User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
“ The Coral Bride” radiates a lyrical aura of stillness and contemplation at its core. We are first immersed in the plot when Angel Roberts, the captain of a lobster trawler, is dragged across the deck of her boat while wearing her ten year old wedding dress. “ She draws a sharp breath as it dawns on her that someone’s trying to kill her. Yet she turns her gaze to the sky and exhales,and allows a sense of calm to wash over her....There’s nothing she can do. She knows she had this coming.”
Initially, the residents of Perce, located on Quebec’s Gaspe peninsula, think that Angel is missing and has been lost on her boat at sea.DS Joaquin Morales becomes involved in a search for Angel and the abandoned trawler is discovered.Angel’s body is subsequently found at sea chained to a weighted lobster trap.Morales must determine if her death is a suicide or something much more sinister.
Roxanne Bouchard lyrically unwinds this mystery in a work that is a paean to the beauty and power of the sea.At the same time, she examines the notions of personality development, family traits passed down through generations and loyalty.The fulcrum of this tapestry is Joaquin Morales.Having emigrated from Mexico thirty years ago, he is psychologically an outsider in his host country and physically separate from the fishing community he is investigating.Desirous of blending in to his new country, he has eradicated his Mexican accent and casts himself as a quiet observer.He busies himself reconstructing other people’s stories while suppressing his own internal voice.Circumspect in his personal relationships, he values loyalty and devotion to his profession above all else.
In order to understand the mystery of Angel’s death, Morales must delve into the tangled relationships of the fishing families living in a small tightly constricted community.Enmities, resentments and interconnected family ties of marriage and livelihood span generations.
While he is engaged in this psychological labyrinth,Morales has an unexpected visit from his son Sebastian.Sebastian’s relationship with his domestic partner is in ruins and he is emotionally adrift. He is also circumspect in his relationships and hopes to engage his father in a series of discussions that will explore his upbringing and allow him to move beyond the character traits that he finds limiting.
The novel’s exposition unfolds around the relationships of Morales and his son as well as those of the community’s families. Gradually we discern a nuanced portrait of character, misunderstood observations and tensions passed down through generations.The story is permeated with a sense of wistfulness arising from emotional opportunities passed by and roads not taken.These forces converge to reveal the solution to Angel’s death.
Roxanne Bouchard has created an absorbing portrait of family connections and limitations set within the context of the power, beauty and rhythms of the sea.The sea has a beauty alternating between turbulence and quiet.It inspires feelings of love and fear.Bouchard has juxtaposed a portrait of a natural force and social interaction that serves as a metaphor for human emotions.Beautifully done.4.5 stars
Rating: really liked it
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This isn't just a novel, it's a song. An ode to the sea and the fishing community. You will feel as if you're at the heart of this fascinating community and its dark side...
Full review to come but it's worth saying that you should treat yourself. A good plot, great characters and a setting that steals the show. It's very unique how everyone is connected, how life works here, how people behave in these rural communities.
Great translation too -a lyrical and mesmerising reading experience
FULL REVIEW:
Plot: This isn’t just a novel, it’s a song. An ode to the sea and the fishing community. You will feel as if you’re at the heart of this fascinating community and its dark side… There’s a murder mystery, some very dark secrets to be revealed and a policeman trying to keep it all together at home as well as work…
What a lovely book. A funny thing to say about a crime novel I suppose but this book is both lyrical and criminally interesting. There’s some keen insights into the rural fishing communities, the secrets and jealousies that result, a woman working in a man’s world and more. When a female captain is reported as missing, there’s a lot more going on that you first realise.
First of all, the plot ebbs and flows with clues like the sea. We’re dripfed atmosphere, clues, character insights and criminal investigation details and then whoosh, a wave of shock, something unexpected and a new face swimming in the sea of the unknown. On top of that, the main policeman Detective Morales is back. However, this time, he’s got more than his fair share of personal problems and his family are at the heart of the trouble. The net tightens as you read and it’s a very immersive reading experience.
