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Sharp-Edged
A frigid winter dawn reveals a sight Paris hasn’t seen for over two centuries – the menacing profile of a guillotine in the very heart of the city. A publicity stunt, devised to catapult a young artist to instant fame, it works better than anyone had expected. For the guillotine is a perfect replica of the machine that claimed so many lives under the Revolution. So perfect, it comes complete with a headless corpse.
The victim was ushered to his death by an unrecognisable figure whose work is not done. In his pursuit of this grim executioner, Franck Guerin of the Brigade Criminelle has to navigate two parallel worlds – a group of artists squatting in an abandoned property, low on money but high on ideas, and a network of wealthy collectors and scheming dealers, ready to snap up anything they produce.
The one thing that unites them is the belief that art is more important than life. Which means the killer, methodically assembling a macabre masterpiece, could be any one of them.
True to the tradition of the NOIR CHIC series, Sharp-Edged serves up a slice of Parisian life – and death – that will satisfy the most discerning of palates.
The victim was ushered to his death by an unrecognisable figure whose work is not done. In his pursuit of this grim executioner, Franck Guerin of the Brigade Criminelle has to navigate two parallel worlds – a group of artists squatting in an abandoned property, low on money but high on ideas, and a network of wealthy collectors and scheming dealers, ready to snap up anything they produce.
The one thing that unites them is the belief that art is more important than life. Which means the killer, methodically assembling a macabre masterpiece, could be any one of them.
True to the tradition of the NOIR CHIC series, Sharp-Edged serves up a slice of Parisian life – and death – that will satisfy the most discerning of palates.
354 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 1, 2020
About the author
David Barrie
31 books5 followersDavid Barrie is a crime writer who has lived in Paris for over twenty years. The city looms large in his NOIR CHIC crime novels. A sense of place has always been one of the foundations of quality crime fiction. Barrie’s novels are true to the city in which they are set: stylish, sophisticated and crafted with an eye for the tiniest detail.
As for Barrie’s own take on what he does, here’s an extract from a recent interview: “Crime fiction is a genre that has never turned its back on the simple pleasures of colourful characters and compelling plots. It’s not ashamed to be entertaining, even while it’s doing its best to keep the reader on his or her toes.”
If it’s dark, alluring and has a wicked sense of style, it’s probably NOIR CHIC.
As for Barrie’s own take on what he does, here’s an extract from a recent interview: “Crime fiction is a genre that has never turned its back on the simple pleasures of colourful characters and compelling plots. It’s not ashamed to be entertaining, even while it’s doing its best to keep the reader on his or her toes.”
If it’s dark, alluring and has a wicked sense of style, it’s probably NOIR CHIC.
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