The Hardboiled Discussion Group

Dogs & Wolves
by Herve Le Corre


Herve Le Corre. Dogs & Wolves (Europa, $17.00)

From the master of French noir and winner of the French Voices Prize, a gripping mystery about the blossoming of poisonous passions set in the brooding landscapes of Gironde, France

When Franck gets out after five years in jail, he expects to find the brother he protected with his silence—instead, waiting for him is his brother Fabien’s girlfriend. Jessica takes him to the gloomy country house where she lives with her cantankerous, hard-drinking parents, her eight-year old daughter, Rachel—who doesn’t speak, hardly eats, and seems to be carrying a secret much bigger than herself—and a large mastiff dog they all seem to fear.

Time passes, Fabien doesn’t return, and Franck is increasingly mystified by Jessica’s behavior, seductive at times, hostile at others. Nonetheless, Franck follows her around on her crazy nocturnal rounds until he finds himself with a gun pointed at his head. It’s the beginning of a crescendo of retaliation in a gang war in which Franck believes he is participating, only to realize he’s merely a sacrificial pawn.

In the scorching heat of the summer, love and violence, sweetness and blood, will result in an unpredictable ending, one that perhaps only the little girl knew from the start.

You may also like the following events from The Poisoned Pen Bookstore:

• This Tuesday, 17th June, 12:00 am, Ashley Weaver discusses One Final Turn in Scottsdale, Arizona
• This Wednesday, 18th June, 12:00 am, In discussion with Brett Battles & Rob Hart in Scottsdale, Arizona
• This Thursday, 19th June, 02:00 am, Ivy Pochoda discusses Ecstasy in Scottsdale, Arizona