Pascal Girard reimagines his wife Rebecca as an amateur sleuth, investigating the disappearance of a social worker in their neighbourhood, while looking after their newborn daughter Lucie on maternity leave.
Rebecca & Lucie in the Case of the Missing Neighbor isn’t bad but it’s not one of Girard’s better books. Rebecca is a likeable protagonist, confident and brash in an amusing way, taking on pervs in the park while tackling the mystery head-on. It’s also a unique combination, mixing the experience of what it’s like being a newborn’s mother with a mystery story.
The mystery itself is a bit weak - it’s fairly generic in concept and resolution, and it’s more or less solved by the halfway mark, without Rebecca’s involvement really, so there aren’t many surprises to be had for the rest of the book. Also, given the tone and style of the story, you know there’s never any danger for Rebecca, so it’s a predictable ending.
But Girard is a fine cartoonist and the comic, while not a riveting read, is also not a boring one. I really liked the colourful and wonderfully evocative art that made the book appealing to look at and complemented the storytelling so that you always knew what was happening.
If you’re interested in this creator’s work, I’d suggest checking out Petty Theft and Reunion instead. But if you’re a fan of Girard’s like me, even though it’s fairly middling and unmemorable, Rebecca & Lucie in the Case of the Missing Neighbor is nevertheless a charming, sweet read that’s still worth picking up.
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