Smoking Kills

by Antoine Laurain, Louise Lalaurie Rogers (Translator)

Overview

From the author of The Red Notebook, described as 'Parisian perfection' by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, Smoking Kills is a darkly comic novel told with Laurain's characteristic Parisian charm.

'A brisk black comedy' The Guardian

How far would you go to enjoy a cigarette?

When headhunter Fabrice Valantine faces a smoking ban at work, he decides to undertake a course of hypnotherapy to rid himself of the habit. At first the treatment works, but his stress levels begin to rise when he is passed over for an important promotion and he finds himself lighting up again - but with none of his previous enjoyment. Then he discovers something terrible: he accidentally causes a mans death, and needing a cigarette to calm his nerves, he enjoys it more than any other previous smoke. What if he now needs to kill someone every time he wants to properly appreciate his next Benson and Hedges? An original and totally French black comedy from bestselling author, Antoine Laurain.  

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781910477540
Publisher:	Gallic Books Limited
Publication date:	08/21/2018
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	981,501
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Antoine Laurain is the award-winning author of nine novels including The Red Notebook (Indie Next, MIBA bestseller) and The President’s Hat (Waterstones Book Club, Indies Introduce). His books have been translated into 25 languages and sold more than 200,000 copies in English. He lives in Paris.

Louise Rogers Lalaurie is a writer and translator from French. She is the author of Matisse: The Books and has translated ten novels, numerous short stories and over 30 non-fiction books.

What People are Saying About This

The Book Bag

‘Dark and enjoyable . . . You will puff in pleasure.’

The Times Crime Club

'A seductively murderous Parisian tale.'

Living France Magazine

'This dark yet comic novel is perfect for readers wanting to enjoy a typically French satirical crime story.'

Nudge Books

'This is a real tonic for the soul (...) Smoking Kills is a very black comedy, it is a lot of wicked fun (...) original and playful and entertaining.'

Daily Mail

'Formidable — and essential packing for any French Summer holiday.'

The Sunday Times

'It has the pleasing weirdness that makes Laurain's novels so appealing'

From the Publisher

‘Dark and enjoyable . . . You will puff in pleasure.’

The Guardian

'[A] brisk black comedy… Laurain’s considered tale retains an elegant detachment from Valantine and his milieu, even as the bodies pile up. And it does, fittingly, make cigarettes seem seductive again, even to committed non-smokers.'

Riveting Reviews - Valeria Vescina

'Antoine Laurain is a compelling storyteller. The writing flows effortlessly, alternating action and reflection, the present and flashbacks, the sad and the comical'

Shots Magazine

'Smoking Kills is one heck of a book ... a romp and a satire and it is a reminder of all that is funny-peculiar about Parisian culture. Read this book. It will be good for your health.'

Interviews

Did you do special research for this book?
About the crimes. Yes. That was an important part. Because there is no weapon and no blood. All those crimes are based on real crimes committed during the Cold War by secret services. Mainly from US and Russia. It took me months to select them.

Editorial Reviews

06/11/2018
A smoking ban at the firm of corporate headhunter Fabrice Valentine, the narrator of this elegantly meandering crime novel from Laurain (The President’s Hat), drives him and a few other hardcore tobacco devotees out into the streets of Paris. His wife suggests he try hypnotherapy, with the result that he ceases to enjoy smoking. Eventually, he figures out how to regain the pleasure that nicotine once afforded him through criminal means. Fabrice’s memories of highlights of his smoking history include how he met his wife-to-be at an art show when she admonished him for using what he thought was a standing ashtray but was in fact an expensive art installation. Every detail is wreathed in smoke and irony—Fabrice’s father, a heavy cigar user, met his death in a collision with a cigar truck on a road in Cuba. This is guaranteed fun for all smokers who have vowed to go down fighting. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

'It has the pleasing weirdness that makes Laurain’s novels so appealing' Sunday Times

'Hilarious, formidable—and essential packing for any French Summer holiday' The Daily Mail

'A brisk black comedy . . . makes cigarettes seem seductive again, even to committed non-smokers' The Guardian

'A seductively murderous Parisian tale' The Times Crime Club

'Smoking Kills is one heck of a book . . . a romp and a satire and it is a reminder of all that is funny-peculiar about Parisian culture. Read this book. It will be good for your health' Shots Magazine

'Funny, superbly over-the-top . . . not a page too much' The Times Books

'This is guaranteed fun' Publishers Weekly

'This dark parody of classic romans noirs is one more reason to love the French.' Crime Reads

'Antoine Laurain is a compelling storyteller. The writing flows effortlessly, alternating action and reflection, the present and flashbacks, the sad and the comical' Riveting Reviews

'This dark yet comic novel is perfect for readers wanting to enjoy a typically French satirical crime story' Living France Magazine

'This is a real tonic for the soul . . . Smoking Kills is a very black comedy, it is a lot of wicked fun . . . original and playful and entertaining' Nudge Books

'Dark and enjoyable. . . . You will puff in pleasure' The Book Bag 

From the Publisher