Features

Five of the best French crime authors

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Who’s the best French crime author? Plenty will probably jump to the name Georges Simenon. Although he was Belgian, he set most of his novels in France and enjoyed a prolific career writing stories about his detective Maigret. They’re even on the telly. Those with…
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Features

Interview: Vanessa Barrot and Noël Balen

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Noël Balen is a journalist and writer, well-known in France for his Winemaker Detective series which has become very popular on French TV as well. He co-writes the books with Jean-Pierre Alaux, and we’ve reviewed several editions in the past – most recently Requiem in…
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iBookKindlePrintReviews

Savages: The Wedding

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Written by Sabri Louatah, translated by Gavin Bowd — Savages: The Wedding is the first book in the Saint Étienne Quartet. It was Sabri Louatah’s debut, and he has cited the 2005 French riots and Dostoyevsky as inspirations for his socio-political thriller saga. He’s garnered…
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Features

Witnesses season 2 coming to BBC Four

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Atmospheric French crime drama set on the country’s northern coast seems to be what director Hervé Hadmar does best, and if you watched The Forgotten Girls or the first series of Witnesses you’ll know exactly what we mean. Creepy killers, bizarre deaths, a deep and…
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Book Club

The Accordionist

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The Accordionist is the third, final, and best book in Fred Vargas’ Three Evangelists series. Retired detective Louis Kehlweiler is trying to distance himself from the investigative life he left behind when a page six article about two women who have been murder draws him…
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KindlePrintReviews

Requiem in Yquem

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Written by Jean-Pierre Alaux and Noel Balen, translated by Sally Pane — The Winemaker Detective Series seems to be one of the most popular offerings from independent publisher Le French Book, which translates a wide range of French crime fiction, from eco-thrillers to police procedurals and…
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iBookKindlePrintReviews

The Accordionist

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Written by Fred Vargas, translated by Siân Reynolds — Retired investigator Louis Kehlweiler is working on a translation of a book about Otto Von Bismark. He is deep in thought, but a headline he saw out of the corner of his eye keeps distracting him from the work…
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KindlePrintReviews

The Adversary

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Written by Emmanuel Carrere, translated by Linda Coverdale — This true crime story of deception culminating in murder has fascinated reporters and filmmakers for the past 20 years. Two French films, a Spanish one, a Channel 4 documentary, and several crime shows including Waking the Dead…
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