I am always excited to support a Canadian author, and this one is easy to recommend! It was my kind of dark fiction, was interesting and thought-provoking, making one wonder how far would we go for our own justice? I could not give this a full five star because I felt there was a lot of violence or gruesome horror, more so than was needed at some times. If you spook easy or do not like graphic content then i would tell you to steer clear but if you can handle it, please give it a read!

This book was really good until it reached to the graphic part with the dog being beaten. That made me think of this book in a bad light because I personally don't enjoy reading about animals being beaten.

Wow what a thrill of a ride! Be sure to buckle your seatbelt! I found myself so deeply immersed in this dark and gripping story, that I could not wait to see what would happen next. A dark, edgy story that follows a man on his mission for revenge – revenge on the “monster” who took the life of his little girl. What ensues will shock you! I know it shocked me! I flipped through the pages and could not put this book down.

I felt so many emotions for the main character in this novel, Dr. Bruno Hamel. He seemed like a well known, respected doctor, loving and doting husband and father, full of kindness and love. Then tragedy strikes and it is like a monster emerges. He turns dark and twisted, and turns on the man responsible. Will Hamel continue to listen to the demons inside his mind or will he triumph over his demons and set things right? At times I felt sorry for Hamel and everything he went through, but then I despised him at times for giving into the demons and being unable to battle the monster within. Then as the story continued I felt sorry for him all over again.

A truly great novel that was a joy and pleasure to read.

Raw, graphic, dark, heart wrenching and utterly tragic! This is a story about a man trying to get revenge for his daughter after she was brutally raped and murdered! It really was a hard book for me to get through as a mother because I could physically feel his anguish and his need for punishment. It was extremely compelling, complex and intriguing, as well as disgusting and horrific. Beware though if you can’t handle the serious nature of this book. There are definitely trigger warnings.

Horror will always be my first love when it comes to genre fiction, but over the past few years I have found myself equally drawn to the worlds of crime, noir and the occasional thriller. There is a lot of overlap between the two genres and occasionally they will intermingle, and the allure of this combination is hard to resist. That’s one of the reasons why this year I made it a personal goal to cover more works from those genres. The first crime book I have on deck is Patrick Senécal’s Seven Days, which was originally published in Canada in a French language edition.

Seven Days follows the story of Dr. Bruno Hamel, whose life is changed forever one Fall day when he realizes his seven-year-old daughter Jasmine is late getting home from school. At first he isn’t worried as he figures she’s probably just at a friend’s house. After exhausting all rational possibilities, Bruno finally calls the police. They head over to the school to investigate and that’s when one of the officers makes a horrifying discovery. Jasmine was raped and murdered and the news shatters the lives of both Bruno and his partner Sylvie. Overcome with grief, he plans to get his revenge against the man accused of killing his daughter. What follows is a brutal, visceral story of one man’s descent into coping with his loss and trying to make sense of a horrifying situation.

As a parent, this book was a very emotional read that was difficult to get through at times. Not because of any issues with the writing, but because it was too easy to imagine myself in Bruno’s situation. It was easy for me to identify with Bruno initially because there is no doubt in my mind that under similar circumstances, my anger would absolutely overwhelm me and there is no question that I would want to make the person responsible pay. I think that’s a very common reaction readers will have throughout the course of the novel. Senécal knows this and does a masterful job of tapping into that raw, visceral reaction and using it to drive the story and engage readers.

As news of Bruno’s exploits reach the media, it creates a strong divide in the local community and raises some important philosophical questions. The reactions are split between those who applaud Bruno for taking matters into his own hands and theoretically dealing out a punishment more deserving of the crime committed and those who denounce his actions and believe it should be handled by law enforcement. Sure, Bruno believes that exacting his brand of violent retribution may bring him some measure of comfort, but will it really? He is driven solely by rage, grief and a visceral reaction to the most devastating loss imaginable. But the reality is he isn’t some hardened killer, he’s an average family man who was a known pacifist and has never hurt someone in his entire life. Even though we all may secretly think we would be able to take matters into our own hands, sometimes it’s not that simple. What kind of impact would inflicting a high degree or violence on another person do to our psyche? Senécal explores that quandary with a lot of nuance through the various characters impacted by this tragedy.

