(Drivebycuriosity) - The french author Frederic Dard belongs to my favorite writers. His crime mysteries - set in Europa in the 1950s - are short, crispy and full of twists & surprises. I especially enjoyed "Bird in a Cage" & ""The Executioner Weeps" ( my reviews here here).
The novel "King of Fool" fits to this collection (amazon ). The novel is told in first person - as usual with Dard. The protagonist, a French man, has a surprising encounter with a beautiful English woman, while making holiday at the Cote Azure. The encounter starts a series of unexpected events (this is a spoiler free blog).
The story is heavily constructed, but entertaining. It is hard to believe how the leading characters behave, but I enjoyed following them anyway. Some parts are hilarious like scenes in a Buster Keaton movie, they are literary slapstick. And Dard´s descriptions of persons, events and cities, especially the peculiar presentation of Edinburgh and her population, are a pleasure to read.
I plan to read more by Dard.
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