'A page-turning, morally complex thriller.' SUNDAY TIMES, Best Historical Fiction Books of 2023

'More than a historical crime novel, it's a tour de force.' ALIS HAWKINS

'You have a choice which way you go in this war...'

Paris, September 1940.

After three months under Nazi Occupation, not much can shock Detective Eddie Giral. That is, until he finds a murder victim who was supposed to be in prison. Eddie knows, because he put him there. The dead man is not the first or the last criminal being let loose onto the streets. But who is pulling the strings, and why?

This question will take Eddie from jazz clubs to opera halls, from old flames to new friends, from the lights of Paris to the darkest countryside - pursued by a most troubling truth: sometimes to do the right thing, you have to join the wrong side...

'A terrific slice of historical noir... Sparkles with Lloyd's mordant wit and gallows humour, illuminating the depravity of an evil regime.' VASEEM KHAN
****

Praise for Chris Lloyd's Occupation series, featuring Detective Eddie Giral:

'Ranks alongside Alan Furst and Philip Kerr ... Powerful stuff.' SUNDAY TIMES

'A thoughtful, haunting thriller' MICK HERRON

'Such a powerful and morally nuanced crime novel. Both a gripping murder mystery and a vivid recreation of Paris under German Occupation' ANDREW TAYLOR

'It's up there with luminaries such as Philip Kerr, Sebastian Faulks and Manda Scott - in fact, it's probably better than all of those.' DAVID YOUNG

'A haunting and eye-opening portrayal of life under occupation' ADELE PARKS

'Lloyd does a masterly job of conjuring a hungry, defeated Paris. Eddie is a convincing protagonist; a flawed man trying his best to be a good one.' THE TIMES

'In Detective Eddie Giral, Chris Lloyd has created a flawed hero not just for occupied Paris, but for our own times, too' KATHERINE STANSFIELD

Paris, 1940. As the city adjusts to life under Nazi occupation, Detective Eddie Giral struggles to reconcile his job as a policeman with his new role enforcing a regime he cannot believe in but must work under.

He's sacrificed so much in order to survive in this new world, but the past is not so easily forgotten. When an old friend and an old flame reappear, begging for his help, Eddie must decide how far he will go to help those he loves.

He can remain a good man and do nothing, or risk it all in a desperate act of resistance...


Praise for Chris Lloyd and Detective Eddie Giral:

'Terrific' SUNDAY TIMES

'A gripping murder mystery and a vivid recreation of Paris under German Occupation' ANDREW TAYLOR

'A thoughtful, haunting thriller' MICK HERRON

'Sharp and compelling' THE SUN