A young French author was acclaimed for one of his books, voted best detective novel of the year 2024. Add to your reading list.
For winter days, many are looking for series to watch in streaming (especially if you have already finished season 2 of Squid Game on Netflix). Some will look at another fiction inspired by a Harlan Coben novel for binge-watchers. But others will prefer to indulge in a little reading. And it’s always good to find new ideas for inspiration.
In 2024, the literary prizes provided good inspiration. Published by Gallimard, Houris by Kamel Daoud won the Goncourt prize. The Goncourt prize for high school students was awarded to Sandrine Collette for Madelaine before dawn (published by JC Lattès). The Femina Prize was given to Miguel Bonnefoy for The Jaguar’s Dream (at Rivages). As for the Renaudot prize, it rewarded Gaël Faye for Jacaranda (at Grasset). But what to read at the start of 2025, especially if you like the policeman?
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The best detective novel of 2024
This year 2024 has been beautiful for a French writer. Olivier Norek has won numerous awards with his latest book, The Winter Warriors (Michel Lafon). He was awarded the Jean Giono prize and the Renaudot prize for high school students for this novel on the legend of Simo, the White Death. However, it is not this work that is being talked about among English speakers.
In fact, it is Between two worlds which was elected detective novel of the year 2024 by magazines The Times et The Sunday Times. On his Instagram account, the author shared the information and commented: “An honor like no other! Thank you so much Great Britain”. The title is translated in the United Kingdom as Between Two Worlds.
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Between two worlds by Olivier Norek acclaimed in the United Kingdom
On Michel Lafon’s website, the thriller published in France in 2017 is described as “monstrously human”, “necessarily human”, without the good guys on one side and the bad guys on the other. “Heartbreaking”, the book would rather evoke “mutual fears that just need to be allayed”. On the story side, we follow Adam, who flees a bloodthirsty regime and a country at war, and sends his daughter Maya and his wife Nora 6,000 km away to safety. He must join them so that they can plan their future together.
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But when he arrives, he does not find them and discovers a world between two worlds for “damned of the Earth between two lives”. In this “lawless universe”, the police never venture out. An assassin takes advantage of this and with his first crime, Adam decides to intervene. A policeman, he uses this affair to no longer think about the absence of his family, to avoid going crazy. Bastien is also an investigator and the Frenchman knows this lawless zone well. He will help this hero who comes from far away and forces him to face things and make a choice.
Editor for Aufeminin since 2022, Charlotte is passionate about cinema, French and international, and a fortune reader. Curious about everything, she talks as much about personalities as…
