Last year Gallic Books was nominated for the IPG Small Publisher of the Year Award, a recognition of our achievements over just three years in bringing the best of contemporary French writing to an English-reading public.

Having successfully established our various titles, most notably the runaway best-seller The Elegance of the Hedgehog, in 2010 we launched the widely-acclaimed Hector and the Search for Happiness by François Lelord, and 2011 sees the publication of Hector and the Secrets of Love.

A further highlight this season is Monsieur Montespan, Jean Teulé’s superb novel set in the court of Louis XIV, which spent 100 weeks on the French best-seller lists.

Finally we are delighted to welcome to the Gallic list possibly the most popular author writing in French today, Guillaume Musso, with his latest phenomenal success, the romantic thriller Where Would I be Without You?

Guillaume MussoWhere Would I be Without You?A superb romantic thriller from the multi-million-selling master of popular fiction.Over 700,000 copies sold worldwide

Translated by Anna Brown and Anna Aitken

Once, in San Francisco, Gabrielle and Martin loved each other - just for a few short days, but they knew it was the real thing. And then Martin had to return to Paris. Now, ten years later, he’s a successful cop in a frantic race against time to catch the world’s greatest art thief, Archibald Maclean. The trail is leading him back to San Francisco, and the chance to rediscover his one true love. But what’s become of Gabrielle since they last met? Will she want to see him after all this time?As an extraordinary sequence of events unfolds, Martin must face his demons on a journey to the edge of love and life itself.

9781906040345 | £7.99 | April 2011 | B format paperback | 368pp |

Fiction | XO Éditions | Europe & Commonwealth

‘Musso shows he is a master at creating mystery’ Paris Match

‘His stories blend emotion, suspense and the supernatural’ L’Express

With worldwide sales of over 8 million copies, Guillaume Musso is arguably the most popular author writing in French today. He was born in 1974 in Antibes where he still lives. To date he has had seven novels published, one of which, Afterwards (XO Editions, 2004), is now a film starring John Malkovich, Evangeline Lilly and Romain Duris. Musso currently teaches at a secondary school in the South of France.

1THAT SUMMER

San Francisco, summer 1995Gabrielle, a twenty-year-old American student in her third year at Berkeley. That summer she often wore faded jeans, a white shirt and a leather jacket. With her long straight hair and her green eyes flecked with gold she looked like Françoise Hardy in the photos taken by Jean-Marie Périer in the sixties. That summer she divided her time between the campus li-brary and the fire station on California Street where she volun-teered as a firefighter. That summer she had her first serious love affair.

Martin, a twenty-one-year-old Frenchman, had just com-pleted his law degree at the Sorbonne. That summer he went to the States on his own to improve his English and explore the continent. As he didn’t have a pen-ny to his name he took odd jobs, working more than seventy hours a week as a waiter, ice-cream seller and gardener. That summer with his shoulder-length dark hair, he looked like the young Al Pacino. That summer, he had his last serious love affair.

Berkeley cafeteria‘Hey Gabrielle, you’ve got a letter!’ The girl sat at a table reading. She looked up from her book. ‘What?’ ‘You’ve got a letter, honey!’ repeated Carlito, the cafeteria manager, as he put a cream envelope beside her cup of tea. Gabrielle frowned. ‘Who from?’ ‘From Martin, the French boy. He’s not working here any more but he came by this morning to leave this for you.’ Gabrielle looked at the envelope in puzzlement and slipped it into her pocket before leaving the café. The immense lush campus, dominated by the clock tower, was bathed in summer sunshine. Gabrielle wandered along the paths and walkways of the park until she came to an empty bench in the shade of ancient trees. Then, in the peace and qui-et, she opened the letter with a mixture of apprehension and curiosity.

