On Tuesday evening we hosted an evening of discussion, storytelling and murder mystery with award winning author Antoine Laurain as he spoke to Jake Kerridge about his superb new novel French Windows, a surprising and suspenseful murder mystery, reminiscent of Hitchcock with a Parisian heart.
Nathalia, a young photographer, is seeing a therapist because after having accidentally photographed a murder, she finds that she can no longer do her job. Instead, she simply watches the inhabitants of the building opposite.
As an alternative, Doctor Faber suggests that she write about the people she observes, in order to revive her creative spark. Featuring an actor turned YouTube life coach, a cartoonist and a songwriter devoted to his cat, Nathalia creates vivid and richly detailed accounts of the lives of each of her neighbours, each one faced with a new direction in their lives.
Faber is captivated by these stories, and unable to work out whether they can possibly be real. What is Nathalia trying to say with them?
With each session, the doctor and his mysterious patient will get closer to the truth. But as they approach the final floor of the building, Nathalia’s stories take a truly deadly turn . . .
Published by Gallic Books, translated by Louise Lalaurie Rogers.
French Windows is available now for £16.99. We have signed copies while stocks last.
About the author:
Antoine Laurain is the award-winning author of ten novels including The Red Notebook (Indie Next, MIBA bestseller) and The President’s Hat. His books have been translated into 25 languages and sold more than 200,000 copies in English. His most recent novel An Astronomer in Love was shortlisted for the Stanfords/Viking fiction with a sense of place prize and the winner of Le Prix Jules Verne and Le Prix de l’Union Interallie. He lives inParis.