As for the setting and plot, they combine to make something truly magical. Clearly, the sea takes no prisoners, leaves and takes away clues, shapes your perception of the landscape. In addition, it’s at the heart of the community who depend on it. There’s lots to love here as we are truly immersed at the heart of a rural fishing community. I have no interest in fish and boats to be fair but this novel grabbed me and intrigued me with the way it mixed the setting and crime plot yet wove a captivating net with excellent characters, dark secrets and lyrical writing.
More importantly, I love the way Roxanne writes and kudos to the translator for getting this unique Quebec feel into the English. The novel builds a world that sweeps you along. In particular, the mystery of a missing female captain revealed the way women have a hard time in a man’s world. The undercurrents of resentment and historical pain, bureaucracy and more catch you in the Coral Bride. Untangle that and savour it.
Strange that I could murder fish and chips right now?
Rating: really liked it
Beautifully written and atmospheric police procedural that is centred around the sea and has a truly unique style.This is the second book of Roxanne Bouchard’s to feature Mexican DS Joaquin Moralès, a recent arrival from policing in Montreal to join the Sûreté du Québec and policing in the tight-knit fishing communities that surround the area of the Gaspé Peninsula. Not having read the first book did nothing to hinder my enjoyment with the requisite parts of the backstory covered and as DS Moralès is a newcomer into a populace where fishing is an industry the reader also benefits from the necessary explanations regarding fishing as a livelihood. The sense of place is evoked with immense skill and whilst the story is technically a police procedural it is by means fast-paced but instead an unhurried and wonderfully immersive journey.
The Coral Bride opens three months after homicide detective, DS Joaquin Moralès, has been resident in the Gaspé Peninsula with Sarah, his wife of thirty years who was the impetus behind the original desire to move, yet to follow. Before an investigation has even begun the surprise arrival of Moralès older son, thirty-year-old Sébastien, brings drama to his door with relationship issues weighing on his usually steady son. When Lieutenant Marlène Forest sends DS Moralès to Rivière-au-Renard to investigate the disappearance of a fisherwoman after her lobster trawler has been found adrift and empty her death is all but a certainty. The manner of thirty-two-year-old Angel Roberts demise is however another matter entirely and when her body is discovered all the indications are that her death is suspicious. Despite being staged to look like a suicide and some locals obviously keen to believe it, Moralès is not so easily convinced but before he can even get a handle on the case he must first understand what it means to be a female in a male-dominated world and the attention that it bought to Angel.
The somewhat eccentric colleagues that are part of Moralès makeshift team are the second hurdle he must overcome. Constable Érik Lefebvre is by his own admission a desk jockey and ill-equipped to deal with a homicide but at least he is malleable and easy-going unlike uptight and officious fisheries officer, Simone Lord, who is as prickly as a cactus. The complicated relationships which lie at the heart of Angel Roberts birth family with her father and two brothers, all of whom are involved in the fishing trade seem to hold the key to her death. Alongside this there is significant animosity between the Roberts’ and Angel’s husband, Clement Cyr, and the Cyr family, including a long-standing feud which is the cause of much bitterness. Hoping to broach the reasons behind his son’s unannounced arrival and navigate the communication barrier which has long concerned him Moralès senior invites Sèbastien to join him in Rivière-au-Renard and their own difficulties seem to echo those of the murder victim.
The pace is perfectly suited to the style of writing and the novel held my attention completely with the regularity of the sea a constant and a strong focus on the bonds between families for both DS Moralès and Angel Roberts. Understanding the cadence of the sea, the periodicity and motions of the tide plays a prominent role in the investigation and on this subject DS Moralès is relatively green, allowing Bouchard to educate the reader through Moralès and put solving the mystery potentially within their grasp. The translation by David Warriner is seamless and the magic of Bouchard’s lyrical and meandering prose is conveyed with real gravitas. The beauty of the writing calls to mind a vivid picture and alongside this the entire story is full of subtle observations about those around DS Moralès, the people in his life and the awe-inspiring power of the sea.
