In this sequel to The Awkward Squad, Officer Anne Capestan and her squad of misfits must turn their attention to a more personal case—the murder of Capestan's ex-husband's father, a lifelong member of the Paris police force who had no shortage of enemies.
Sophie Hénaff pulls all the threads together in a very clever way, including the hilarious debut of Rata, the police rat. The solution is unexpected, but perfectly logical once one knows all the facts, and the ending is both tender and funny. Henaff creates the most eccentric, most humorous characters who also reveal an unexpected pathos ... Stick Together is an absolutely wonderful book equal to any of Donald Westbrook’s.
...a highly entertaining police procedural that balances pathos with hilarity, as Capestan and her squad connect the murder to a series of other grimly heralded killings. A lot of the humor comes from the members of the squad itself, who are here due to peccadilloes that have meant their removal from 'normal' precincts ... Stick Together builds upon the terrific foundation of its predecessor to present a truly engaging contemporary crime novel that will move you as much as make you laugh. Honestly, I think it’s even better than the first book in the series and am very eager for more of Ms. Hénaff’s work to be translated into English, as this volume was by the very able Sam Gordon. Her third novel has just come out in French but my command of the language is even more awkward than her cops are, so I’ll just have to impatiently wait.
Author Hénaff...brings her keen wit to this chic, quirky, and quasi-noir visit to the City of Lights. There is strong appeal here to fans of Chris Ewan’s Good Thief and Jussi Adler-Olsen’s Department Q series.