This book is definitely horrific as some of the violence is enough to cause readers to flinch. I won’t venture into specifics, but of instances were pretty cringe inducing and fully exemplify that sometimes people are the scariest monsters of all with the level of terror and pain they are willing to inflict on other people. While Seven Days is firmly rooted in the horrors of the real world, Senécal does mix in a bit of psychological horror that adds a vaguely supernatural element. Throughout the story, Bruno is plagued by a frightening noise. Is this part of something supernatural happening or simply the result of one man losing the grip on his sanity due to the crushing grief he has to come to terms with? The answer may surprise a lot of readers, but I felt like it was an effective plot device that really hammered home some of the central themes of the book.

There is also some interesting character work that goes into play that is amplified by the tragedy, but not necessarily stemming from it. Early in the novel, we learn that Bruno and Sylvie’s relationship has changed dramatically in the years they have been together. Not out of any anger or betrayal, but their relationship simply grew stagnant due to the habits they have developed over time. Although they never really talked about it, Jasmine’s death only made those issues come to the forefront. Sylvie seeks the comfort of trying to get closer to Bruno and that is her way to cope, but Bruno totally shuts himself off from the world. These scenes are great because they highlight all of the different responses people can have to grief that stems from the same event. Some people may get full of rage, depressed or look for something comfortable and familiar to try to get through it. Sylvie handles her grief in a more traditional way, but she can see in Bruno’s strange behavior and his distant nature that something has changed in him, possibly forever. Shes scared of these changes as she hardly recognizes the man he’s become. I also really enjoyed the scenes with Detective Sergeant Hervé Mercure. He has his own demons that make him uniquely qualified to handle Bruno’s case and I loved the way Senécal used Mercure and portrayed the complex sort of relationship he has with Bruno as he delves deeper into the case. I wish he had a slightly larger role in the novel and maybe had more interactions with Bruno, but he is still a great character that serves an important role in the larger narrative of Seven Days.

Structurally, Seven Days is a bit of an interesting novel. A lot of novels I have read that have similar plots often times have the hunt for the killer be the main focus. However, in this novel, the killer is captured by police fairly quickly and uneventfully. The bulk of the action in this story comes from Bruno setting his plan into motion and the events that occur once he begins carrying it out. I thought that was a unique approach that helped create a pretty fast pace. It also helped amplify the tension since readers will already have an idea of all the major players in the story, but don’t know the full extent of their interactions and what could happen. If I had one complaint about the book, it would be that Bruno’s revenge plan stretches the boundaries of believability. Sure, he has vast financial resources at his disposal due to his profession, but some of the tactics he employs seem a bit advanced for an average person. It isn’t impossible that he would have this knowledge, but it does seem a bit far-fetched.

Seven Days is a bleak book that deals with some very heavy themes, but it’s one that I enjoyed immensely. It feels kind of weird saying that – you’ll know why when you read it – but the truth is, I could hardly put this book down once I got started. Senécal taps right into the darkest parts of the human psyche and is able to get readers to question their own beliefs as they follow Bruno’s quest for vengeance. This is his first work to be translated to English and I hope there is more to follow soon because his blend of dark fiction is incredibly addictive.

<i>He who fights with monsters must take care lest he thereby becomes a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.

-Friedrich Nietzsche</i>

Seven Days was written by Quebec author Patrick Senecal. I read the English translation by Howard Scott and Phyllis Arnoff. It is the story of a man, Bruno, whose seven-year-old daughter is raped and murdered. Her killer is quickly found and freely admits his guilt. He shows no remorse, even seems smug about it. Bruno decides that there can be no justice through the courts that is severe enough for this monster and sets out to get his own revenge. But as he enacts his own form of justice on the monster, he finds himself also becoming one.

Okay, I have to say I really found this a hard book to get through, never mind review. This is my first book by Senecal and I wish I had been more prepared for what to expect. Don't get me wrong, it is well-written and a compelling tale plus I always like finding new Canadian authors. But... there are parts of the story that are very (and I mean VERY) graphic. The story is divided between Bruno's actions and the police detective who tries to find him and it was really this second character that kept me reading. I found myself putting the book down frequently and eventually just skipping over large chunks of Bruno's tale. This is definitely not a book for everyone but I would recommend it with this one strong caveat - if you do decide to read it, be prepared for some extremely graphic and disturbing scenes of torture.

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for the opportunity to rad this book in exchange for an honest review</i>

Dr. Bruno Hamel’s life is shattered when his seven-year-old daughter Jasmine first goes missing and is then found murdered near her school. Grief-stricken, Hamel plans to kidnap the man responsible for Jasmine's murder and make him pay horribly for what he has done. Hamel ambushes a police van and disappears with the killer. But detective Hervé Mercure is determined to track Hamel down. This was a riveting thriller and exciting read.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Patrick Senecal is a ver, very well known author in my Province. I was excited for this opportunity to see his works translated in English. This story is twisted and visceral, classic Senecal writing. Hopefully we’ll see more of his works hit the English market!