*Gabrielle looked up. Her heart was racing. It was so unexpected. From the very first lines, she’d realised that the letter was special. Of course, she knew what had happened between them, but not how Martin felt. She looked around her, wor-ried that her face was betraying her emotion. When she felt tears coming, she left the campus and took the subway back to downtown San Francisco. She had planned to stay longer at the library, but she knew that she would be incapable of doing so now. Sitting in the carriage, she alternated between surprise at

Martin’s letter and the painful pleasure she took in reading it. It wasn’t every day that someone paid her that kind of attention. And usually when it happened it was because of her looks, not her personality. Everyone thought she was strong and outgoing, when in fact she was fragile and still a little bit lost in the contradictions of being a young woman. People who had known her for years weren’t aware of her distress. But he’d sensed this in her and had understood everything in just a few weeks. That summer, the heat had overwhelmed the Californian coast – even San Francisco with its microclimate. In the carriage the passengers seemed lifeless, as if stunned by the summer torpor. But Gabrielle was not among them. She had suddenly become a medieval heroine, transported to an age of chivalry: an age in which courtly love made its first appearance. Chrétien de Troyes had just sent her a missive and he was resolved to transform her friendship for him ... She read and reread her letter, which did her good, but was also painful. No, Martin Beaumont, you’re not like the other guys. She felt happy, desperate and undecided. So undecided that she missed her stop. Now she had an extra station to go through in the heat to get back to her place. Nice one, she said to herself, she obviously wasn’t much good at being a heroine!

*28 August – 7 September 1995, San FranciscoBy paying an extra hundred dollars, Martin had been able to postpone the date of his departure. That one hundred dollars allowed him to experience the ten most important days of his life. They loved each other. In the bookshops on the streets of Berkeley, where a little of the old bohemian atmosphere still lingered. In the cinema on Reid Street, where they were so engrossed in one another they didn’t see much of the film Leaving Las Vegas. In a little restaurant, over an enormous hamburger, Hawai-ian-style with pineapple, and a bottle of Sonoma. They loved each other. They goofed about, played like kids, held each other’s hand tight as they ran along the beach. They loved each other. In a university bedroom, where he improvised a totally new version of Jacques Brel’s ‘La Valse à Mille Temps’ for her on his guitar. She danced for him, languorously at first, then faster and faster, twirling round and round, arms outstretched, palms up, like a whirling dervish. He dropped his instrument and joined her in her trance. Together they became a spinning top, finally sinking to the ground where ...

Guillaume MussoWhere Would I be Without You?

... they loved each other. They floated, they flew. They were God, they were angels, they were alone. Around them, the world receded and became nothing more than a theatrical backdrop where they were the only actors. They loved each other. With a love that ran in the blood. With a constant euphoria. In the moment and for eternity. And at the same time, fear was all around. Fear of an absence. Fear of finding oneself without oxygen. Their love was so obvious, so confusing. It was both a bolt of lightning and annihilation. The most beautiful of springtimes, the most violent of storms. And yet, they loved each other.

*

2THE GREATEST THIEF OF ALL ...

Paris, Left Bank of the Seine, 29 July 20083 a.m.The thiefParis was shrouded in the darkness of a midsummer’s night. On the rooftops of the Musée d’Orsay, a furtive shadow slipped behind a column then appeared again in the halo of the half-moon. Dressed all in black, Archibald McLean tied two climbing ropes to a harness around his waist. He adjusted the black woollen hat that came down to his glistening eyes, the only part of his blackened face that was visible. The thief fastened his backpack and paused to look down at the city spread out before him. The roof of the famous museum afforded him an impres-sive view of the buildings on the Right Bank: the massive Palais du Louvre with its abundance of sculptures, the meringue-like basilica of the Sacré-Cœur, the dome of the Grand Palais, the Ferris wheel in the Tuileries Gardens and the green and gold dome of the Opéra Garnier. In the gloom, the city had a time-less air – it was the Paris of Arsène Lupin, of The Phantom of the Opera. Archibald pulled on his climbing gloves, steadied himself, and then uncoiled the rope down the side of the stone wall. Tonight’s escapade would be difficult and dangerous, but that was exactly why it was so enticing.