Rating: really liked it
The Coral Bride is set among the same close-knit fishing communities of Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula as her first book featuring Detective Sergeant Joaquin Moralès, We Were the Salt of the Sea, a book I very much enjoyed. The events in The Coral Bride take place over the space of a few weeks at the end of the fishing season when the shrimp and lobster trawlers are brought ashore for the winter.
If you’ll pardon the pun, Moralès remains rather a fish out of water. He still feels like something of an outsider, not just because of his Mexican heritage or the fact that the life he imagined with his wife, Sarah, has not turned out the way he planned. It’s also that he finds it hard to adjust to the different pace and way of doing things in Gaspé, even from a policing perspective where so much depends on local knowledge.
Having been reassigned against his wishes, and for reasons he doesn’t fully understand, to what was initially a missing person case doesn’t help. Nor does being put in charge of an investigation team consisting of Erik Lefebvre, an officer who much prefers desk research to field work, and Simone Lord, a rather combative Fisheries officer. However, Moralès is conscious he will need to find a way to work with them because they possess the local and technical knowledge he lacks.
When the missing person case becomes a suspicious death, Moralès faces the knotty problem of discovering whether it was a case of murder or suicide. His investigation reveals fractures in the small community that go back decades and, like nearly everything in the Gaspé Peninsula, involve fishing and the sea.
The introduction of Moralès’ eldest son, Sebastien, a young man with his own personal problems, into the story provides a fresh perspective. Sebastien’s respect for and confidence in his father has been undermined both by the estrangement of his parents and rumours that Joaquin has been unfaithful. If true, the latter is a bit too close to home. As he confides, “All I’ve seen lately is a whole bunch of lies” and, given his own behaviour, he’s begun to doubt that loyalty is something he’s inherited from his father.
The book demonstrates once again the author’s skill at conveying the beauty and power of the sea, preserved in the translation from French by David Warriner. “Beyond the windows, the sea scattered incalculable shards of moonlight, their illusory fragments of silver shimmering on the surface as the horizon stretched into the night.” But The Coral Bride is also a tightly plotted crime mystery whose solution reveals itself in a satisfying manner.
The Coral Bride is another beautifully written, engrossing mystery from the pen of Roxanne Bouchard.
Rating: really liked it
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The Coral Bride. I'm still surprised myself this happened, but apparently this series marks the first time an Orenda title somehow didn't work for me. I struggled considerably with the first book, which was my reason to swap my stop of the blog tour this m
Rating: really liked it
Crime thriller set on the GASPE PENINSULA, QUEBEC
The Coral Bride is Roxanne Bouchard’s second crime thriller set on the Gaspé Peninsula at the mouth of the Saint Lawrence river. I had read, and much enjoyed, the first – We Were the Salt of the Sea – and was really looking forward to the second. I was in no way disappointed.
The book is a very well thought through and well-constructed story of murder. A young female fishing boat captain is found floating in the ocean. She had taken her boat out in the middle of the night after a party to celebrate her tenth wedding anniversary. She was dressed (as she was every year on her anniversary) in her wedding dress. She ended up dead in the water. Her death was made to look like suicide. Inspector Morales investigates in the close knit community, where family feuds go back generations – and everyone is tight lipped. It is not an easy or quick task. But little by little the truth comes out.
The book is primarily a very well-constructed crime mystery, but it is a great deal more. It is a love ode from Roxanne to the sea and the people who earn their living from it. Her descriptions of the sea in all its different moods are mesmerising:
Landlubbers rattle on about the moon on the water being a glimmering silver road or a rolling carpet bejewelled with thousands of sequins. ‘They’re a bunch of romantics,’ her mother scoffed. ‘There’s no road and no silvering the reflections the moon casts on the sea. Try to touch them and they’ll slip through your fingers, you’ll see. The moon is a liar and the sea is a liar’.
The Gaspé peninsula sounds a brilliant place to visit. It takes 13 hours to drive around – but most visitors spread their trip over a week. Wild and rugged – the sea almost always in view. Hard working fishermen who earn their living in the harshest of environments. Pretty coastal villages. But more hospitable, I would guess, in summer rather than in winter.
