Artifice

'Terrific! Set in modern Paris, this literary thriller invigoratingly combines questions of identity, shenanigans in the art world, love and murder' MICHÈLE ROBERTS

'A breathtaking book confirming Claire Berest's inexhaustible talent as a storyteller' Elle

'Deliciously unique and unpredictable ... this novel blossoms like a poisonous flower' Le Journal du Dimanche

'An astonishing thriller' Libération

Abel Bac, a police officer, has been suspended from duty for unknown reasons. Haunted by a recurring nightmare, he walks the streets of Paris hoping to lose himself in the city, but somehow, he always finds his way home. All that gives Abel comfort are the ninety-four orchids which populate his small apartment.

In museums across Paris something strange is happening. A white horse appears in the library of the Pompidou Centre. Then stuffed wolves are displayed in a gallery, dressed in fine garments and drinking tea. The police are baffled and Abel, who is somehow linked to it all, is becoming more and more unnerved.

Soon, the hidden darkness of his life will rise to the surface and lead him to Mila, the mysterious artist at the heart of this enigma. And then he discovers that nothing about these events is coincidental . . .

Translated by Sophie Lewis.