Înghețat

Workers find a headless horse on an icy mountain slope. The site lies in a remote valley in the Pyrenees. Someone has skinned the horse and hung it above 2,000 metres. That same day, psychologist Diane Berg starts a new job. She joins a centre for mental health care in the valley. The centre has strict security.

Police commander Martin Servaz takes charge of the strange case. Police captain Irène Ziegler works with him. They seek to learn what drives the killer. Servaz relies on sharp instincts as they probe brutal crimes. Revenge and deep fears shape this dark crime thriller.

This is Bernard Minier’s first novel. It starts the Martin Servaz series. It suits readers who like grim mysteries and tense police work. Diana-Alina Ene translates this edition from the original, Glacé.

Minier was born in Béziers in 1960. He spent years as a customs inspector. His first novel came out in 2011. It won the Prix de l’Embouchure in 2012. In 2013, it won Grand Cognac’s library and media library prize. In 2015, Cognac’s festival named it the best French-language novel. Gaumont and M6 made it into a TV series. The series is on Netflix.

Minier lives in Essonne, south of Paris. His books have reached readers in 21 languages. Across the world, they have sold three million copies.