The flic‘He must be mad!’ Hiding out in his car, police captain Martin Beaumont trained his binoculars on the man he’d been chasing for over three years: Archibald McLean, the most famous art thief of modern times. The young flic was feverish with excitement. That night, he was going to arrest a famous thief, the kind a flic comes across once in his career. He had waited a long time for this moment and he’d replayed the scene over and over in his head. Interpol would be green with envy, as would all the private detectives hired by the millionaires Archibald had robbed. Martin focused his binoculars to get a clearer image. Finally, Archibald’s elusive shadow emerged from the darkness. Mar-tin’s heart raced as he watched him let down his rope and slide down the wall of the museum until he reached one of the huge clock faces that overlooked the Seine. For a moment, the flic thought he might catch a glimpse of his quarry’s face, but Archibald was too far away and had his back to him. It seemed incredible that in his twenty-five-year ca-reer as a thief, nobody had ever seen Archibald McLean’s face ...

*Archibald paused at the bottom of the glass clock face that radi-ated a pale light. It measured over twenty feet across, and as he stood squeezed up against it, Archibald found it difficult not to feel somewhat pressed for time. He knew he might be spotted at any moment, but still his eyes darted towards the street. The banks of the Seine were quiet, but not empty: an occasional taxi drove by and a few nocturnal strollers were about, while others were making their way home after a long night out. Without hurrying, the thief leant against the stone ledge and unhooked a diamond-tipped glass cutter from his belt. With a quick, bold sweeping movement he ran the cutter over the glass surface where the brass struts framed the clock’s sixth hour. As he expected, the wheel only scratched the surface of the glass, marking out an area the size of a small hoop. Archibald fixed a three-headed suction cup onto the circle of glass then took hold of an aluminium tube the size of a torch. He ran the beam back and forth round the score line with dexterity and assur-ance. The laser cut through the glass like cheese wire, allowing him to make a fine, deep incision. The fracture quickly opened up along the line of incision. Just as the glass was about to give way, Archibald pressed on the suction cup. The heavy slab of glass broke away all in one piece, without splintering or break-ing, and came to rest gently on the ground, leaving a circular hole as sharp as a guillotine. With the agility of an acrobat, Ar-chibald slipped through the opening into one of the world’s most magnificent museums. He now had thirty seconds before the alarm went off.

François LelordHector and the Secrets of Love The second of Hector’s JourneysWhat is the secret formula for love?

Translated by Lorenza Garcia

Hector, our intrepid psychiatrist, sets off on a new globe-trotting mission – and this time he’s looking for LOVE. One of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies has employed him to track down their brilliant scientist, Professor Cormorant, who has disappeared abroad with the secret of a modern-day love potion.Leaving behind his troubled relationship with girlfriend Clara, Hector’s adventure takes him to the Far East and into the arms of beautiful Vayla, forcing our hero to think deeply about the human heart.In his follow-up to the multi-million-selling Hector and the Search for Happiness, acclaimed writer and psychiatrist, François Lelord, offers us a witty fable filled with thoughtful insights into how we find and keep love.

9781906040338 | £7.99 | January 2011 | B format paperback | 288pp

| Fiction | Odile Jacob | WEL

François Lelord has had a successful career as a psychiatrist both in the United States and France. He now devotes his time to writing, and is the author (in conjunction with Christophe André) of a number of best-selling self-help books.

Praise for Hector and the Search for Happiness:

‘A series of philosophical bonnes bouches… their effect is unexpectedly cheering.’ The Independent

‘Intelligently naïve’ Marie Claire

‘Even the most aloof, the most detached reader will be won over by this book.’ Cosmopolitan

‘Immerse yourself in a book that will give you wings: ‘Hector and the Search for Happiness’’ Bild magazine

What Amazon readers had to say:

‘One has a smile on one’s face all the way through’

‘At the end of the book the reader finds themselves with a head full of amusing scenes and clever insights into what happiness really means. It is in this way that Lelord manages to reach the hearts of his readers’

‘If you want to make a person in your life happy, give them this book!’