And finally a shout out for David Warriner, the translator. The English words above describing the sea are his – quite beautifully translated (as is the whole book) from Roxanne’s original French.
Highly recommended.
Rating: really liked it
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The first aspect that stood out was the setting. I liked the story’s theme as it felt unique—a murder set in the backdrop of a wharf amidst the fisherman. Neither the husband nor the father knows what happened to Angel. The story is atmospheric and slowly creeps on you.
Similarly, Joaquin is a captivating character trying to solve Angel’s murder. He is going through his struggles of managing Sebastian, coping with Cyrille, reporting to Marlene while solving a complicated murder. He is a complex broody character, and I was curious to see his methods for solving the case. One of my favorite scenes was when Morales breaks down the reason for the death to contemplate if it is was suicide or murder.
The supporting characters were strong as well. For some reason, I like Simone too. Even though she annoyed me, I liked her frank attitude and how she doesn’t let anything stand in her investigation. There are quite a few suspects, but it’s hard to guess as they don’t have much of a motive.
The author writes the story in a detailed manner. I enjoyed how she describes the fisherman’s workings at the pier and how they read boats and the water, etc. I also liked the side storyline between Sebastian and Renaud. Moreover, the author does a beautiful job of merging the characters’ subplots as the story progresses.
However, at times, the book felt too detailed and lengthy, where some passages felt repetitive. Moreover, the reveal disappointed me as it felt like an obvious choice and did not contain much of a shock value.
Apart from that, I enjoyed this novel and felt it was a well-written crime mystery.
Rating: really liked it
A totally awesome read! David Warriner's translation so accurately captures the lyrical and mystical prose of Bouchard's second saga of Joaquin Morales. This story is one of loyalty, vengeance, truth and, of course consequences. Well-defined and easy to visualise main characters, each with their own quirks and foibles, push the plot along grippingly and with just the right bit of humour that does not kibosh the serious plot. Of course, that humour is mixed with melancholy and a sense of sad inevitable loss as Morales encounters a plethora of locals during his investigation of a tragic death. I had a strong sense of P.D. James, as there are many different secondary characters, each with clear histories, who have possible motives; and the suspense increases as the book progresses. Bouchard gives us such a sense of place - the Gaspe -, of the wonder of the sea, of the respect she demands of those who live near her and fish her deep treasures. I highly, highly recommend. This one will stay with me for a long time, and I wish I could read Bouchard in her original French. If you can, please do so. She is excellent.
Rating: really liked it
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Hello, Roxanne Bouchard superfan reporting for duty. 🙋🏻♀️
Back in 2018 I read the beautiful and mesmerising We Were The Salt of the Sea and absolutely flipping loved it. When I heard that she had a new book, The Coral Bride coming out I had that excitement mixed with apprehension that us readers get when there’s a new book by an author we love. I needn’t have worried though as The Coral Bride is every bit as brilliant as We Were The Salt of the Sea.
The Coral Bride picks up not long after We Were The Salt of the Sea leaves off and yet again features DS Joaquin Moralès, who is still trying to find his feet after moving to the Gaspé Peninsula. It’s looking like his marriage could be over, his adult son, Sébastian has appeared out of the blue with a car packed with his worldly belongings and his dear friend Cyrille is very ill, so when his boss asks him to go to a town a few hours away to investigate the disappearance of a woman he initially says no. It quickly becomes apparent that this isn’t something he can really say no to.
The missing woman, Angel Roberts is a woman in a man’s world. A fisherwoman on a lobster trawler she is one of the few females who fish the seas around the Gaspé Peninsula and has faced opposition from the fishermen in the area. She was last seen on the evening of her tenth wedding anniversary when she went to bed ill but the next morning there is a note to say she has gone out and her trawler is missing. She hasn’t been seen since and when her boat is found floating without anybody on board it becomes apparent that something bad has happened
Rivière-au-Renard is a fishing town. The people here live and breathe the sea. It is the centre-point of their world and families have fished the seas for generations. Like many small towns there are many layers of history and secrets and DS Moralès has to pick his way through grudges and long held animosities to find out what happened to Angel.
