The Quai des Orfèvres 2025 prize was awarded to Olivier Tournut for his thriller entitled “Post mortem”, which is released in paperback this Wednesday, November 6, 2024. The author was born in Belfort. This is his first novel.
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It is a literary prize unlike any other. Ffounded in 1946 by Jacques Catineau, it each year rewards a detective novel. An unpublished, anonymous manuscript, scrutinized by a jury made up of 22 police officers, magistrates and journalists.
The Quai des Orfèvres 2025 prize was awarded to Olivier Tournut for his thriller entitled “Post mortem”, which will be released in bookstores in pocket format this Wednesday, November 6, 2024, with his winner’s red (blood) headband. And as usual, the announcement was made this Tuesday at the “Bastion”, the new headquarters of the Parisian judicial police in the Batignolles district in the 17th arrondissement, by Laurent Nuñez, the Paris police prefect, and the Fayard editions. The prize was sponsored this year by actor and director Olivier Marchal, a former police officer himself for 14 years. He began his career as an inspector at the PJ of Versailles.
The plot of “Postmortem” unravels after the discovery of a man’s body “sitting on a chair, naked and horribly mutilated”in a large empty Parisian apartment. On his forearm, a strange tattoo, and next to the corpse, a painting signed Van Gogh, missing since the Second World War. The murder will lead the two police officers, who take charge of the investigation, to the heart of Montmartre and “the traces of one of the most powerful men in the country”indicate Fayard editions in their press release.
Olivier Tournut was born in Belfort and lives in Paris. “Postmortem” is his first novel. He is currently the Secretary General of the National Gaming Authority. After studying law, he previously worked in the human resources sector for local authorities and then independent administrative authorities. The 336-page work will be printed in more than 50,000 copies, specifies Fayard.
Olivier Tournut’s first novel will be printed in 50,000 copies.
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© Fayard
Last year, the Quai des orfèvres prize was awarded to Martial Caroff, academic and specialist in ancient volcanism for “Don’t thank me!”. This detective novel recounts the investigation into the death of a specialist in Paleolithic geology who collapses and dies during the course.
