SHE’S RUNNING OUT OF TIME Alex Prevost – kidnapped, beaten, suspended from the ceiling of an abandoned warehouse in a wooden cage – is in no position to bargain. Her abductor’s only desire is to watch her die. HE WANTS ONLY ONE THINGApart from a shaky police report, Commandant Camille Verhoeven has nothing to go on: no suspect, no leads. If he is to find Alex, he will have to get inside her head. ESCAPE IS JUST THE BEGINNING Resourceful, tough, beautiful, always two steps ahead – Alex will keep Verhoeven guessing till the bitter end. And before long, saving her life will be the least of his worries.

About the AuthorPierre Lemaitre was born in Paris in 1951. He worked for many years as a teacher of literature before becoming a novelist. He was awarded the Crime Writers’ Association International Dagger, alongside Fred Vargas, for Alex, and as sole winner for Camille. In 2013 his novel Au revoir la-haut (The Great Swindle, in English translation) won the Prix Goncourt, France’s leading literary award.ReviewsAlex had me gripped more than almost any book I can remember, with one shout-out-aloud knockout twist after another * Peter James *MacLehose has done it again . . . in Pierre Lemaitre he has unearthed another master of crime fiction destined to become a household name. — Adam Sage * The Times. *Grippingly original . . . It enthralls at every stage of its unpredictability. — Marcel Berlins * The Times. *Moves from read-as-fast-as-you-can horror to an intricately plotted race to a dark truth . . . Alex is about thrills. — Alison Flood * Observer. *An invigoratingly scary, one-sitting read. — Laura Wilson * Guardian. *‘An absolute gem’ * Eurocrime *‘Brutal crime writing with a tinge of Gauloise … brilliant’ * Daily Mail *’Relentlessly gripping, Lemaitre is worthy of all the fuss’ * Independent *’Hailed as the most important crime novel in translation since Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Alex similarly features as an intriguingly flawed feminist heroine bent on vengeance, and will likely prove a sensation of the crime fiction year’ Irish Times. * Irish Times *’Moves from read-as-fast-as-you-can horror to an intricately plotted race to a dark truth‘ Alison Flood, Observer. * Observer *’It enthrals at every stage of its unpredictability. Grippingly original‘ The Times. * The Times *‘Brutal crime writing with a tinge of Gauloise … brilliant’ Daily Mail. * Daily Mail *’A literary explosion‘ Marine Landrot, Telerama. * Telerama *‘Powerful’ Alain Beuve-Mery, Le Mond. * Le Mond *’Intelligent, complex, with a gripping plot and deeply intriguing characters. The author’s early death is a great loss’ Philip Pullman. * Philip Pullman *’What a cracking novel! I haven’t read such a stunning thriller debut for years. Brilliantly written and totally gripping’ Minette Walters. * Minette Walters *‘I doubt you will read a better book this year’ Val McDermid. * Val McDermid *‘As good as crime writing gets’ Times Literary Supplement . * Literary Supplement *Book InformationISBN 9780857056269Author Pierre LemaitreFormat PaperbackPage Count 368Imprint MacLehose PressPublisher Quercus PublishingWeight(grams) 254gDimensions(mm) 201mm * 149mm * 24mm