The Mystery of Henri Pick (Walter Presents)

by David Foenkinos

Sam Taylor (Translator)

In the small town of Crozon in Brittany, a library houses manuscripts that were rejected for publication: the faded dreams of aspiring writers. Visiting while on holiday, young editor Delphine Despero is thrilled to discover a novel so powerful that she feels compelled to bring it back to Paris to publish it.

The book is a sensation, prompting fevered interest in the identity of its author - apparently one Henri Pick, a now-deceased pizza chef from Crozon. Sceptics cry that the whole thing is a hoax: how could this man have written such a masterpiece? An obstinate journalist, Jean-Michel Rouche, heads to Brittany to investigate.

By turns farcical and moving, The Mystery of Henri Pick is a fast-paced comic mystery enriched by a deep love of books - and of the authors who write them.

• ISBN10: 1782275827
• ISBN13: 9781782275824
• Publish Date: 7 May 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Pushkin Press
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 288
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781782275824

Reviews

[Cameron Trost]

The setting on the Crozon peninsula in Brittany and the bookshop featuring only unpublished authors made for a quaint setting, but the characters weren't engaging and their obsession with the apparently outstanding novel seemed shallow. The twist ending wasn't particularly startling, and for a book with "mystery" in the title, I was expecting more of a riveting puzzle. Not my cup of tea.