The Great Swindle

The vast sweep of the novel and its array of extraordinary secondary characters have attracted comparisons with the works of Balzac. Moving, angry, intelligent - and compulsive - The Times

Exceptionally powerful examination of the aftermath of war and of the people whose lives were washed away in its wake - Sunday Times

This book is thick with detail, immersing the reader in its elaborately bleak world … an irresistible story - New York Times

Lemaitre’s novel is a rare synthesis of the tragic and the comic - a masterclass in nail-biting suspense … Frank Wynne is a superb translator who captures the rude exuberance of the original French - Independent

Lemaitre’s deadpan ironic tone is beautifully caught by his regular translator Frank Wynne. A kind of Ealing comedy with a bruised but still beating heart, this is the most purely enjoyable book I’ve read this year - Sunday Express

A fast-paced tale, filled with twists and turns, following a mischievous, disillusioned view of post-war France - Figaro

A masterly epic of post-war France, where impostures triumph and capitalists grow rich from the ruins - Le Monde

A dark, burning requiem delivered in glorious prose that is as tough and effective as a punch in the face … Read this riotous novel: it will leave you stunned - Express