The Messenger : A Novel

A stylish, mind-racing literary thriller set in the dark heart of Paris, by a break-out new talent in crime fiction.

After moving back to Paris to live with his French dad, Alex Giraud is struggling to fit in among the kids of the rich elite at his exclusive school and he feels stifled by the expectations of his overbearing father. Eddy Giraud used to be one of the most fearless journalists in Paris, but his professional and personal disappointments have made him a cynical, opportunistic man who has little patience for his son's lack of ambition.

Desperate to escape the increasingly suffocating atmosphere at home, Alex seeks freedom in the French metropolis where his new-found friend Sami teaches him the rules of the street. But everything has a priceand one night of rebellion changes their lives forever. A simple plan for a robbery takes a sinister turn when Alex's father is found dead.

Despite protesting their innocence, Alex and Sami are imprisoned for murder. Seven years later, Alex is released from prison with a single purpose: discover who really killed his father.

As he searches for answers, Alex is tormented by his sense of guilt for his father (and for Sami) and, as he begins to uncover the truth about his father's killer, other shocking revelations with far-reaching consequences come to light. Will Alex be able to survive his own personal demons and, after all this time, bring the murderer to justice?