Events spin seriously out of control after a college professor wakes up beside the dead body of one of his students in this spare, existential literary thriller from France’s #1 bestselling author. In tight, evocative prose, Philippe Djian brings a buzzing urgency to this story set in a sleepy academic enclave in rural France, where Marc, a professor whose interest in women has filled the hole left by his failed literary ambi­tions, makes a habit of bringing home his most promising students for brief-but-pleasant affairs. One night Marc brings home his student Barbara, only to discover, to his horror, her lifeless body lying next to him the next day. Instead of calling the police, he disposes of her body in a remote gorge—a decision with consequences that catapult him into an ever-quickening spiral of suspicion and self-doubt. is a powerful introduction to one of France’s biggest stars, and, from the gripping opening mystery to its final riveting pages, it’s a story you won’t soon forget.