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Paris Requiem

From the Winner of the HWA Gold Crown for Best Historical Fiction

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Paris Requiem

By: Chris Lloyd
Narrated by: Tim Bentinck
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Summary

 'In Detective Eddie Giral, Chris Lloyd has created a flawed hero not just for occupied Paris, but for our own times, too' KATHERINE STANSFIELD

Paris, 1940. As the city adjusts to life under Nazi occupation, Detective Eddie Giral struggles to reconcile his job as a policeman with his new role enforcing a regime he cannot believe in but must work under.

He's sacrificed so much in order to survive in this new world, but the past is not so easily forgotten. When an old friend and an old flame reappear, begging for his help, Eddie must decide how far he will go to help those he loves.

He can remain a good man and do nothing, or risk it all in a desperate act of resistance...

Praise for Chris Lloyd and Detective Eddie Giral
'Terrific' SUNDAY TIMES
'Gripping... a vivid recreation of Paris under German Occupation' ANDREW TAYLOR
'A thoughtful, haunting thriller' MICK HERRON
'Sharp and compelling' THE SUN 20th Century Action & Adventure Historical Fiction International Mystery & Crime Mystery Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Police Procedural Crime Fiction Suspense
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Critic reviews

A corpse is discovered in a derelict jazz club, its lips sewn tight with twine. The victim, Eddie finds out, is an old lag who should be in prison. After he learns that other criminals are also out on the streets, given early release in mysterious circumstances, he realises that he has stumbled on a conspiracy involving French criminals and German occupiers. A page-turning, morally complex thriller. (Best Historical Fiction Books of 2023)
Chris Lloyd follows up the excellent The Unwanted Dead with another terrific slice of historical noir. In his vivid recreation of Paris under German occupation, French policeman Eddie Giral - trapped between Nazis, gangsters and his own conscience - finds himself morally compromised following the discovery of several mutilated bodies. Once again, the prose sparkles with Lloyd's mordant wit and gallows humour, illuminating the depravity of an evil regime.
Lloyd does a masterly job of conjuring a hungry, defeated Paris. Eddie is a convincing protagonist; a flawed man trying his best to be a good one.
It's the book Raymond Chandler might have written if he had lived and breathed the Nazi Occupation of Paris... Paris Requiem is more than a historical crime novel, it's a tour de force. To read it is to have lived in occupied Paris, to have experienced its many-layered devastation. But to read it is also to have walked, in Eddie Giral's skin, through the decisions and betrayals, the compromises and dubious triumphs of an investigation which should, by rights, have killed him.
A haunting and eye-opening portrayal of life under occupation.
A stellar sequel to 2020's The Unwanted Dead. In 1940 Nazi-occupied Paris, police detective Eddie Giral, a wise-cracking maverick determined to stay faithful to his responsibilities despite the risks to his life, investigates the death of a man found in a jazz club...Little details, such as the occupied city now being governed by German time, which runs an hour ahead of French time, bring the period to life. Admirers of J. Robert Jane's St-Cyr and Kohler series will be delighted.
[A] superbly atmospheric thriller, which oozes moral ambiguity.
This smart historical thriller centers on a WWII-era Paris policeman who finds himself working on behalf of the occupiers, pushing him into a moral crisis and a new case that forces him to confront the true extent of the damage being done to the soul of his city.
Lloyd paints a vivid picture of Paris: the lines of people trying to buy highly rationed food, the jazz clubs where they try to escape their miseries, and their persistent attempts to block out the brutal facts of the occupation. The plot action is suspenseful and intense. The characters-both heroes and villains-are vividly drawn. This is definitely a captivating read!
All stars
Most relevant
This is the second in a series about a WW2 French police officer. It’s a very strong plot with plenty of darkness and some great characters.

Dark and stormy

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Gripping story, superbly narrated. Probably the best book I've listened to this year. If you enjoyed the Bernie Gunther novels I think you'll like this.

Excellent from start to finish

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Great story. Looking forward to the next installment of Monsr Eddie. Great characters and voices.

Worth a listen

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WW2 adds spice to Detective story's such as this. Add in nasty criminals, German Gestapo and additional Secret Police fighting each other you have a great cocktail. Great characters, good storyline and your off and running. Looking forward to the next installment.

Another Ripping Yarn.

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This audiobook has to be one of the very best of the many I have already listened to this year. Beautifully written and performed it made me feel as if I were standing beside Eddie Giral, seeing through his eyes and I found this story immensely involving and very sad overall. Chris Lloyd has written a remarkable book and I was grateful for the information given at the end. I shall continue with this series and look forward to both his writing and Tim Bentinck’s narration.

Superb novel

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