The Readers' Room
A Parisian editor is drawn into a murder investigation when an unknown thriller author is shortlisted for a prize.
When the manuscript of a debut crime novel arrives at a Parisian publishing house, everyone in the readers' room is convinced it's something special. And the committee for France's highest literary honour, the Prix Goncourt, agrees.
But when the shortlist is announced, there's a problem for editor Violaine Lepage: she has no idea of the author's identity. As the police begin to investigate a series of murders strangely reminiscent of those recounted in the book, Violaine is not the only one looking for answers. And, suffering memory blanks following an aeroplane accident, she's beginning to wonder what role she might play in the story ...
'Witty and perceptive…readers will want to see more of Laurain' — Publishers' Weekly
'A master storyteller' — Huffington Post
'Briskly comic' — Bookanista
'[An] elegantly written little gem… the whole thing is such fun'. — Big Issue
'The plot blends mystery with comedy to great effect, and, as ever, Laurain has fun at the expense of his countrymen' — Daily Mail
'A quirky, clever mystery with a unique plot' — Candis
Antoine Laurain is the award-winning author of nine novels including The Red Notebook (Indie Next, MIBA bestseller) and The President’s Hat (Waterstones Book Club, Indies Introduce). His books have been translated into 25 languages and sold more than 200,000 copies in English. He lives in Paris.
Emily Boyce is a translator and editor. She was shortlisted for the French Book Office New Talent in Translation Award in 2008, the French-American Translation Prize in 2016, and the Scott Moncrieff Prize in 2021. She lives in London.
Jane Aitken is a publisher and translator from the French.
Polly Mackintosh is a translator from French and has worked on titles from authors such as Antoine Laurain and Serge Joncour.
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