Book Review: After the Crash by Michel Bussi

After the Crash

Michael Bussi

This book was recommended to me by a friend and after reading the first few pages I wondered why she thought it was so good, but then I got into the book and I couldn't actually put it down.

After the Crash starts off on the night of 22 December 1980, when a plane crashes in the mountains of the Franco-Swiss border and is engulfed in flames. There were 169 passengers on board and only one of them survived, all the others were killed instantly. The miraculous sole survivor is a three months baby girl who becomes involved in a tug of hour between two families claiming to own her – one rich and the other poor. This sparks an investigation that will last for almost two decades. Is the baby Lyse Rose or Emilie?

It’s the 1980s so DNA testing has not taken off yet, so a private detective called Crédule Grand-Duc is hired to find out the truth behind who the baby girl is. This leads to a lot of angst within himself, between the families themselves and within the girl herself. It also brings out of red herrings and plot twists and brings about many themes for us to get into, ranging from murder, madness, deceit, heartache and love – it is a tale of suspense and with many twists and turns you are left guessing to the end.