‘A rare jewel’

Also available:

Hector & the Search for HappinessThe first of Hector’s Journeys

Translated by Lorenza Garcia

Can we learn how to be happy? Over two million readers worldwide have followed Hector on his quest to discover the sources of true happiness.

9781906040239 | £7.99 | B format paperback | 192pp | Fiction |

Odile Jacob | WEL

The Marquis de Montespan and his new wife, Athénaïs, are a true love-match – a rare thing amongst the nobility of seventeenth-century France. But love is not enough to maintain their hedonistic lifestyle, and the couple soon face huge debts. When Madame de Montespan is offered the chance to become lady-in-waiting to the Queen at Versailles, she seizes this opportunity to turn their fortunes around.Too late, Montespan discovers that his ravishing wife has caught the eye of King Louis XIV. As everyone congratulates him on his new status of cuckold by royal appointment, the Marquis is broken-hearted. He vows to wreak revenge on the monarch and win back his adored Marquise. Jean Teulé has restored a ridiculed figure from history to his rightful position as a hero, in this hilarious, bawdy and touching novel that spent 100 weeks on the French best-seller lists.

9781906040307 | £7.99 | February 2011 | B format paperback |

352pp | Historical fiction | Éditions Robert Laffont | WEL

Historical noteThis engrossing tale of money, sex and power is almost entirely based on historical fact.The Marquis de Montespan is known as the most famous cuckold in French history, whose wife, Madame de Montespan, was Louis XlV’s mistress for many years. Unlike every other husband whose wife the King had bedded, he did not see this as a great honour, refusing all the titles and riches on offer, and was therefore rejected as a fool by the royal court.

Jean TeuléMonsieur MontespanThe man who dared to object when his wife became the King’s mistress.The Number One European Best-Seller Winner of the Grand Prix Maison de la Presse 2008

Translated by Alison Anderson

He devoted the rest of his life to winning back his wife and wreaking his personal revenge on the King. Most famously when he arrived at the King’s palace dressed in black, sitting in a black carriage adorned a with massive deer antler at each corner, signifying cuckold’s horns. When the King demanded an explanation he said he was in mourning for his love. Montespan was imprisoned and exiled to Spain and his chateau in south-west France and died without seeing his wife again.

Praise for Monsieur Montespan:

‘A magnificent novel’ Paris Match

‘Dazzling’ Le Point

‘An unrestrained, nightmarish, hilarious, and moving portrait of the underbelly of the Grand Siècle, wading through its baseness, its excrement and its entrails.’ Elle

‘Teulé recreates with gusto the bizarre social mores of the nobility at that time: appalling, dirty and wicked… the author explores the hidden corners of history with the ease of a seasoned veteran’ l’Express

‘Jean Teulé reveals the very particular skills of a nobleman who sets out on a quest to contest the legitimacy of the divine right of kings long before the Revolution… An exhilarating novel.’Figaro Littéraire

Also available:

The Suicide ShopTranslated by Sue Dyson

In a depressed world some time in the future, business is brisk at The Suicide Shop, until happiness threatens to ruin everything, that is…

9781906040093 | £7.99 | B format paperback | 160pp | Fiction/

fantasy | Robert Laffont | Rights: WEL

‘A suicide shop that is full of life…’ Le Figaro

‘A gently comic fable’ Financial Times

The son of a concierge, Jean Teulé was destined to be a car mechanic, but was encouraged by his secondary school art teacher to apply to art school. He went on to become a successful graphic novel artist as well as a television presenter on popular arts and magazine shows. He is now one of France’s most celebrated authors and Monsieur Montespan is his eleventh novel.

In the autumn of 1934, a Channel crossing to France takes a paranormal turn for private detective, Andrew Singleton, when he sees an extraordinary mirage and has an encounter with a lady in white.Arriving in Paris, he is asked to help out with a very unusual murder investigation - the victim appears to have died of fright in his sleep.Who caused this death and how? And could there be some connection to the mirage?

