Syndrome E: A Thriller

Lucie Henebelle, single mother and beleaguered detective, has enough on her plate when she receives a phone call from an ex-lover. Lucie's old friend has developed a case of hysterical blindness after watching a mysterious film from the 1950s. Embedded in the movie are subliminal images so heinous that Lucie, with the help of brooding profiler Inspector Franck Sharko, is determined to get to the bottom of it - especially when nearly everyone connected to the film starts turning up dead. A breakout bestseller in France, Syndrome E is a taut and chilling thriller.

About the Author :
Franck Thilliez is the author of numerous bestselling novels in his native France. Syndrome E is the first of his novels to be published in the United States. He lives outside of Lille. Mark Polizzotti is the translator of more than thirty books from the French. His articles and reviews have appeared in the Wall Street Journal and the Nation. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Review :
Praise for Syndrome E:   “Compulsively readable . . . An eerie psychological mystery with a truly stunning resolution.” —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette “A crackerjack story that most readers will devour in one sitting . . . Spare evocative prose propels French author Thilliez’s stellar U.S. debut.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)   “Blending science and neurology into the intrigue of his excellent thriller, Thilliez takes us into the maze of the human brain, with all the evils it can unleash.” —Elle (Paris)   “With a fascinating blend of noir procedural, espionage flavor, and an eerie set up that makes the video from The Ring seem harmless, it is no surprise that Syndrome E has already been an international sensation. Beneath its dazzling, byzantine plot are menacing questions of what lurks at the intersection between the new and chilling capabilities of neuroscience and the ancient but more-chilling capabilities of human evil.” —Michael Koryta, New York Times–bestselling author of The Prophet and Tonight I Said Goodbye   “This terrific French thriller . . . boasts distinctive characters you want to spend time with, a lively plot, evocative settings, fun film references and, icing on the cake, an enjoyable offbeat romance. Having achieved bestseller status in Europe, Thilliez is poised to do the same in the U.S.” —Kirkus Reviews   “Detective Lucie Henebelle is an overwhelmed single mother who doesn’t need more trouble. Then she gets the call from a friend who has gone blind after watching an obscure film embedded with heinous images. It’s her colleague, a profiler for the Paris police department, who makes the connection between the movie and the five men murdered at a construction site. Twisty neuroscience! Who can resist?” —New York Daily News “A tour de force . . . A captivating plot that keeps the reader in his seat until the final moments.” —Le Monde Magazine