo, I think he is very different in his own right. Caspar will provide the basis for the LE stories I think, acting as a central character, but my idea for the whole LE enterprise was to be able to bring in new/old characters with each story. I can’t wait for you to discover more about their development and the twists and turns in their stories!
In QP, Coco is confronted once again by her past. The father of her two youngest children, now a convicted criminal, is back, and Coco must determine what involvement he has in a very complicated case that suggests he was in two places at once. At the same time, Coco has to navigate the usual chaos in her life, namely Boytoy, the impending birth of her grandchild, and her ever-decreasing bank balance, and she does it all with her usual grace…
The story itself starts simply enough with what appears to be a routine burglary but soon turns into a deadly mystery! It’s no secret that I thoroughly enjoy the Coco stories. I think, at least, they came at the perfect time when I think I needed a little light relief in my life. But that’s not to say she’s only comedic, and I hope you don’t think so either. She’s a complicated gal, our Coco, but crucially, no matter what expletive comes from her mouth, I hope you see that she is a pretty decent person and an even better flic. That’s what I see, even though I spend most of the editing process answering the eternal question: does she really need to swear so much? Or even better: does she really need to smoke so much? The answer to that question is… oui et oui! I’ve never shied away from characters who were a little out there; they have to be dimensional, or else how can we follow them and their stories and actually care about them? It’s like back when I started this journey, I received a lot of criticism for there being too much emphasis on Hugo’s personal life, and it surprised me. Like, what do you want? A murder, a detective and a resolution with nothing in between? I certainly don’t, and that’s why I’m happy to be able to incorporate all these very different stories and the characters that hold them together. I hope you do, too.
So, here we are: A new book, and I hope you like it.
I hope your summer will be as wonderful as mine! (Positive thinking!) I’m sending you all my best wishes, and I hope you enjoy the new book and the upcoming stories. Stay safe, and happy reading!
Talk soon,
Gx