Fabrice BourlandThe Dream Killer of ParisA Singleton and Trelawney CaseEnter Singleton and Trelawney’s world of supernatural crime…

Translated by Morag Young

9781906040321 | £7.99 | May 2011 | A format paperback | 256pp |

Historical crime/fantasy | Univers poche | Europe and Commonwealth

‘Fantastic in every sense.’ Le Monde

Also available in the series:

The Baker Street PhantomTranslated by Morag Young

Evil haunts the streets of London in this first investigation for Singleton and Trelawney

9781906040284 | £7.99 | A format paperback | 256pp | Historical

crime/fantasy | Univers poche | Europe and Commonwealth

Muriel BarberyThe Elegance of the HedgehogTranslated by Alison Anderson

9781906040185 | £7.99 | B format paperback | 320pp | Fiction |

Gallimard | UK/E/Non-ex ROW

‘Resistance is futile...you might as well buy it before someone recommends it for your book group. Its charm will make you say yes.’ The Guardian

‘Clever, informative and moving...’ The Observer

‘The novel wins over its fans with a life-affirming message, a generous portion of heart and Barbery’s frequently wicked sense of humour.’ Time Magazine

‘A book of great charm and grace.’ The Metro

‘The book’s attractive , Amélie-esque, Parisian setting and cast of eccentrics will appeal to many...’ Sunday Telegraph

‘A version of the Cinderella fairytale...’ Financial Times

‘This breathtakingly singular novel...is totally French yet completely universal.’ Good Housekeeping

Moving, life-affirming and utterly original, Muriel Barbery’s novel about Renée the Parisian concierge and closet intellectual has sold over 5 million copies worldwide.

In this prize-winning and delicious novel, a dying food critic looks back on the best meals of his life.

£6.99 | 9781906040314 | B format paperback | 144pp | Fiction |

Gallimard | UK/E/Non-ex ROW

‘ An exquisite French black comedy.’ Sunday Times

‘Barbery has a knack for describing food, and for evoking the physical and emotional sensations it produces.’ The Financial Times

‘An ode to the pleasure of good food … mouthwatering from beginning to end.’ Paris Match

‘It’s a foodie’s delight; just don’t read it when you’re hungry.’ The Daily Mail

‘The exquisite descriptions of eating are like nothing you’ve read before.’ Good Housekeeping

Muriel BarberyThe GourmetTranslated by Alison Anderson

Muriel Barbery is a philosophy teacher, and divides her time between France and Japan. Her first novel, The Gourmet, won the top French award for food writing and has been translated into twelve languages. Her second novel, The Elegance of the Hedgehog is a worldwide publishing phenomenon, translated into over 40 languages. (photo Catherine Hélie © Editions Gallimard.)

‘There is a wit and power about the writing and the characterisation that makes the reader regret that Napoleon Bonaparte did not write more fiction…true to the original and wonderfully well written.‘ Flora Fraser, The Times

‘A scholarly reconstruction’ Sunday Telegraph

Napoleon BonaparteClisson & EugénieTranslated by Peter HicksWith an introduction by Armand Cabasson

Completed when Napoleon was only 26, the tragic story of Clisson and Eugénie reveals one of history’s great leaders to be an accomplished writer of fiction.

9781906040277 | £7.99 | B format paperback | 96pp | History/fiction

| Fayard | WEL

Peter Hicks is a historian specializing in Napoleon. He is Manager of International Affairs at the Fondation Napoléon and a visiting professor at Bath University.

Claude IznerThe Victor Legris Mysteries Crime beats a path to the door of Victor Legris’s bookshop in this irresistible series set in the Paris of the Impressionists.

Series information:£7.99 | B format paperback | 10-18 (Univers Poche) | UK/CM/E/ME

Praise for The Victor Legris Mysteries:

‘Full of pungent period detail… a satisfyingly convoluted yarn.’ The Observer.

‘An extremely enjoyable, witty and creepy affair.’ Independent on Sunday.

‘Isabel Reid’s seamless translation captures the novel’s many period charms.’ The Independent

‘Claude Izner… brilliantly evokes 1890s Paris… in a cracking, highly satisfying yarn.’ Guardian.