Brooding tale of revenge

I had just read my ARC of this novel when I saw it appear in my local book stores.

Dr. Bruno Hamel's young daughter Jasmine is murdered while playing near her home. Shortly after her killer is apprehended. As Bruno watches coverage of the killer on TV, he becomes enraged with the thought that the killer, if convicted, will likely serve only a few years in prison while his daughter is gone forever. His anger propels him to develop a plan to avenge the murder of his daughter.

He abducts the suspect as he is being returned to jail and takes him to a cottage in the backwoods of Quebec, which belongs to a medical colleague who is away in Europe for a couple of months. Bruno has hired a shady contractor to modify the cottage and install certain devices that will allow him to torture the suspect before killing him. The title of the novel, Seven Days, pertains to the week that Bruno has allocated for torturing his prey.

Another key character is Detective Mercure whom Bruno has met but underestimated. While Bruno becomes obsessed with the media coverage of the abduction, Detective Mercure is hard at work trying to track him. Slowly as he watches people on TV arguing about the ethics of whether should kill his captive, Bruno starts to unravel. Will the police capture him before he completes his planned execution?

I have to start this review with some trigger warnings. This book includes the rape and murder of a young girl and graphic torture of a man. There was one point that I almost had to put down the book because the scenes were bothering me, but I skipped a few pages and kept reading.

This story was fascinating because it explored the morality behind killing. Bruno’s daughter was murdered, so he tortured her murderer with the intent to kill him. Is an eye for an eye applicable? Does it justify one death over another? Which one is the worse monster? The one who killed first, or the one who tortured a man for a week? These are difficult questions to think about.

I was expecting a twist to happen at the end. There was a slight surprise, but more the most part it ended the way I expected. Other than some graphic scenes, this was a great crime thriller.

​I’d heard quite a bit of praise for Patrick Senécal, even before I knew that the English version of Les Sept Jours de Talion was going to be released. To be honest, I’m surprised that it took this long for one of his books to come to the English audience. With the comparisons to King and Nesbo, my expectations rose even higher.

Without getting into the plot, Seven Days is a thought-provoking book. What is a monster? Just because you feel justified in your actions, does it make them the right thing to do? How do you deal with pain and loss? Do you have to forgive to forget?

Senécal wove his scenario together to address all of these themes. He created any parent’s nightmare: the abduction and murder of a young child. I found myself thinking about cases that I remember from the past; what would I do in Dr. Hamel’s place?

Seven Days goes to some brutally dark places; could I/would I go there if that happened to my family? Was it brutal and dark enough compared to the actions of the villain? These are some hard questions to answer.

I love a dark and twisted police procedural. Some of my favorite fictional characters are detectives with an albatross around their necks. This is the point that I felt Seven Days was most lacking. While Hervé Mercure did have a troubled past, it just didn’t feel as overwhelming as I have seen in the past, and expected from Senécal.

Seven Days is a great introduction to Senécal’s work. It is a stand-alone that is entertaining, thought-provoking and cringe-worthy.

*4 Stars

Excellent read! We follow a distraught father as he goes through a difficult time, after the rape and murder of his daughter. Very well written and gets your attention from page 1. However, WARNING this book has some very graphic scenes. Not for the weak hearted.

Patrick Senécal is a bestselling French-Canadian author whose novel Seven Days, first published in the early 2000s, has been translated to English by Howard Scott and Phyllis Aronoff for publication Jan. 1/19. His writing style has been compared to Stephen King's. The book deals with a tragedy that happens to Dr. Bruno Hamel and his partner Sylvie: their young daughter Jasmine is brutally murdered. Dr. Hamel's overwhelming grief takes over and leads him to kidnapping the man responsible in order to avenge Jasmine's murder. The chase is now on with the police lead by Detective Mercure. The plot is difficult for the reader who must decide which man is the real criminal. It is a tense and often gory read but it is one heck of a ride. It is hoped that more of Patrick Senécal's novels will be translated. He is an author to be discovered by an English audience. Highly recommended. Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Seven Days has been translated to English and was originally written in French. It was called Les Sept jours du talion – “seven days of retaliation”.

Seven Days is a story that explores the ethical questions of revenge. Dr Bruno Hamel is a grieving and distraught father who is out for revenge towards the monster who killed his daughter. He kidnaps and tortures him and as the story progressed we started to see how people react to knowing he is out for revenge.