Throw in a motley crew consisting of Constable Érik Lefebvre, a police officer who doesn’t like to be out in the field prefering to sit behind a desk and fisheries officer Simone Lord, who is most disgruntled to have to work with an outsider and Moralès has his work cut out. When Angel’s body is found he discovers that the close-knit community may close ranks against him and he seemingly faces road blocks at every turn.
Like We Were the Salt of the Sea, the disappearance and death of Angel wasn’t the most important aspect of the novel. For me, the examination of relationships was the most poignant and beautiful part of the book. The relationship between Joaquin and Sébastian, the marriage of Angel and her husband Cyr and her relationship with her brothers and father form the crux of The Coral Bride. I found Joaquin and Sébastian in particular to be emotional; two men who have much to talk about but don’t quite know how to start the conversation. Two men filled with loved with one another but unable to express with words, instead choosing to fish, cook and eat together.
Bouchard’s characterisation is in a class of its own, it really is. There are some wonderful turns of phrase and idiosyncracies which ensure that characters become living, breathing, people It is laced with a dry, wry humour which had me smiling on more than one occasion and, despite the heavy nature of the plot it has moments of lightness which creates depth. Constable Érik Lefebvre in particular is a memorable character who brings some moments of wit to the narrative.
But the sea is perhaps the most important character of all. It is described as being paved in gold, as an enigmatic place drawing you in, as a cruel mistress who can cause harm and a source of livelihood. I can’t underestimate the beauty of the prose used to describe the ocean and Bouchard’s respect for it is clear. It feels like a living, breathing thing at times, which is testament to the poetic and beautiful writing.
I absolutely loved this book about family, loyalty, love and betrayal. Roxanne Bouchard can do no wrong in my opinion, I am completely in love with her writing and with the translation by David Warriner. A thriller will a lot of heart, this is more than a run of the mill detective novel, it is an ode to the sea and to the communities who depend upon it. Read it.
Rating: really liked it
I'm grateful to Orenda Books for providing me a free copy of The Coral Bride to consider for review and for inviting me to take part in the book's blogtour.
The Coral Bride takes us to a part of the world I was completely unaware of, the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec, on Canada's eastern coast. It picks up the story of Detective Sergeant Joaquin Moralès from We Were the Salt of the Sea (which I hadn't read, shame on me: now I will) as he investigates the suspicious death of Angel Roberts on her lobster trawler. Forced to locate himself close to the scene of the death, Moralès finds himself in a guest house, run by the enigmatic Corine, out of season. The only guest, he has the run of the place. I rather liked this setting: Morales spreading out his papers in the empty dining room, looking at over the sea as he unravels the case.
That investigation is a taut, satisfyingly complex crime/ mystery in itself. Roberts was closely enmeshed in a network of fishing families with complex rivalries - both personal and financial - all struggling to make a living from the sea amidst environmental crises - the disappearance of the cod - and financial challenges going back generations. There are whispers of poaching, and time was that every trawler's skipper carried a rifle aboard. Once Moralès digs into the investigation he finds an abundance of motives for a murder and a great deal of shifty behaviour - but is still baffled as to whether this wasn't actually a simpler story of suicide. If it was a murder, how could it have been done? If it was a suicide, why?
This part of the story alone would be enough to make this a compelling and page-turning read. But The Coral Bride offers much, much more.
Alongside Moralès's investigation, his own life and family is in turmoil. His wife won't speak to him and he's not sure whether or not his marriage is over. Son Sébastien has arrived home unexpectedly, clearly going through a crisis of his own. We see events from both Joaquin's and Sébastien's viewpoints, so get to appreciate the delicate dynamics between father and son, the past events - and misunderstandings - that have shaped their lives, particularly when it comes to relations with women. Confronted with considerable amounts of misogyny in the local community, the two men are forced to reconsider their own attitudes: Joaquin has a tendency to fixate on a particular feature of a woman's body - a protruding vertebra, an ankle - and Sébastien punts an idea that his father has ruined his life by not teaching him to assert himself with women.
