Never Forget

by Michel Bussi, Shaun Whiteside (Translator)

Overview

In the town of Yport, during a run along Europe’s tallest cliff, Jamal notices a red scarf hanging on a fence. Then he sees the woman, her dress torn, her back to the void, her eyes fixed on his own. Jamal holds the scarf out to her like a buoy.

A few seconds later, the stranger’s lifeless body is found lying on the icy pebbles of the empty beach below. Around her neck, the red scarf.

Everyone thinks he pushed her. He only wanted to save her.

That’s Jamal’s version. Do you believe it?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781609456122
Publisher:	Europa Editions, Incorporated
Publication date:	08/18/2020
Pages:	480
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 8.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Michel Bussi is a professor of geopolitics and one of France’s bestselling authors of the past decade. His novels have been published in 35 different countries. He is also the author of After the Crash (Hachette, 2016), Black Water Lilies (Hachette, 2017), and Time Is a Killer (Europa, 2018).

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Michel Bussi

“In beautiful language, French author Bussi [...] constructs an engrossing, multilayered tale of family, love, and death.”—Booklist on Time is a Killer

“Harlan Coben fans will enjoy Bussi’s [...] mystery with its intriguing characters and twisty conclusion.”—Library Journal on Time is a Killer

“A well-constructed literary thriller with a strong sense of place and deep understanding of human nature.”—Kirkus Reviews on Time is a Killer

“The crime story keeps moving, producing plenty of nifty puzzles, but the number one appeal lies in the revelation of the beauty and geographical secrets of this stunning island that most of us readers haven’t heard of until now.”—The Toronto Star on Don’t Let Go

From the Publisher

2020-07-01
Framed for murder, an optimistic social outcast must prove his innocence.

As the book opens, the collapse of a rugged hillside in Normandy reveals a trio of skeletons who seem to have died in the same place but at different times. Then we flash back to five months earlier, as Jamal Salaoui is attempting to climb “the highest cliff in Europe.” As a Muslim, he’s been a scapegoat his entire life. At the Saint Antoine Therapeutic Institute of Bagnolet, where he works, he’s often unfairly accused of neglecting his teenage clients. When he spots a distressed young woman dangerously close to the cliff’s edge, he’s unable to stop her from leaping to her death. At this point, Jamal, now accused of murder, takes over the narrative. After he ventures down to examine the body, things become more complicated. A woman named Denise and her male companion, whom Jamal dubs Xanax, arrive, eyeing him suspiciously. They’re soon followed by laconic police captain Piroz. A cursory look at the dead woman reveals that she’s naked under her coat and that she’s been raped and that someone had also tried to strangle her. Then an anonymous person mails him newspaper clippings, case notes, and witness statements at the hotel where he's staying, seemingly about the tragedy on the cliff, but when he looks more closely he sees that the article is a decade old. A second flashback spotlights this earlier, identical crime, also investigated by Piroz. As evidence piles up against him, Jamal and intrepid postdoctoral fellow Mona use their wits and the internet to ferret out the real killer. Bussi creates a devilish nesting-doll plot that involves a sudokulike number square, ghosts, and surprising family connections.

A tantalizing puzzle starring a truly lovable protagonist.

Kirkus Reviews