Seven Days is a disturbing thriller that crosses over to horror. Patrick Senécal has been referred to as Quebec’s Stephen King. He doesn’t hold back here with the graphic details of torture. Pushing it almost to the point I started to struggle reading it. I started to question if there was more than one monster in this story. Just when I thought I had enough the story takes a turn and really started to get very interesting. We start to see what shapes Hamel as revenge turns into a monster itself and we see how this all affects him.

Patrick Senécal does a good job here creating our two main characters here with Dr. Bruno Hamel and Detective Mercure who tries to stop him from killing the monster. Mercure becomes the moral center of the story.

I was a bit worried about how this story was going to come together and I am glad I stuck with it. I thought it was cleverly written but maybe pushed it a bit too far with the graphic details that I felt stalled the story instead of driving it forward. In the end, I liked how it wrapped up and was very satisfied with the ending. I recommend with caution. It’s certainly not for everyone.

3.5 stars

<i>"...there is no bottom to hatred, you keep sinking deeper.."</i>

Dr. Bruno Hamel's life changes when his seven-year-old daughter, Jasmine becomes the victim of a horrific crime. Grief Stricken, yet unable to cry, he hatches a plan of revenge. Not willing to let justice be served by the law, he decides he and only he is going to make this man pay. So, he devises a carefully crafted plan of revenge. He had thought of everything except he has not considered, Detective Hervé Mercure, who is clever, notices everything and is adept at studying clues.

<i>“He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster . . . when you gaze long into the abyss the abyss also gazes into you”</i> -Friedrich Nietzsche

The blurb sums this book up perfectly. This is a story about when a monster becomes a victim and when a victim becomes a monster. Interesting premise. The Author also explores society's response to Dr. Hamel kidnapping and torturing his daughter's killer - they either support his actions are against them. Many readers may think about where they might stand on the issue. How many people have made the proclamation "if someone hurts my kid, I will kill them" or something to that affect? But how many would act on that thought? How many would take matters into their own hands.

I enjoyed Detective Hervé Mercure and how he went about his investigation and how he made observations from observing people. He was adept at picking up both verbal and nonverbal communication. He was a clever investigator and I found myself rooting for him. Watching Dr. Hamel spiral into his increasingly sad state was difficult at times.

Be warned: <b>There are extremely graphic torture scenes in this book.</b>. This book is not for those who do not like such horrific scenes. The Author creates unsettling images and mental states of his characters on purpose to show just how horrific the torture is. He does not shy away from being gritty and raw. Neither does he shy away from taking the reader into the lives of a monster - one real and one that lives within.

Thought provoking, provocative and graphic.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

First off let me start by saying that this is a very violent book.

This storyline investigates the belief that people are either born monsters or can become monsters under extreme duress.
The book opens with a father, Hamel, doing some yardwork while waiting for his young daughter to come home from school. He watches as all the other neighbourhood children make their way home, keeping an eye out for his own daughter. Except she never makes it home. She is raped and killed close to her school.
When a suspect is caught and charged with the crime, Hamel starts to plan out how he will kidnap the killer and make him suffer just as much as his daughter had. Hamel's emotional and mental wellbeing become victim to his need and desire to make his daughter's killer pay for his crimes.

I really wanted to like this book but I had such a hard time getting into it that I almost DNF'ed it.
I found this book so boring.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The premise was good. And I’ve read books with more violence in them. But this one didn’t flow together well. Maybe it’s because it was originally in another language. And it was so over the top.

And the ending was very unfinished for me.

(There should also be a content warning for people as this book is very graphic).

Definitely a suspenseful read. The description of the torture inflicted is very graphic. Was anxious to find out what finally happened and was not disappointed. Keeps you guessing and cheering for the kidnapper. Highly recommend.

While I really appreciate Patrick Senecal's lovely writing style, I found this book to be just way too dark. By about 25 pages in I already knew it was going down a path I wasn't totally comfortable with, and I had to completely step back from it after a while to give myself a chance to read something happier.

I've never been a big fan of revenge plots. I find them a bit overdone. That being said, I think the premise of this story is an intriguing one: a normal, loving father becomes a monster because of the murder of his daughter. It definitely has a Law Abiding Citizen feel to it, and Senecal's ability to flesh out his character's and their backstories is quite remarkable. He is undoubtedly a talented writer.

I've read a lot of mysteries, thrillers, and murder stories, but I haven't strayed too far into the horror genre. This book was just a bit too far out of my comfort zone. I think it will absolutely appeal to people who like horror and who are comfortable with quite gruesome scenes and really frightening imagery.