Winner of the 1957 Grand Prix de Littérature Policière: A macabre thriller about the dangerous pitfalls of love
It was fate that led her to step out in front of the car. A quiet mountain road. A crushed violin. And a beautiful woman lying motionless in the ditch.
Carrying her back to his lodging on a beach near Barcelona, Daniel discovers that the woman is still alive but that she remembers nothing—not even her own name. And soon he has fallen for her mysterious allure. She is a blank canvas, a perfect muse, and his alone. But when Daniel travels to France in search of her past, he slips into a tangled vortex of lies, depravity, and murder.
Written by one of the masters of French noir, The Executioner Weeps won the 1957 Grand Prix de Littérature Policière, France's most prestigious literary award for crime fiction writers.
"With their tight plots, the stories are particularly cinematic, and film-makers are already showing interest. Dard also wrote screenplays and plays. Their revival could be just around the corner." — The Observer
"A tragedy is inevitable, but the form it takes is hidden until the last gasp-inducing pages…a book that calls for tight nerves and a stiff drink." — Daily Mail
"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." - Solidarité Militaire
"The literary descendant of Simenon and Celine."- Le Figaro
"France's most popular post-war author." - L'Express
"searing, dark and economical … Dard … expertly blends glossy thrills, social commentary and escapist lust." — Hits the Fan blog
"Fine, successful and compelling melodramatic crime noir." — International Crime Fiction blog
Frédéric 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 littérature policière for The Executioner Cries.
Winner of the 1957 Grand Prix de Littérature Policière: A macabre thriller about the dangerous pitfalls of love
It was fate that led her to step out in front of the car. A quiet mountain road. A crushed violin. And a beautiful woman lying motionless in the ditch.
Carrying her back to his lodging on a beach near Barcelona, Daniel discovers that the woman is still alive but that she remembers nothing—not even her own name. And soon he has fallen for her mysterious allure. She is a blank canvas, a perfect muse, and his alone. But when Daniel travels to France in search of her past, he slips into a tangled vortex of lies, depravity, and murder.
Written by one of the masters of French noir, The Executioner Weeps won the 1957 Grand Prix de Littérature Policière, France's most prestigious literary award for crime fiction writers.
Reviews
"With their tight plots, the stories are particularly cinematic, and film-makers are already showing interest. Dard also wrote screenplays and plays. Their revival could be just around the corner." — The Observer
"A tragedy is inevitable, but the form it takes is hidden until the last gasp-inducing pages…a book that calls for tight nerves and a stiff drink." — Daily Mail
"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." - Solidarité Militaire
"The literary descendant of Simenon and Celine."- Le Figaro
"France's most popular post-war author." - L'Express
"searing, dark and economical … Dard … expertly blends glossy thrills, social commentary and escapist lust." — Hits the Fan blog
"Fine, successful and compelling melodramatic crime noir." — International Crime Fiction blog
Author
Frédéric 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 littérature policière for The Executioner Cries.
