Tonino Benacquista

Under cover of darkness, an American family moves into a villa in Cholong-sur-Avre in Normandy. Fred Blake, the father, tells everyone he is there to write a history of the Allied landings. His wife Maggie gets involved in a local charity; their teenage children enrol in the lycee. At first glance a family like any …

“Breathless pace. Touches effortlessly on identity, love, alcohol, and the cynicism of the business world.”—Les EchosWho hasn’t wanted to become “someone else”? Over a drink in Paris, two men give each other three years to see which one can more radically alter his life. Blin becomes a private detective. He takes on a …

“Boisterous black comedy . . . funny and goodhearted, with much incident and expert enthusiasm for sex, food and drink.”—The Literary Review“Much to enjoy in the clash of cultures and superstitions, even a tasty recipe for poisoning your friends with pasta. Detail like this places European crime writing on a par with …

Praise for Holy Smoke, the first in the Antoine series:“A terrific black comedy …both a blasphemously funny satire of provincial Italian chicanery and a wry acknowledgment of the ambivalence that ambitious immigrants feel about their roots.”—The New York Times“Unexpected deadly demands made in the name of friendship …