In The Panda Theory, from the 'slyly funny' [Sunday Times] Pascal Garnier, a newcomer's benign appearance is shattered by the secrets of his past. 'Action-packed' The Telegraph Gabriel is a stranger in a small Breton town. Nobody knows where he came from or why he's here. Yet his small acts of kindness, and exceptional cooking, quickly earn him acceptance from the locals. His new friends grow fond of Gabriel, who seems as reserved and benign as the toy panda he wins at the funfair. But unlike Gabriel, the fluffy toy is not haunted by his past...

A crime writer uses the modest advance on his latest novel to rent a house on the Normandy coast. There should be little to distract him from his work besides walks on the windswept beach, but as he begins to tell the tale of forty-something Louis – who, after dispatching his own mother, goes on to relieve others of their burdensome elderly relations – events in his own life begin to overlap with the work of his imagination.

In Low Heights, from the 'slyly funny' [Sunday Times] Pascal Garnier, a grumpy retiree has his world turned upside down when a man claiming to be his son turns up on his doorstep. 'Another classy and clever little drama' The Bookbag At least vultures have the decency to wait until their prey's dead before picking it apart ... After losing his wife and suffering a stroke, cantankerous retiree Edouard Lavenant has moved from Lyon to a village in the mountains with his put-upon nurse, Therese. One day, a man comes to the door claiming to be Edouard's long-lost son. Edouard's temper seems to be softening, but it isn't long before the local vultures are circling overhead ...

In Moon in a Dead Eye, from the 'slyly funny' [Sunday Times] Pascal Garnier, the inhabitants of a new retirement village find their territory encroached upon when a group of travellers sets up camp on the outskirts. 'The final descent into violence is worthy of J G Ballard' The Independent Given the choice, Martial would not have moved to Les Conviviales. But Odette loved the idea of a brand-new retirement village in the south of France. So that was that. At first it feels like a terrible mistake: they're the only residents and it's raining non-stop. Then three neighbours arrive, the sun comes out, and life becomes far more interesting and agreeable. Until, that is, some gypsies set up camp just outside their gated community…

The A26 tells the grisly story of a dying man with murderous intent, from the 'slyly funny' [Sunday Times] Pascal Garnier. 'Ultimately a very dark novel, but a very impressive one' The Complete Review Bernard lives with his sister Yolande who hasn't left the house since 1945. Bernard is now in the final months of a terminal illness. With no longer anything to lose, he becomes reckless—and murderous. Locally the A26 is under construction. Concrete still wet, it stands ready to serve as a discrete cemetery for lost girls.

A Long Way Off is a shocking noir about an impromptu road trip where a father discovers he doesn't know his daughter at all, from the 'slyly funny' [Sunday Times] Pascal Garnier. 'Plays out like an existential fever dream' Wall Street Journal Marc dreams of going somewhere far, far away – but he’ll start by taking his cat and his grown-up daughter, Anne, to an out-of-season resort on the Channel. Reluctant to go home, the curious threesome head south for Agen, whose main claim to fame is its prunes. As their impromptu road trip takes ever stranger turns, the trail of destruction – and mysterious disappearances – mounts up in their wake. Shocking, hilarious and poignant, the final dose of French noir from Pascal Garnier, published shortly before his death, is the author on top form.