Anne Trager: Dummies Guide to French Mysteries and Thrillers

Anne Trager, the genius behind Le French Book, sent me Dummies Guide to French Mysteries and Thrillers: Wine, Food... and Good Books. I knew my readers would want a copy, too, so I asked for a guest post and link. Be sure and scroll down for your free e-copy. To start off, here's a bit about Anne Trager.

Anne Trager:

First of all, I’d like to tell you more about Le French Book. To borrow from the Small-Press Lineup mugshot that appeared in Booklist: I am Anne Trager, aka The Translator, infamous trafficker of French mysteries and thrillers in English. Among my accomplices are co-conspirator Fabrice Neuman, aka The French Connection; Amy “Red-line” Richards, translation editor sometimes known as The Slasher; and Jeroen “Bleeding in the Gutter” ten Berge, cover artist. Known associates include translators Sally Pane, Sophie Weiner, Julie Rose, Simon John, and Jeffrey Zuckerman.

Le French Book is my very own crime of passion. I am known to be obsessed with mysteries and thrillers and have a weakness for France. I grew up between Ohio and the southwest of the US, and as far back as I can remember I dreamed about traveling overseas. Maybe it’s because my parents were linguists, or maybe it’s because they spelled my first names à la française: Anne, with an e, and Valerie, with ie. As a teenager, I dreamed about going to France, read Gourmet Magazine religiously, and experimented with Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I ended up studying French and going to Paris as soon as I could. There I trained as a chef before starting my translation and editorial career there. Now I guess you understand why I’m so fond of the Winemaker Detective series.

Jumping ahead, in 2012, I woke up one morning, compelled to drop everything and bring my vices—an obsession with crime fiction equal to my love of France—home by translating mysteries and thrillers by French writers. Think serial killer in Paris, deceit and treachery in vineyards, rolling countryside filled with hidden secrets. Think also wine-sipping freelance spies based in the French capital, and intrigue straight out of World War II, along with much more: noir, cozies, police procedurals, detective stories, suspense, espionage, action, and adventure.

The operation started off digital-first, but from the beginning, we wanted to expand to other formats, and now we have widespread print distribution and a number of titles in audiobook format.

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A Dummies Guide to French Mysteries and Thrillers

France—the name itself evokes the good life, with food, wine, lovely countryside, and a huge network of independent booksellers and readers who love mysteries and thrillers. Did you know that one out of four books sold in France is a mystery or thriller, one out of five books published is a mystery or thriller, and a quarter of the bestsellers are mysteries or thrillers? It’s no cliché, the French do love their noir, along with a whole spectrum of other kinds of crime fiction.

What exactly is a French thriller or a French mystery? Is a French mystery different than an American one? Does it necessarily have dark humor? A je ne sais quoi in the plot twists? 

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