The reality is that it's hard for women on the Gaspé to make it in a man's world. That's true for fisheries inspector Simone Lord as much as it was for Angel Roberts herself. That's easily said, but oh, to really understand it - and this story - you have to move in to this book, as Joaquin does, and meet its people (Lord, Detective Lefebre who can't be in a room five minutes without beginning a collection of objects, Corine herself, and many more). As well as being a masterful study of a place and way of life (rooting what happened to Angel in a richly portrayed setting) the characters here are spot on - quirky, fully realised, believable and deeply human. I especially loved the way that Bouchard has the Moralès men lapse into cooking - whether alone or working together - either when they are very content or brooding, needing to work through something (either personal issues or the finer points of the case). There's a physicality to the descriptions of food, of ingredients and how they are put together that is just very satisfying (also, mouth-watering). It's a lovely way to learn about characters and makes me wish there was more cooking (and eating) in writing.
In short - the book really was an absolute joy to read. I don't think I've actually done it justice here. I strongly recommend it and I hope you will read it and love it too.
Rating: really liked it
The Coral Bride is the sequel to We Were The Salt of the Sea and while it's not necessary to have read that first, I would encourage you to do so in order to fully appreciate this beautifully crafted series.
The Coral Bride is a murder mystery and it opens with the murder of Angel Roberts; her death is described with the lyricism that imbues this whole book - which somehow serves to make it even more chilling. However, this is a multi-layered story and although the search for the truth about Angel's death is as important as you'd expect, it is also an evocative, thoughtful exploration of families and communities.
When DS Joaquin Moralès' doorbell rings at around six in the morning, he muses that it's seldom good news but rookie cop, Joannie Robichaud hasn't come with news of a case; his son, Sébastien has arrived unexpectedly on the Gaspé Peninsula and his heavy drinking - and driving - has brought him to the attention of the local police. Moralès attempts to book a holiday to spend time with his son but is instead informed he is needed to investigate a missing woman in Gaspé. He is initially reluctant to become involved in what is not at this point a homicide but after visiting one of my favourite characters from We Were The Salt of the Sea, the dying Cyrille Bernard, he realises that this isn't just a woman - she is somebody's daughter.
The relationship between Joaquin and Sébastien is central to the novel but much of their respective stories are told separately which underlines just how far they have drifted apart. This is a book about families but it's also about secrets, communication and the stories we tell - to ourselves and to others. Moralès has protected his family from the worst of his job by constructing barriers around himself but he realises that stifling the inner turmoil has resulted in him 'Burying the seed of human suffering deep inside himself, only for it to sprout, take hold of the silence he'd created and grow into a tree of solitude.' The chapters which follow Moralès as he investigates first the disappearance and then the death of Angel Roberts are perhaps the more intriguing aspects of the story but Sébastien's problems with his long-time girlfriend and his frustration at not being able to express himself fully to his father help to give this captivating tale its heart.
The exquisite writing here is as irresistible a lure as anything used by the fishermen and David Warriner's excellent translation loses none of its rich poeticism. The measured pace of the plot allows for the vibrant cast of characters to each make their mark on the story and ensures that the prevalence of red herrings is entirely convincing and particularly appropriate in a book which features the sea almost as a character in its own right. It's also striking that while the crafts used at sea are often referred to using female pronouns, there is a misogynistic reluctance by the community to accept the women who make their living from it and though this is a novel about a father and son, it is also about the strength of these women.
Various secrets and long-held animosities gradually come to light and when the investigation eventually comes to its powerful conclusion, the truth is as poignant as it is terrible. It's fascinating to realise that this community which is both insular in nature and yet frequently at odds with itself over fishing rights and family dynamics perhaps owes its unique identity to the compelling dichotomy of the sea which supplies physical and spiritual nourishment while also being a constant danger and a merciless killer.
The Coral Bride isn't a book to rush, it needs to be savoured and for the reader to experience that sense of being immersed by writing which is as potent and unforgettable as the waves that inspired it. I thought it was wonderful and highly recommend it.
