Le Crime - (Louis Morgon Thriller) by Peter Steiner (Paperback)

About the Book

A cross between "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" and "A Year in Provence," this highly acclaimed thriller is a thoroughly original and completely engaging crime novel of international espionage.

Book Synopsis

A cross between The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and A Year in Provence, this ingenious thriller gets stunning raves from one and all:

"A marvel." - Olen Steinhauer - "Riveting." - France Today - "Elements of Agatha Christie and Robert Ludlum." - Bookreporter.com - "'Superbe'." - Jim Fusilli - "Like a good Alan Furst or Graham Greene." - The Washingtonian - "Engaging." - Publishers Weekly

Le Crime is a story of political intrigue, corruption and jealousy. It is also a story of love and friendship and, of course, France.

When political intrigue drove Louis Morgon from a successful career at the State Department, he moved to a cottage in France, far from Washington and what he called "the sordid world." He took up painting. He grew vegetables and flowers. He ate long, lovely meals on the terrace overlooking fields of sunflowers. He thought that he had found happiness.

Then one day Louis's past lands squarely on his doorstep. It does so in the shape of a dead man. His throat has been slit. He wears a cap with liberte embroidered on it. Except for the local cop, Jean Renard, the police are strangely uninterested. This seems peculiar to Renard, but not to Louis. He knows who the murderer is. He also knows that he is likely to be the next victim. And there is very little he or Renard or anyone else can do. Each clue they find raises more questions than it answers. Nothing is as it appears.

Louis's best hope is to turn the tables on his murderer. Instead of knowledge, he has only his intuition and his intelligence. Instead of power or influence, he has only his own past. Louis finds himself on a lonely and dangerous journey of self-discovery. He thought he was beyond surprises. But every turn of the road reveals new mysteries, and the resolution is a shock.

This book was previously published as A French Country Murder.

Review Quotes

"A fantastic novel, at once a gripping political thriller, and a complex mystery tale." --David Brooks, author of Bobos in Paradise

"Le Carré and Deighton fans will welcome Steiner's engaging first novel." --Publishers Weekly

"Unforgettable . . . combines elements of Agatha Christie and Robert Ludlum."--Bookreporter.com

"A riveting murder mystery."--France Today

"Steiner sketches such a rich life for his tiny town that he makes you want to get on the next plane."--Chicago Tribune

"A beautiful crime novel."--Thomas Perry, New York Times bestselling author of Nightlife

"A page-turner--like a good Alan Furst or Graham Greene novel."--The Washingtonian

"Louis Morgon is a marvel."--Olen Steinhauer, author of Victory Square

"Le Crime est superbe."--Jim Fusilli, author of Hard, Hard City

About the Author

Also known for his cartoons in The New Yorker, Le Crime is Peter Steiner's first novel in the Louis Morgon thriller series, originally published in hardcover under the title A French Country Murder.