Crime novels from France
I am an author with a penchant for travelling to France, good food and exciting crime stories.
As a teenager, I regularly spent my holidays in our twin town in the south of France. After graduating, I worked for several years in Paris and along the Atlantic coast, from Calais to Biarritz. Since then, I have loved travelling and, above all, the excellent and varied cuisine that the country has to offer.
I write crime novels about France under the pseudonym Christophe Villain.
I hope you enjoy my books and my website.
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Sandrine Perrot
The duo Sandrine Perrot and Adel Azarou investigate in Brittany, more precisely in my favourite region of Brittany: Saint-Malo and the Emerald Coast. I’ve often hiked along the customs officers‘ path between Cancale and Saint-Malo and couldn’t resist having Sandrine Perrot stay in one of the houses along the path, which overlook the bay as far as Le Mont-Saint-Michel and the Normandy coast.
Sandrine grew up on the other side of the law and has learnt everything she needs to be successful as a burglar and art forger from her father and uncle. Skills that help her to understand criminals better, even if she occasionally finds herself in the grey area of legality. A conflict that Brigadier Chef de Police Adel Azarou is not familiar with. He draws a sharp line that he does not cross.
Previously published Brittany crime novels by C. Villain
The deep fall of a burglar
It’s summer in Brittany and Sandrine is enjoying her last days off before returning to work at the police station in Saint-Malo. On her way to Cap Fréhel, she receives a call from her boss, Commissaire Matisse, asking her to investigate a fatal accident at Fort La Latte.
An uninvited visitor had fallen from the fortress tower during the night. What appears to be a tragic accident caused by overconfidence soon turns out to be a meticulously planned attack on a man who had many enemies.
Her investigation leads her to a group of parkour enthusiasts in Saint-Malo who boast about their illegal exploits on the Internet. Is this the motive for the crime, or will she have to dig deeper into the dead man’s criminal past?
Now available!
Sandrine Perrot
Saint-Malo Murder
Death of an influencer
The tranquillity of the picturesque old town of Saint-Malo is shattered by a gruesome murder. The dead woman is a well-known influencer and radio presenter who has made many enemies in the region with her controversial opinions and themes. The killer has not only professionally staged the body and crime scene, but also meticulously recorded the crime.
Will she find the perpetrator in the dead woman’s private surroundings, or will she have to dig deep into the victim’s past?
Deadly Tides at Mont-Saint-Michel
A dead woman loved by all.
Instead of spending a pleasant day with Léon on the coast and at Le Mont-Saint-Michel, Sandrine Perrot is called to a fatal accident in the Saint-Malo marina. The driver’s death touches her personally, as she had just met the woman. In the course of the forensic investigation, she discovers that there is more to the alleged accident than she first suspected.
Her investigation leads her into the world of a well-known family in Le Mont-Saint-Michel, a family marked by antiquated traditions but also by conflicts between siblings.
Another person soon disappears without a trace. Was he trying to evade interrogation, or was an unwelcome witness being silenced?
Emerald Coast Murder
Sandrine Perrot’s investigation takes her from the picturesque fishing towns to the rural hinterland of Brittany’s Emerald Coast.
Police Lieutenant Sandrine Perrot is on leave from her post in Paris and has settled in Cancale, the oyster capital of Brittany. She is temporarily assigned to the Saint-Malo police station for this case. The body of an unidentified woman is discovered on the Brittany coast path along the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel.
With her new assistant, Adel Azarou, she takes on the investigation, which leads them to a cold case from Paris, but also deep into the tragic history of a venerable hotelier family.
Booklover’s Death
A dead book collector
A new case takes Sandrine Perrot to Bécherel, the Cité du Livre of Brittany. A place where life revolves around books. The president of a well-known book club has been found murdered in his private library. Did contempt and rivalry among the book lovers lead to murder or does she have to look elsewhere for the motive?
While Sandrine investigates in the city of books, the prosecutor de Chezac builds a case against her. From the sidelines, she has to watch as the situation in Saint-Malo escalates.
Shadows from the Past
A shadow from her past catches up with Sandrine once again in Saint-Malo.
Sandrine and Adel are called to a crime scene on the beach in Saint-Malo. The body of a young woman has been found below the fortress walls. The perpetrator’s methods evoke memories of her last investigation into a serial killer in Paris. A case that remains unsolved to this day.
Is it a coincidence, or has the murderer followed her to Brittany?
A Deadly Challenge
The deep fall of a burglar
It’s summer in Brittany and Sandrine is enjoying her last days off before returning to work at the police station in Saint-Malo. On her way to Cap Fréhel, she receives a call from her boss, Commissaire Matisse, asking her to investigate a fatal accident at Fort La Latte.
An uninvited visitor had fallen from the fortress tower during the night. What appears to be a tragic accident caused by overconfidence soon turns out to be a meticulously planned attack on a man who had many enemies.
Her investigation leads her to a group of parkour enthusiasts in Saint-Malo who boast about their illegal exploits on the Internet. Is this the motive for the crime, or will she have to dig deeper into the dead man’s criminal past?
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