Influential author of highly unconventional crime fiction, screenwriter, and occasional film director, Sébastien Japrisot was one of those rare contemporary writers in France able to establish an international reputation for himself. Although Japrisot’s novels in particular continue to be read and studied across the world, this volume is the first ever academic study of Japrisot’s work in the fields of both literature and cinema. Through a combination of thematic and text-specific studies, this volume takes in, and examines the legacy of, Japrisot’s work from his youthful writings under his real name, Jean-Baptiste Rossi, to his crime fiction and screen writings of the 1960s and 1970s, concluding with his final novel Un long dimanche de fiançailles (A Very Long Engagement). It is both an essential introduction to Japrisot and a valuable academic assessment of his work’s importance in the field of contemporary French literature and film.

"A gripping tale of hatred, revenge, and lust … a sinister spellbinder." — Publishers Weekly Car mechanic Florimond can't believe his luck when a beautiful young newcomer to his sleepy Provence village agrees to marry him. But his bride's motivation is slowly revealed as a cunning plan to avenge a long-ago crime. Told from four fascinating perspectives, this French noir thriller won the prestigious Prix Deux Magots. One Deadly Summer is a true classic of suspense. "The most welcome talent since the early Simenons." — The New York Times "A rich and resonant sonata in black ... the taut shaping of a grand master." — Kirkus Reviews "Sébastien Japrisot holds a unique place in contemporary French fiction. With the quality and originality of his writing, Japrisot has hugely contributed to breaking down the barrier between crime fiction and literary fiction." — Le Monde

During the First World War five French soldiers, accused of a cowardly attempt to evade duty, are bundled into no-man's land and certain death. Five bodies are later recovered, the families are notified that the men died in the line of duty and the whole, distasteful incident appears closed. After the war the fianc-e of one of the men receives a letter which hints at what might have happened. Mathilde Donnay determines to discover the fate of her beloved amid the carnage of battle. A Very Long Engagement turns into an unusual and engrossing thriller as she discovers an increasing number of people trying to put her off the scent. Japrisot's achievement is to have written a novel that is both a suspenseful thriller and one which transforms a single small incident into the epitome of all wartime atrocities. The d-nouement, when it finally happens, is moving and horribly convincing.

Described as 'the Graham Greene of France' by The Independent, cult French noir writer Japrisot brings us a murder mystery set in a Parisian landscape of lust, deception and death. 'Sensational' Sunday Times When the night train pulled into Paris, she was dead. And the riddle began . . . A beautiful young woman lies sprawled on her berth in the sleeping car of the night train from Marseille to Paris. She is not in the embrace of sleep, or even in the arms of one of her many lovers. She is dead. And the unpleasant task of finding her killer is handed to overworked, crime-weary police detective Pierre ‘Grazzi’ Grazziano, who would rather play hide-and-seek with his little son than cat and mouse with a diabolically cunning, savage murderer. With corpses turning up everywhere, the question becomes not only who is the killer, but who will be the next victim . . .

From the author of The Red Notebook, described as 'Parisian perfection' by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, Red is My Heart is a stunning collection of words and images in collaboration with Parisian street artist, Le Sonneur, about how to mend a broken heart. 'Enchanting' Washington Post How can you mend a broken heart? Do you write a letter to the woman who left you – and post it to an imaginary address? Buy a new watch, to reset your life? Or get rid of the jacket you wore every time you argued, because it was in some way … responsible? Combining the wry musings of a rejected lover with playful drawings in just three colours – red, black and white – bestselling author of The Red Notebook, Antoine Laurain, and renowned street artist Le Sonneur have created a striking addition to the literature of unrequited love. Sharp, yet warm, whimsical and deeply Parisian, this is a must for all Antoine Laurain fans.

Described as 'the Graham Greene of France' by The Independent, cult French noir writer Japrisot brings us a stylish thriller about revenge. ‘A magician who lays out the truth on the page’ Le Monde The bus never stops in Le Cap-des-Pins. Not in autumn, when the small Riviera resort is deserted. Except today, when a man with a red bag and a disconcerting stare steps out into the rain. His arrival will throw the life of young housewife Mellie Mau into disarray. After surviving a horrific attack, she has a dark secret to hide. But a stranger at a wedding, the enigmatic American Harry Dobbs, is determined to get the truth out of her, leading her into a game of cat and mouse with dangerous consequences … A cool, twisty thriller from cult French noir writer Sébastien Japrisot.

"On a deserted beach at sunset, a young man lies dying from a gunshot wound. The story of who he is, how he came to be here, and the events surrounding this fateful moment are recounted in the voices of eight women--women from different classes, countries, and cultures, women who share one unbreakable bond, one irresistible obsession: they all loved him"--Back cover.

Sebastien Japrisot is one of the most highly recognized French authors of his time, and his novels have achieved major international success. Set against the backdrop of World War II, Women in Evidence is one of his most breathtaking works to date. Marie Martine's lover is dead. After many years battling to clear his name of a heinous crime she knows he didn't commit, Marie has freed him, only to invite his demise from the most unexpected corner. His name was Christophe, and he had many lovers besides Marie: an actress, a school-teacher, a prostitute, a U.S. Army nurse, a gypsy. Though each has suffered grave hurt by his mercurial affections, their forgiving remembrances, captured by the loyal Marie, are what save him from certain doom in the jailer's noose. But which one could not forgive? Which one fired the shot that killed Christophe, leaving him to die on a deserted beach, only moments after his pardon? Japrisot expertly weaves the women's voices to piece together a story that, though distorted by the contradictions of memory, reveals valuable truths about love and human nature. Women in Evidence is a rich and tragic tale of the extraordinary resilience of the female heart that is sure to be welcomed warmly by American readers.

A work of fantasy, I Who Have Never Known Men is the haunting and unforgettable account of a near future on a barren earth where women are kept in underground cages guarded by uniformed groups of men. It is narrated by the youngest of the women, the only one with no memory of what the world was like before the cages, who must teach herself, without books or sexual contact, the essential human emotions of longing, loving, learning, companionship, and dying. Part thriller, part mystery, I Who Have Never Known Men shows us the power of one person without memories to reinvent herself piece by piece, emotion by emotion, in the process teaching us much about what it means to be human.