Honestly, I’m torn on how I feel about this book. The premise is quite interesting ...I mean, think about it...the father of a murdered young girl kidnaps and tortures the perpetrator and evokes responses of praise and horro from all involved. To that end, this book is a interesting study on both the cutthroat side of our society and forgiveness. I really liked how that contrast was displayed. But what I hated was the brutal descriptive nature the author used in describing the prisoner’s torture and other criimes woven into the plot. Those descriptions made me very queasy and 2 or 3 times I nearly stopped reading. I think the same thought provoking response regarding the book would have been generated without this level of gore. It was unnecessary and quite sickening. For that reason, I can’t give this a thumbs up. Others with stronger stomachs might.

A gritty and visceral novel which at times was hard to read. I loved the role reversal between murderer and victim. An excellent read!! I look forward to reading more by this author!

Though I normally detest books with violence dominating them, I wanted to give this one a try based on reviews. The story starts off without preamble directly to the main characters and the actions. The author does succeed in portraying the psychological dilemmas and the controversy of '"an eye for an 'eye'" logic but I wish the characters were fleshed out more. The police have practicaĺly very little power or even technology which makes their role sidelined. Like many books written these days the emphasis is on feeding the story almost like a TV series without any room for the reader to dwell on ,savour the words and create their own pictures in their head. This does take away from the breathless showdown I was waiting for. But the book does raise the question of what it is to be humane and how to deal with grief..

Original title: “Sept Jours du Talion”

This new acquisition by Simon & Schuster was recently translated into English the original French version came out in 2002 and in 2010 was adapted for cinema by Podz. Why I am mentioning this? Simple… I have a soft spot for Canadian authors and even more for those living in my Province (Québec) and near my city. I haven’t read any books from Mr. Senécal before and I am grateful for the publisher as well as Netgalleys for introducing me to a wonderful writer. Thank you for the ARC.

Stephen King may be the king of horror in the USA but in Québec Patrick Senécal is the local master of horror and has had the opportunity on many occasions to prove that he had earned his nobility. It is great time that the English audience have a chance to read his novels. Mr. Senécal has won my heart and is now on my watch list.

A warning: this story is extremely graphic and not for the faint of heart.

In a few words:

“Seven Days" tells the story of the kidnapping and torture of a sexual predator by the father of one of his victims. It also follows the police investigation to bring the criminal to justice which also raises several ethical questions, especially since the father's gesture is applauded by the public.

This story is about revenge, which takes place over ten days, including the seven days during which the main character, Bruno Hamel, a surgeon by profession, takes revenge without mercy on the one who annihilated the existence of his daughter and, by extension, his. It doesn’t take long before this story takes fantasies of a horror novel. The plot imagined by Mr. Senécal is of a rare intensity, and the detailed descriptions make some bloody scenes very difficult to read. It is impossible to accuse the author of displaying gratuitous violence, because each of the gestures of Bruno Hamel, we feel, is provoked by the intense madness that has seized him. Being in his shoes, I imagine we would wish having the guts to do the same.

Furthermore this novel touches two very sensitive issues: child safety and the right of victims to fight back. Regardless of our opinion on the subject, it is impossible to remain indifferent to the drama unfolding before our eyes. This story is still strong in my mind and will be there for some time…..

“Seven Days” is very well-written and is played by a cast of strong characters. Excellent read and an outstanding page-turner.

This is a tired story with a plot that's been used way too many times. It's like a first-time writer's poor attempt at re-writing Misery. The dialogue is dragged out and the characters are not developed enough for the reader to find them interesting. Frankly, a disappointing read all round.

Started the book and discovered that it wasn't my type of book. Only made it to part 2 where he has taken the person in question and couldn't go further.

Bruno Hamel is a surgeon living in Drummondville with his wife and seven year old daughter. He lives a very normal life, until one afternoon, his daughter, Jasmine, is raped and murdered. On the day of the trial, Bruno comes with a malicious plan: he will kidnap the monster and torture him for what he did to his daughter. He leaves a message for the police: he will torture the man who murdered his daughter for seven days and then execute him. Only then will Hamel surrender himself.

Patrick Sénécal was one of my favorite authors when I was in High School. That was, before I started reading in English. I've read and loved all his books, including Les 7 jours du talion (7 Days). The other day, when I was surfing on NetGalley and saw this book, I originally thought it was a new one and was surprised the author now write in English. Only to find out it was a traduction from one of his books. I had loved his french work and re-reading it again in English brought back memories. It's no secret the author is famous for the violence and cruelty in his novels. This one is no exception, where the author does not spare the reader in the descriptions of the horrific punishments a vengeful father inflicts on the suspect. If you love reading horror stories, I highly recommend this book. 7 Days will have you sitting on the edge of your seat from the first page right up until the very last.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy of Seven Days in return for an honest review. Peter Senécal is a well known Quebec writer and this is his first book translated into English which should introduce his books to a wider audience. I would classify this novel mainly in the horror category, and secondly as a police procedural. It does not fit into the mystery classification.

The prospective reader should be prepared for explicit scenes of graphic torture. Although this is a very dark and disturbing story, I did not deduct from my rating for the many scenes of extreme violence. I felt the book was well written and the author accomplished his goal, always upping the tension and suspense throughout while leaving the reader terrified. I have to admit I felt sickened at times.

I feel there is a large audience for crime stories which throw horror into the mixture. It is certainly not for everyone, but I was absorbed in the plot and despicable characters throughout. I was pleased to see included with Seven Days was an excerpt of his second upcoming book in English which also appears to be a horror story. Have added it to my Must Read list.