Rating: really liked it
I was a huge fan of Roxanne Bouchard’s We Were the Salt of the Sea, which I read a couple of years ago now, and I couldn’t wait to see what she would come up with next. Her latest novel, The Coral Bride, is once again exquisitely written and the writing brings to life the coast of Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula. This is a writer with such a huge talent.
The Coral Bride is a book which focuses a lot on character. Detective Joaquin Morales is investigating the disappearance of a young woman, Angel Roberts. Her boat has been found adrift, but there is no sign of Angel. Angel Roberts is a fisherwoman. It is a job that has always typically been seen as being only suitable for men. It is clear that some of the local fishermen don’t take too kindly to this. When Angel’s body is recovered, the gear in the investigation is taken up a notch. Detective Morales is convinced that there are people who Angel knows who are keeping secrets, and he is determined to get to the truth.
I briefly touched on the setting in the opening paragraph of this book, and after reading this book and Roxanne Bouchard’s last book; her writing has made me want to visit this area. Although there are those in the community keeping secrets about Angel’s death, you get the sense that, on the whole, this is a community that looks after their own.
I also really like DS Morales whose own past is an intriguing one. He immigrated to Canada from Mexico several years earlier, and in this book, we are introduced to his son, Sebastian. Sebastian has come to his father seeking his help after losing his way in his own life. You can see in these extracts, how much of a family man Morales is. Morales wants to take time to spend it with his son and help him get back on his feet, but he also can’t abandon the investigation into Angel’s death. It did make me feel sorry for him that his relationship with his wife didn’t work out and that he hasn’t yet found someone else to share his life with.
I found the writing to be utterly addictive as I was reading, although it is quite a long book compared to We Were the Salt of the Sea, I read it really quickly. It has been expertly translated again by David Warriner. The writing itself is lyrical, poetic, and it draws you into the world of DS Morales and the setting around him.
Roxanne Bouchard wraps everything up in a tense finale as DS Morales begins to work out what happened to Angel Roberts. It thought the ending was very satisfactory.
If you’re looking for a series of books that you can become lost in, then I would highly recommend both books in this series. It’s the type of book which you start to read, and you don’t realise how much time has gone by as you are transported into the world of DS Morales. I’m really hoping that there is going to more to come from this writer and I can’t wait to see what she writes next.
Rating: really liked it
Detective Morales has been assigned to the case of a missing fisherwoman who has vanished off of Quebec’s Gaspe Peninsula. What appears to be a straightforward case turns out to be anything but the reality. When Angel Roberts’ lobster trawler is found adrift she is nowhere to be found. In a male-dominated profession, it appears that Angel may have intimidated some of her fellow fishermen. In this small town, there are few secrets between the residents and old family tensions also lend a hint to what may have happened to Angel. Morales must work with the local police force and fisheries division to unearth what secrets are hidden in Gaspe and find the truth about Angel’s fate.
THE CORAL BRIDE is the second installment in Roxanne Bouchard’s Detective Morales series, however, it easily stands the test as a stand alone read. I have not had the pleasure of reading the first installment, WE WERE THE SALT OF THE SEA, butI had no issues picking up the storyline in this book.
Our main character, Detective Morales, is not only trying to discover what has happened to Angel Roberts, but he also finds himself in some family drama. His son has shown up in town and along with him comes the need to face the intricacies of their relationship, as well as his current marital situation. I loved getting to know Morales and found his character easily likeable. He’s a sensitive man who tries hard to keep that side of him tucked away. I love the way Bouchard crafted not only Morales, but the secondary characters of this story as well. There are a lot of fun characters that Bouchard allows the reader to get to know throughout the story and these smaller side plotlines add a great depth to the overall story.
Whenever I pick up a police procedural I’m never positive what tempo the story will take. Bouchard opts for deliberate and methodical writing in THE CORAL BRIDE. The reader follows Morales’ investigation through each chapter representing a day. I loved knowing exactly where I was in the investigation with this breakdown. Despite longer chapters, Bouchard breaks them up into subchapters and allows the reader to explore not only the main storyline, but also dip in and out of other plots. While this story is not something I would label as a thriller, it is still filled with moments of tension that give the book an overall feeling of suspense.
