Graphic Novel Review: Rebecca & Lucie in The Case Of The Missing Neighbor by Pascal Girard

Posted on December 21, 2021 at 6:27 am by Gene Ambaum

Rebecca & Lucie in The Case Of The Missing Neighbor by Pascal Girard. Translated by Aleshia Jensen. Drawn & Quarterly, 2021. 96pp. 9781770464643.

This short graphic novel mystery features amateur detective Rebecca and her eight-month-old baby, Lucie. (Her husband Pascal also appears in a few scenes. In the book’s opening page Rebecca witnesses men loading something (or someone) into a white van in the middle of the night. On the news the next day she sees that Eduardo Morales is missing, and finds out that on the day of his disappearance Eduardo stopped by the coffee shop Rebecca also frequents. She decides to investigate. The police who won’t tell her what they know. Her next stop is the older couple he worked for. It’s all fairly straightforward and in case you’re wondering, no, her baby isn’t ever in danger (though Rebecca herself faces a bit at the end of the book as she gets close to solving the case).

It’s all very charming and well drawn, and the characters really make it work. And I love the way Girard adds details about being a new parent, including Lucie’s birth story, into a mystery narrative. It’s one of my favorite books by Girard, right up there with his graphic novels Bigfoot and Petty Theft.