Synopses & Reviews
In this international bestseller, which is soon to be a major motion picture penned by the screenwriter of Black Swan, the classic procedural meets cutting edge science
Already a runaway bestseller in France, Syndrome E tells the story of beleaguered detective Lucie Hennebelle, whose old friend has developed a case of spontaneous blindness after watching an extremely rareand violentfilm from the 1950s. Embedded in the film are subliminal images so unspeakably heinous that Lucie realizes she must get to the bottom of itespecially when nearly everyone who comes into contact with the film starts turning up dead.
Enlisting the help of Inspector Franck Sharkoa brooding, broken analyst for the Paris police who is exploring the films connection to five murdered men left in the woods, Lucie begins to strip away the layers of what is perhaps the most disturbing and powerful film ever made. Soon Sharko and Lucie find themselves mired in a darkness that spreads across politics, religion, science, and art while stretching from France to Canada, Egypt to Rwanda, and beyond. And just who is responsible for this darkness will blow readers minds, as Syndrome E forces them to consider: what if the earliest and most brilliant advances and discoveries of neuroscience were not used for goodbut for evil.
With this taut U.S. debut, Thilliez explores the origins of violence through cutting-edge and popular science in a breakneck thriller rich with shocking plot twists and profound questions about the nature of humanity.
Review
Praise for Syndrome E:
“Compulsively readable . . . An eerie psychological mystery with a truly stunning resolution.”
—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“A crackerjack story that most readers will devour in one sitting . . . Spare evocative prose propels French author Thilliezs stellar U.S. debut.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Blending science and neurology into the intrigue of his excellent thriller, Thilliez takes us into the maze of the human brain, with all the evils it can unleash.”
—Elle (Paris)
“With a fascinating blend of noir procedural, espionage flavor, and an eerie set up that makes the video from The Ring seem harmless, it is no surprise that Syndrome E has already been an international sensation. Beneath its dazzling, byzantine plot are menacing questions of what lurks at the intersection between the new and chilling capabilities of neuroscience and the ancient but more-chilling capabilities of human evil.”
—Michael Koryta, New York Times-bestselling author of The Prophet and Tonight I Said Goodbye
“This terrific French thriller . . . boasts distinctive characters you want to spend time with, a lively plot, evocative settings, fun film references and, icing on the cake, an enjoyable offbeat romance. Having achieved bestseller status in Europe, Thilliez is poised to do the same in the U.S.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Detective Lucie Henebelle is an overwhelmed single mother who doesnt need more trouble. Then she gets the call from a friend who has gone blind after watching an obscure film embedded with heinous images. Its her colleague, a profiler for the Paris police department, who makes the connection between the movie and the five men murdered at a construction site. Twisty neuroscience! Who can resist?”
—New York Daily News
“A tour de force . . . A captivating plot that keeps the reader in his seat until the final moments.”
—Le Monde Magazine
Review
Praise for Bred to Kill:
"Franck Thilliez has combined a crime of staggering violence, an ancient mystery, and a lost Amazonian tribe and created a truly frightening thriller, both for the intensity of the tale and the potential genetic vulnerability it reveals. Bred to Kill is a smart science-thriller that makes the reader question, `Could this be real? Highly recommended."
— Jeremy Robinson, author of Island 731 and SecondWorld
"French author Thilliezs exceptional thriller, a sequel to 2012s Syndrome E , poses a chilling question: what if a 'violence gene' passed down from prehistoric man has concealed itself in human DNA and periodically churns out a serial killer or another person capable of extraordinary brutality? The action is again set in and around Paris, where doctoral researcher Eva Louts is found dead inside a gorilla cage at a primate research center. Homicide inspector Franck Sharko and former detective Lucie Henebelle—both haunted by past personal tragedies— quickly determine that Louts had recently been researching violent criminals who all had an identical set of characteristics: left-handedness, lactose intolerance, and a mother who died in childbirth. Also tied into the case are the recent theft of a 42,000-year-old Cro-Magnon mummy and the existence of a primitive jungle tribe that lives deep within Brazils Amazon region. Aside from the occasional genetics lecture that slows the action, this shines as a thought-provoking, brilliant piece of speculative fiction. Thilliez plumbs humanitys dark side without relying on familiar conventions of plot and character."
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Paleontology has rarely been this exciting.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Syndrome E:
“Compulsively readable . . . An eerie psychological mystery with a truly stunning resolution.”
