On the Waterfront

As in any good pulp fiction from the likes of Goodis or Chandler , take the time to put the pieces together in this roman noir until things turn ugly.


In a Western port city in France, artist Bernard Balzac returns to his city of birth to paint the beautiful coastal scenery and get some rest from the bustle of Parisian life.  Despite his efforts to live his life in peace and solitude, he is ensnared in the meanderings of a police investigation in which the evidence ceaselessly leads the commissioner and his team of investigators into Balzac’s universe to consult his realm of expertise.


Balzac must mingle in the world of poverty, misery, and drugs.  He must plunge into secrets which he would rather not know.  Due to his knowledge of art and history, he is obliged to cooperate with the investigation that will unravel a sordid mystery.


Blood on the Docks is a sociological thriller in true noir form, following the example of the film noir genre of the mid-20th century and the works of many pulp fiction writers before that.  

Bernard Coat is a scriptwriter by occupation.  In his debut novel, he shows us his hometown of Brest with an angle that only a man from the world of film and images can see.