Intriguing
I like subtle misdirect in the beginning a lot. Showing us Max who is an aspiring actor and has finally seemed to have found his big break. He's studious and on time, everything ready for the big day and boom. Total opposite of what we expect. He's hauled into a jail and that's the last we see of him for the time being. We're then brought to Captain Marc upon his boat, going up canal Saint-Martin. He makes his way to what the local people refer to as the "Locks of the Dead." an underground water channel. Inside the underground tunnel he sees a body dangling from a rope tied to the person's ankle. He described it the dead man's face as a "gargoyle of agony." It leaves an eerie feeling of unsettlement in the reader. I really liked the set up and delivery of how things occurred in the snippet. I feel as if there aren't too many murder/mysteries I've read that have been set in Paris and this book had me very interested in reading more.