The Gravediggers' Bread
Published on 28. June 2018
Book
Paperback/Softback
160 pages
978-1-78227-201-4 (ISBN)
Description
Putting dead bodies in the ground for a living could give anyone ideas...
Blaise is out of work and down on his luck when a chance encounter with a beautiful blonde has him hooked. He'll do anything to stay by her side, even if it means working for her husband, a funeral director. But as everyone knows, three's a crowd.
Blaise is out of work and down on his luck when a chance encounter with a beautiful blonde has him hooked. He'll do anything to stay by her side, even if it means working for her husband, a funeral director. But as everyone knows, three's a crowd.
Reviews / Votes
Spellbinding * Wall Street Journal * Melancholy and atmospheric, with a twist worthy of Agatha Christie at her devious best... classic French noir * Guardian * The French master of noir * Observer * Disturbing from the outset with strong echoes of Dard's hero Simenon * Sunday Times Crime Club (star pick) * Alongside the Maigret novels of Georges Simenon there is a rich vein of period French crime still to be tapped. Frederic Dard is a case in point * Daily Mail * Striking... each plot twist is superbly executed * Mysteries Ahoy! (blog) * It's exceedingly clever - when surprising things happen they slap you in the face for being so obvious, so necessary and so vital yet so surprising at the same time, and you can only squirm more enjoyably into your seat as you read on * Bookbag * This short, sly novel of the night has more than enough substance and mystery to keep readers awake and engrossed * The National * The literary descendant of Simenon and Celine * Le Figaro * No question: for me, he was the greatest -- Philippe Geluck His language is cutting, his point-of-view original and his verdict uncompromising... One of the few twentieth-century authors to win both critical acclaim and great popularity * Solidarite Militaire * France's most popular post-war author * L'Express * A neat little story, almost shockingly quickly presented - making it all the more effective - The Gravediggers' Bread is a quick but satisfying read * Complete Review * Classic noir fare - obsession and murder at its heart - and with enough twists and turns (all done rather well) to keep the pages turning and make you race feverishly towards the end * Radhika's Reading Retreat (blog) *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Pushkin Press
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-78227-201-4 (9781782272014)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
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Persons
Frederic Dard (1921-2000) was one of the best known and loved French crime writers of the twentieth century. Enormously prolific, he wrote more than three hundred thrillers, suspense stories, plays and screenplays, under a variety of noms de plume, throughout his long and illustrious career, which also saw him win the 1957 Grand prix de litterature policiere for The Executioner Weeps. Dard's Bird in a Cage, The Wicked Go to Hell, Crush, The Executioner Weeps and The King of Fools are also available or forthcoming from Pushkin Vertigo.