THE CORAL BRIDE is more than just a detective story, as it examines in the delicate balance one finds with families. I loved being submerged into the various family dynamics with this book. THE CORAL BRIDE serves as an efficient and effective way to turn a police procedural into a poetic observation on life. If you’re looking for a story to sweep you away, this is the book you need!
A huge thank you to Orenda Books for my gifted copy!
Rating: really liked it
I read and reviewed the first in this series; We Are The Salt Of The Sea a couple of years ago. That haunting, lyrical story with touches of real wit has stayed with me ever since. It's been a joy to re-visit Bouchard's characters, and her intoxicating landscape in The Coral Bride.
The reader is taken to the Gaspe peninsular, in Quebec, Canada and DS Joaquin Morales is in charge of the investigation into the disappearance of Angel Roberts.
Angel Roberts was a fisherwoman, and despite the advances in equality over recent years, it becomes clear that this female wasn't always welcomed or appreciated within this small, insular community.
Initial thoughts are that Angel has taken her own life. She was last seen, wearing her wedding dress as she returned from a night out with her husband. Angel had complained of feeling unwell.
When Angel's body is discovered, Morales realises that there is far more to this case, yet the community have drawn together, and answers are very hard to find.
Running along the story of the investigation into Angel's death, Bouchard cleverly incorporates Morales' own personal story. His estranged son Sebastien has arrived and it is clear that he has many demons of his own to battle. He and his father have bridges to cross, there are delicate relationships to unravel and try to rebuild. Bouchard's perceptive and often emotionally charged depiction of this father/son relationship is elegantly handled and goes a long way to helping the reader understand Morales' character.
Bouchard is an enchanting author, she writes with such clarity and precision and this is superbly translated by David Warriner. Whilst this is crime fiction at its best, it is also a exploration into both family and community relationships. There's an almost claustrophobic feel to the setting, as the local people close in, becoming silent and doing their best to cover up old fights and long held grudges. Protecting their own, at all costs.
Although the themes are dark, this author adds a sparkle of wit throughout her story which eases some of the tension of this dark celebration of small towns and distant families.
Deft, stylish and engrossing. A joy to lose yourself in, with characters who are complex, yet believable and a setting that entrances.
Rating: really liked it
We’ve great fans of Karen Sullivan’s Orenda list, partly because of the inclusion of so many very fine books published in translation.We first came across the writing of acclaimed French-Canadian author Roxanne Bouchard in 2018, when Orenda published the lyrical We Were the Salt of the Sea in English. We adored it. It’s a beautiful piece of writing and a wonderful evocation of the sea. The Coral Bride, published this month, is a worthy follow-up.
Set on Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula, where the sea is the all-commanding presence, giving and taking as it sees fit, the novel centres around the disappearance of Angel Roberts just before her tenth wedding anniversary. Angel is one of the few fisherwomen in the area, a rarity in such a male-dominated world, and when her vessel is found floating just off the coast, an all-out search begins. When Angel’s body is found, dressed in a white wedding dress, the circumstances of her death are suspicious, to say the least. DS Joaquin Moralès, introduced in We Were the Salt of the Sea, is called in to investigate. As he interviews the people who knew and loved Angel, he begins to realise that all is not as it first seems and that there are several people who have cause to want Angel dead.
One of the central themes of the book is family, not just Angel’s but Moralès’s too. Through the introduction of Sébastien, his son, Moralès evolves as a character, becoming much more fully fleshed, as we are given insight into his past and role as a father.
Bouchard’s writing, as always, is superb, her use of language (and David Warriner’s fine translation of it) mesmerising. Clever, well-plotted and paced, with a great opening scene, The Coral Bride is highly recommended.
See: https://www.theliteraryshed.co.uk/rea...
This review was published as part of the publisher virtual book tour. Many thanks for the book proof. All opinions are our own. All rights reserved.