‘A charming journey through the life and intellectual times of an era.’ Le Monde

Murder on the Eiffel TowerThe first Victor Legris MysteryTranslated by Isabel Reid

9781906040017 | 304pp

The Montmartre Investigation The third Victor Legris MysteryTranslated by Lorenza Garcia and Isabel Reid

9781906040055 | 320pp

The Predator of BatignollesThe fifth Victor Legris MysteryTranslated by Lorenza Garcia and Isabel Reid

9781906040253 | 320pp

The Pére-Lachaise MysteryThe second Victor Legris Mystery. Translated by Lorenza Garcia and Isabel Reid

9781906040048 | 320pp

The Marais Assassin The fourth Victor Legris Mystery.Translated by Lorenza Garcia and Isabel Reid

9781906040147 | 320pp

Jean-François ParotThe Nicolas Le Floch Investigations Packed with extraordinary historical detail, these absorbing thrillers set in eighteenth-century Paris follow the career of police Commissioner Nicolas Le Floch of the Châtelet.

Series information:Price: £7.99 | B format paperback | Historical crime | Lattès (Hachette) | UK/CM/E/US

Praise for The Nicolas Le Floch Investigations :

‘Jean-François Parot’s evocation of eighteenth-century Paris is richly imagined.’ Mail on Sunday

‘Has all the twists, turns and surprises the genre demands.’ Independent on Sunday

‘Picks away at the delicate power balance between king, police and state.’ Financial Times

‘The atmosphere is marvellous, the historical detail precise, and Le Floch and his colleagues are an engaging bunch’ The Guardian

‘Brilliantly evokes the casual brutality of life in eighteenth-century France.’ Sunday Times

The Châtelet ApprenticeThe first Nicholas Le Floch InvestigationTranslated by Michael Glencross

9781906040062 | 418pp

The Nicolas Le Floch AffairThe fourth Nicolas Le Floch investigationTranslated by Howard Curtis

9781906040222 | 432pp

The Saint-Florentin MurdersThe fifth Nicolas Le Floch InvestigationTranslated by Howard Curtis

9781906040246 | 432pp

The Man with the Lead Stomach The second Nicolas Le Floch InvestigationTranslated by Michael Glencross

9781906040123 | 352pp

The Phantom of Rue Royale The third Nicolas Le Floch InvestigationTranslated by Howard Curtis

9781906040154 | 368pp

Armand CabassonThe Napoleonic MurdersArmand Cabasson marries his phenomenal knowledge of the Napoleonic period with his psychiatric expertise In this award-winning series of psychological thrillers featuring Quentin Margont of the Grande Armée.

Wolf Hunt Winner of the 2005 Fiction Prize by the Napoleonic FoundationTranslated by Isabel Reid

£7.99 | 9781906040086 | B Format paperback | 352pp | Historical thriller | Univers Poche | UK/CM/E

Memory of FlamesTranslated by Isabel Reid

9781906040130 | £7.99 | B format paperback | 352pp | Historical thriller | Univers Poche | UK/CM/E

Praise for The Napoleonic Murders:

‘Cabasson skilfully weaves an intriguing mystery into a rich historical background’ Mail on Sunday

‘With vivid scenes of battle and military life...Cabasson’s atmospheric novel makes a splendid war epic...’ Sunday Telegraph

‘Enthralling’ Morning Star

The Officer’s PreyWinner of the 2003 Gendarmerie National thriller prize.Translated by Michael Glencross

9781906040031 | £7.99 | B format paperback | 432pp | Historical thriller | Robert Laffont | WEL

Armand Cabasson was born in 1970. He is a psychiatrist working in the North of France. Armand is a member of the Souvenir Napoléonien and has used his extensive research to create a vivid portrait of the Napoleonic campaigns.

