Description

The future is on its way to Picardy with the construction of a huge motorway. But nearby is a house where nothing has changed since 1945. Traumatised by events that year, Yolande hasn’t left her home since. And life has not been kinder to Bernard, her brother, who is now in the final months of a terminal illness. Realizing that he has so little time left, Bernard’s gloom suddenly lifts. With no longer anything to lose, he becomes reckless – and murderous –

Publisher Review

'A most wonderfully wry noir murder mystery you'll not soon forgot. It's the sleeper of the year.' Durango Herald 'Garnier's sly, cynical take on life after retirement will strike a chord with readers of every age.' - Publishers Weekly 'Ultimately a very dark novel, but a very impressive one...' - The Complete Review ' ... dark enough to sink the hook deep into fans of noir.' - Publishers Weekly 'Pascal Garnier produces a story of infinite grace -- a compact piece filled with quirky imagery, plot and characters.' - Iloveamysterynewsletter.com 'Garnier's take on the frailty of life has a bracing originality.' - Sunday Times 'Bleak, often funny, and never predictable' - Guardian 'A brilliant exercise in grim and gripping irony, it makes you grin as well as wince.' The Sunday Telegraph 'For those with a taste for Georges Simenon or Patricia Highsmith, Garnier's recently translated oeuvre will strike a chord ... While this is an undeniably steely work, his translator Melanie Florence does justice to the author's occasional outbreaks of dark humour that suddenly pierce through the clouds of encroaching existential gloom.' The Independent 'This is tough, bloody stuff, but put together with a cunning intelligence.' The Sunday Times