Book Review: Miss Don't Touch Me

Originally published in France, Miss Don't Touch Me by Hubert & Kerascoet is a graphic novel about two sisters who work as the maids to an aristocratic woman until the murder of one of the sisters causes the remaining sibling to go on a hunt for her sister's killer. This graphic novel is a classic who-dunnit but is for mature audiences ONLY for it includes a great deal of violence and sexual content.

Set in the 1903s, Agnes is a carefree girl who spends her nights dancing with various men out in the suburbs of Paris. Even when everyone in the city becomes alarmed by a serial killer known as "The Butcher of the Dances", Agnes refuses to give up her wayward ways. Agnes' sister, Blanche, is a worrywart who keeps herself sheltered from the seedy side of society. One night, the sisters hear two people killing a woman in the room next to theirs. When Agnes goes to investigate, one of the killers shoots her. While Blanche runs to her employer to get the police, the murder plants a gun on Agnes' body making it look like suicide. No one believes Blanche that her sister was murdered and did not commit suicide, so Blanche takes it upon herself to find her sister's killer. In order to find out more about "The Butcher of the Dances" and get closer to discovering her sister's killer, Blanche becomes a dominatrix at the most prestigious brothel in Paris.

Though the characters in the brothel are interesting, the sexual content alienates the reader to the point of feeling uncomfortable. Of course some "R" rated sexuality is to be expected in a graphic novel in which prostitutes are the main characters, however, this graphic novel seems to be more GRAPHIC and less novel. The plot is the typical murder mystery with the killer revealed at the end but to little applause because of the cliched characters and commonplace storyline. One feature that is nice is the printing which was done on glossy paper with full color pictures. This is rare with graphic novels and thus was a treat! However, the beautiful and colorful graphics could not hold up the limp storyline and characters.

I think it's clear from this review that anyone who enjoys a good thriller or murder mystery would find this piece to be interesting. For those who want a fast read without much heavy lifting, this is the graphic novel for you! If you are looking for deep characters, complex plots, and a book that challenges your intellect...then leave this one on the shelf and try for some of the other graphic novels reviewed on this blog.

-DLP