Praise for the Agnes de Soaurcy Chronicles:

‘Captivating characters…and vivid descriptions’ Le Figaro

‘Enthralling, page after page’ Encre noir

‘The suspense in this novel is exquisitely delivered in rich detail page by page’ DJ Kirkby

Andrea H. Japp The Agnes de Souarcy ChroniclesAndrea Japp’s inspiring medieval heroine fights for her life when she becomes the focus of a secret ancient quest.

Series information:Format: B format paperback | French publisher: Calmann-Lévy | Category: Historical thriller | Rights: UK/E/ANZ

The Season of the Beast Agnes de Souarcy Chronicle ITranslated by Lorenza Garcia

9781906040109 | £7.99 | 368pp

The Breath of the Rose Agnes de Souarcy Chronicle IITranslated by Lorenza Garcia

9781906040215 | £7.99 | 320pp

The Divine BloodAgnes de Souarcy Chronicles IIITranslated by Lorenza Garcia

9781906040192 | £7.99 | 402pp

Andrea H. Japp is one of the grandes dames of French crime writing with over twenty novels published. She is a toxicologist by profession and weaves this knowledge into her books, giving them particular authenticity. (photo © Philippe MATSAS / Opale )

Yves Jégo & Denis LépéeThe Sun King RisesFact and fiction combing in a fast-moving story of intrigue, conspiracy and love set in seventeenth-century France.Translated by Sue Dyson

978-1906040024 | £7.99 | B format paperback | 474pp | Historical

thriller | Timée Editions | UK/CM/E/US

Yves Jégo and Denis Lépée are the co-authors of The Sun King Rises. Yves Jégo is a member of the French Parliament. Denis Lépée is a local politician and environmental adviser.

1661 is a year of destiny for France and its young king, Louis XIV. Cardinal Mazarin, the prime minister who has governed throughout the king’s early years, lies dying. As a fierce power struggle develops to succeed him, a religious brotherhood, guardian of a centuries old secret, also sees its chance to influence events.Gabriel de Pontbriand, a young actor, becomes unwittingly involved when documents stolen from Mazarin’s palace fall into his hands. The coded papers will alter Gabriel’s life for ever, and their explosive contents have the power to change the course of history for France and Louis XIV.Fact and fiction combine in a fast-moving story of intrigue,conspiracy and love set in seventeenth century France.

‘Has all the spirit and momentum of the best historical novels‘ Le Figaro

‘Interesting intrigue and varied locations. The heroes of the book are the stars of the era: Molière, La Fontaine, Colbert … Magnificent descriptions of hunting at Versailles and of the Château of Vaux-le-Vicomte make this a book to savour.’ Paris Match

Anna SamCheckout: A Life on the TillsThis warts-and-all picture of what it’s like to be a checkout girl is now a huge international bestseller.Translated by Morag Young

9781906040291 | £6.99 | A format paperback | 192pp | Non-fiction |

Éditions Stock | WEL

Anna Sam talks tills ‘When I started writing about my career in a supermarket, I was very keen to defend the rights of my fellow workers and to give a behind-the-scenes look at life in the supermarket.Writing my blog was one way of doing this, speaking about it in the media was another and bringing a book out about it, yet another. After the book came out, I wanted to take the idea further, and meet supermarket bosses to discuss my views. I felt that the most useful thing I could do, would be to give talks to businesses and retail professionals. But I had not realised that I would then find myself in the world of the professional communicator and the theoretical side of retail. I did not want to be confined to the theoretical side of business and I greatly prefer dealing with the people who actually do the work.A few months ago I met one of the best-known retailers in France (the only retailer to appear frequently in the media), Michel-Édouard Leclerc, of hypermarket and supermarket chain, Leclerc. We had many long discussions and have launched a project to raise the profile of supermarket workers. Theory and creating a plan obviously play a part in the project, but by far the most work will be devoted to implementing the plan.The plan started with my rather naïve idea: simply to change the way people look at cashiers and other supermarket workers. Today, I can say that that idea will be backed up by a far-reaching plan. But the campaign has only just started…’

Anna Sam was born in 1979 in Rennes where she still lives with her husband and two dogs. Checkout: A Life on the Tills is her first book.

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