The Messenger
The unmissable debut thriller set in the dark heart of Paris
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3.0 • 1 Rating
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Rosamund Lupton meets Lupin in this accomplished debut from an eclectic, cut-throat new voice in thriller writing.
SHORTLISTED FOR THE CRIMEFEST SPECSAVERS AWARD FOR DEBUT CRIME NOVEL
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'A sleek, sinister debut' WOMAN'S OWN
'A strong, twisting, literary journey of revelation and redemption. Five stars' JANICE HALLETT
'An intelligent, gripping and stylish literary thriller - I couldn't put it down. Megan Davis is a major new talent' SOPHIE HANNAH
'A sharply written, clever and classy thrill-ride through the streets of Paris' CHRIS WHITAKER
A crime he didn't commit. A truth he must deliver.
Wealthy and privileged, Alex has an easy path to success in the Parisian elite his father mingles with. But the two have never seen eye to eye. Desperate to escape the increasingly suffocating atmosphere of their apartment, Alex seeks freedom on the streets of Paris where his new-found friend Sami teaches him how to survive. But everything has a price - and one night of rebellion changes their lives forever.
A simple plan to steal money takes a sinister turn when Alex's father is found dead. Despite protesting their innocence, both boys are imprisoned for murder. Seven years later Alex is released from prison with a single purpose: to discover who really killed his father. Yet as he searches for answers and atones for the sins of his past, Alex uncovers a disturbing truth with far-reaching consequences.
Playing out against a backdrop of corruption, fake news and civil unrest, The Messenger exposes the gritty reality of a changing city through one son's journey to redemption and the truth.
'Megan Davis's electric, suspenseful and stunning evocation of contemporary Paris is unforgettable' ELIZABETH MACNEAL
'A well-written, intriguing novel with an excellent sense of place' KAMILA SHAMSIE
'Compelling ... A deft blend of murder mystery, political intrigue and family secrets' DOMINIC NOLAN
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A man investigates his father's homicide after serving time for the crime in Davis's woolly debut thriller. Sixteen-year-old Alex Giraud has trouble acclimating when he and his dad, journalist Eddy, return to Paris following a decade in America. To appease his private-school bullies, Alex supplies them with drugs purchased from street-savvy petty criminal Sami Lantou. Then a deal goes wrong, and Alex and Sami's scheme to pay their debts by robbing Eddy results in their arrests for his murder. Eddy was alive when Alex and Sami left him, and Alex feels certain someone else killed him, but he helps convict Sami in exchange for leniency. Seven years later, Alex is a free man, but he can't move on until he exonerates Sami and catches the true culprit. In alternating timelines, Davis details the events preceding Eddy's death and Alex's present-day investigation. She paints a gritty portrait of Paris, and her dizzyingly complex plot touches on issues of classism, nationalism, and propaganda, but two-dimensional characters and a saggy, meandering middle lessen the impact. This ambitious debut bites off more than it can chew.
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