Merde meets
The Day of the Jackal: Englishman Paul West becomes embroiled in a plot to assassinate the French President.
Englishman Paul West has just received an offer he can't refuse: two weeks in the sun, all expenses paid, with a beautiful blonde called Gloria Monday.
M, as Gloria likes to be known, is down south to report on caviar trafficking – but it soon becomes obvious that she’s interested in something a lot more fishy than caviar.
Meanwhile Paul’s best friend Elodie is marrying a French aristocrat, and Paul is asked to do the catering. Cooking for the French is a risky assignment at the best of times, but Paul, who is starting to feel a bit like James Bond, assures her that nothing can go wrong. Or can it?
As Paul is sexually harassed by an English hen party, picked on by French commandoes and arrested by excitable gendarmes, he realises that events are spiralling out of control.
And when he discovers that M’s real target is France’s biggest fish of all – the new President – and that he’s coming to Elodie’s wedding, Paul knows that the merde really is about to hit the fan …
Author ProfileStephen Clarke lives in Paris where he divides his time between writing and not writing. His first novel,
A Year In The Merde, originally became a word-of-mouth hit in Paris in 2004. Since then it has been published all over the world, and earned Stephen a nomination for the British Book Award for Best Newcomer. The follow-up,
Merde Actually, went to number one in the Bookseller chart. In 2006, he published his guide to understanding the French,
Talk to the Snail, which he divided into ten 'commandments' or chapters that include 'Thou Shalt Not Work', 'Thou Shalt Not Love Thy Neighbour' and 'Thou Shalt Not Be Served'.
His next novel,
Merde Happens, was nominated for the
Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance.
You can find out more about Stephen Clarke and his books on
www.stephenclarkewriter.comReviewsDone more for the Entente Cordiale than any of our politicians.,Edgier than Bryson, hits harder than Mayle.,Must-have comedy-of-errors diary about being a Brit abroad.,Combines the gaffes of Bridget Jones with the boldness of James Bond…Clarke’s sharp eye for detail and relentless wit make even the most quotidian task seem surreal.
