The Coral Bride by Roxanne Bouchard
In this beautiful, lyrical sequel to the critically acclaimed We Were the Salt of the Sea, Detective Moralès finds that a seemingly straightforward search for a missing fisherwoman off Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula is anything but.
When an abandoned lobster trawler is found adrift off the coast of Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula, DS Joaquin Moralès begins a straightforward search for the boat’s missing captain, Angel Roberts – a woman in a male-dominated world. But Moralès finds himself blocked at every turn – by his police colleagues, by fisheries bureaucrats, and by his grown-up son, who has turned up at his door with a host of his own personal problems.
When Angel’s body is finally discovered, it’s clear something very sinister is afoot, and Moralès and son are pulled into murky, dangerous waters, where old resentments run deep...
An exquisitely written, evocative and poetic thriller, The Coral Bride powerfully conjures the might of the sea and the communities who depend on it, the never-ending struggle between the generations, and an extraordinary mystery at the heart of both.
Author Bio:
Over ten years ago, Roxanne Bouchard decided it was time she found her sea legs. So she learned to sail, first on the St Lawrence River, before taking to the open waters off the Gaspé Peninsula. The local fishermen soon invited her aboard to reel in their lobster nets, and Roxanne saw for herself that the sunrise over Bonaventure never lies.
Her fifth novel (first translated into English) We Were the Salt of the Sea was published in 2018 to resounding critical acclaim, sure to be followed by its sequel, The Coral Bride. She lives in Quebec.
Review
This is just a beautifully written crime fiction novel. It’s this genre at its best. The prose was lyrical, the characters intriguing and the narrative haunting. I actually can’t spot thinking about this excellent novel. This is the second of the series to be translated into English and published by Orenda books, but you can definitely read it as a stand-alone. I will be reading the first one though as this one was just fabulous, plus I want to know the story about Catherine!
The book opens with one of the most original and affecting scenes I have ever read in crime fiction. A shrimp trailer is in the middle of the sea and a woman wearing a wedding dress is dragged under by her own anchor chain. Detective Morales is called into investigate initially as a missing persons case. Morales has recently relocated to the Gaspe peninsula, in Quebec which makes this a good starting point to dive into the series. Nearly every character is new to him which means you aren’t burdened with past stories. The pacing in ‘The Coral Bride’ is slow and steady but is a reflection I feel on the location in the book. It should be slow paced where hints and revelations are teased out in the dialogue and internal thinking. I don’t know why but I resonated with the location - maybe it reminded me of Vancouver Island, but the beauty of the location shines off the page.
I so fell in love with the characters in this book, in particular the two Morales men. They were nuanced and passionate, loyal, intelligent, and in some ways quite sexy! The father/son relationship was tender in places, although with a lot of miscommunication at times. I honestly can’t wait to read more in this series to find out how all of these characters develop in future books.
This is one of those books which I am telling you that you NEED to read. No hesitation in recommending it and giving it a glowing 5⭐️ review. It’s just stunning.