—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“A crackerjack story that most readers will devour in one sitting . . . Spare evocative prose propels French author Thilliezs stellar U.S. debut.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Blending science and neurology into the intrigue of his excellent thriller, Thilliez takes us into the maze of the human brain, with all the evils it can unleash.”
—Elle (Paris)
“With a fascinating blend of noir procedural, espionage flavor, and an eerie set up that makes the video from The Ring seem harmless, it is no surprise that Syndrome E has already been an international sensation. Beneath its dazzling, byzantine plot are menacing questions of what lurks at the intersection between the new and chilling capabilities of neuroscience and the ancient but more-chilling capabilities of human evil.”
—Michael Koryta, New York Times bestselling author of The Prophet and The Ridge
“This terrific French thriller . . . boasts distinctive characters you want to spend time with, a lively plot, evocative settings, fun film references and, icing on the cake, an enjoyable offbeat romance. Having achieved bestseller status in Europe, Thilliez is poised to do the same in the U.S.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Detective Lucie Henebelle is an overwhelmed single mother who doesnt need more trouble. Then she gets the call from a friend who has gone blind after watching an obscure film embedded with heinous images. Its her colleague, a profiler for the Paris police department, who makes the connection between the movie and the five men murdered at a construction site. Twisty neuroscience! Who can resist?”
—New York Daily News
“A tour de force . . . A captivating plot that keeps the reader in his seat until the final moments.”
—Le Monde Magazine
“Franck Thilliez leads his story like a beating drum, multiplying the reverberations without ever losing track of the psychological development of his characters . . . A reflection on the origins of violence that is as playful as it is erudite. Essential reading!”
—Metro (Paris)
Synopsis
The classic procedural meets cutting-edge science in this runaway international bestseller A breakout bestseller in France, Syndrome E is a taut thriller with cinematic echoesfrom The Manchurian Candidate to the Bourne seriesthat uncovers a shocking chapter in the history of neuroscience.
Lucie Henebelle, single mother and beleaguered detective, has just about enough on her plate when she receives a phone call from an ex-lover. Lucies old friend has developed a case of hysterical blindness after watching a mysterious film from the 1950s. Embedded in the movie are subliminal images so heinous that Lucie, with the help of brooding profiler Inspector Franck Sharko, is determined to get to the bottom of itespecially when nearly everyone connected to the film starts turning up dead.
Synopsis
What You Dont See Could Kill You
In this international bestseller, which is soon to be a major motion picture penned by the screenwriter of Black Swan, the classic procedural meets cutting-edge science
Lucie Henebelle, single mother and beleaguered detective, has just about enough on her plate when she receives a panicked phone call from an ex-lover who has developed a rare disorder after watching an obscure film from the 1950s. With help from the brooding Inspector Franck Sharko, who is exploring the movies connection to five unearthed corpses at a construction site, Lucie begins to strip away the layers of what may be the most disturbing film ever made. With more lives on the line, Sharko and Lucie struggle to solve this terrifying mystery before its too late. In a high-stakes, adrenaline-fueled hunt that jumps from France to Canada, Egypt to Rwanda, and beyond, this astonishing page-turner, with cinematic echoes from The Manchurian Candidate and the Bourne series, will keep you guessing until the very end.
Synopsis
Crichton fuses with 'True Detective in a hammering hard-science thriller where the heart of darkness lies not in the soul, but in the genes. Thilliez engineers a winner.” Scott Sigler, New York Times-bestselling author of the Infected trilogy **New from Mark Polizzotti, translator of 2014 Nobel Prize-winning author Patrick Modiano**
In the shocking sequel to runaway international bestseller Syndrome E, Lucie Henebelle and Inspector Sharko have reunited to take on the case of the brutal murder of Eva Louts, a promising graduate student who was killed while working at a primate research center outside Paris. But what first appears to be a vicious animal attack soon proves to be something more sinister. What was Eva secretly researching? Was she tracking three fanatical scientists who control a thirty-thousand-year-old virus with plans to unleash it into the world?
With his unmatched ability to inject cutting-edge science into his novels, Thilliez draws on genetics, paleontology, and the dark side of human nature to create this smart, adrenaline-fueled thriller. Bred to Kill moves from the rain-slicked streets of Paris to the heart of the Alps to the remote Amazon jungle as Lucie and Sharko work to solve the murderbefore whoever killed Eva comes for them.
About the Author
FRANCK THILLIEZ is the author of several bestselling novels in his native France, where he lives. MARK POLIZZOTTI has translated more than thirty books and has written for The Wall Street Journal, among other publications.