Hello and welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Mystery of Henri Pick by David Foenkinos. Thanks so much to Poppy Stimpson of Pushkin Press for the invite and for my ARC via NetGalley. Before I share my review here’s what the book is all about:

cover186206-medium“The delightful first title in a new collaboration with Channel 4’s Walter Presents: a fast-paced comic mystery enriched by a deep love of books

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.

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.“

Available from: Hive – Waterstones – Amazon 

************

My Review

I enjoyed this quirky French translation, full of intrigue and mystery as to who was the real Henri Pick, the deceased pizza chef from Crozon a Breton town, in Northern France. Was he a great novelist or was he just a pizza chef and does it really matter?

Living in Jersey I live very close to Brittany, and have visited many times over the years, so I was delighted to be re-acquainted with the area and to be reminded of the numerous pizzerias in the region! 😉

Delphine the young publisher was my favorite character probably because of the book connection. I felt for her as she tried to make her way in the world of publishing. Looking for the next great novel, to make her mark in the world of books. As you can imagine she can’t believe her luck in discovering this amazing unpublished novel and pulls out all the stops to get it published and promoted.

This book made me smile and laugh out loud on more than one occasion, especially as a Volvo owner! 😉

I’m sure lovers of translated fiction will enjoy this one! 😀

************

About The Author

278858Novelist, screenwriter and musician David Foenkinos was born in 1974. He is the author of fourteen novels that have been translated into forty languages. Several of his works have been adapted for film, including Delicacy (2011). The Mystery of Henri Pick is the first title in a new collaboration with Channel 4’s Walter Presents.

‘It has always been a dream for French writers to be translated into the English language. I am especially happy that The Mystery of Henri Pick has been selected by the ‘Walter Presents’ program because it is as much literary as it is entertaining. I wanted my book to be a playful reflection of the literary world – filled with suspense and false leads. First and foremost – it’s a tribute to books and literature and to the writers that have long been heroes of mine.’ – DAVID FOENKINOS

Follow David on Twitter