Rivages/Thriller: Jour de chance pour Sailor

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With considerable, if uneven, success, the four novellas in this volume trace the intersecting paths of characters from Gifford's previous work. In the standout tale, "59 and Raining: The Story of Perdita Durango," Gifford weaves real-life incidents into a narrative featuring a "weird and dangerous" heroine with "8-ball black eyes" and a Caribbean-born, drug-dealing santeria priest. Together, they kidnap two American teenagers in Mexico, embarking on a crime spree across Texas and California. This leads back to Louisiana, where Lula's mother, Marietta Fortune, ominously declares, "There's a Devil and he don't never quit," echoing the violence that permeates these stories. Amid the often fatal exploits of crime lords and small-time losers, Sailor and Lula Ripley thrive in love and fortune. In the final story, they take pride in their son, Pace, who, after a troubled past, now leads trekking expeditions in Nepal. Gifford's sharp characterizations, featuring names like Coot Veal and the Rev. Goodin Plenty, are generally supported by engaging dialogue. However, Sailor and Lula, still sounding like adolescent runaways in their 50s, present an unconvincing anchor amid the chaos surrounding them. This volume is part of a series promoting fiction that vividly brings settings to life.