A Very Profitable War

Translated by Sarah Martin

Part of Melville International Crime

“Melville House continues to uncover hidden gems and this 1984 novel by one of France’s most popular writers is a perfectly polished jewel. … Let’s hope Melville House brings out more of Daeninckx’s novels.” — The Globe and Mail

“The most controversial of contemporary French crime novelists.” 
– The Independent

A rollicking noir set in Paris, during the anarchic days following World War One

In January 1920, in the aftermath of “the war to end all wars,” private detective René Griffon is hired to investigate the marital infidelities of the wife of a war hero.

But what he uncovers is more than shabby behavior, and more than a sex scandal — what he uncovers is a scandal with devastating national implications. And as Griffon’s investigation plunges him into the murky world of blackmail, murder, anarchists, profiteering, and the repercussions of the war’s dark secrets, he discovers that the people who helped France win the war are being made to pay for the peace.

Both homage to its American predecessors and critique of the Americanization of French—and global—culture, A Very Profitable War is a tense and evocative book that will linger long after its startling conclusion.

DIDIER DAENINCKX is France’s leading political crime writer. He has written more than forty books, including Murder in Memoriam, also available from Melville House. Also a journalist and author of literary fiction, he won the 2012 Prix Goncourt de la Nouvelle for his short-story collection L’espoire en contrebande.

“An entertaining thriller … A Very Profitable War is also noteworthy because Daeninckx doesn’t just think outside the box as far as this fairly well-worn genre goes, he shatters it.” —The Complete Review

“One hell of an unflinching look at war and its aftermath.” —The Thrilling Detective

Praise for the author’s previous book

“How many detective stories have helped a country confront its past? Murder in Memoriam has certainly done that.” –The Guardian

“Serves as a tap on the shoulder—a necessary reminder that what is dead is not buried, and what is buried is, unfortunately, not dead.” —Derek Raymond

“Murder in Memoriam is the kind of book that begins to restore one’s confidence in the detective story. Not only has Daeninckx produced a particularly intriguing narrative, but he has found a way to give this narrative a satisfying significance. . . A touch of moral vision and a pinch of righteous anger work wonders.” –Nick Hornby

“A masterful weave of political history.” –Publishers Weekly

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