From an Edgar award–winning author, a psychological thriller about a crime victim who turns criminal when he goes on the run with his assailants. Middle-aged writer Walter Forestier's ordinary existence takes a turn towards violence when he is viciously attacked at home, robbed, and left bound for his wife to find him. Of course, she wants to call the police, but Walter refuses. Even more mysterious, when the burglars strike again, Walter will not testify against them. Instead, he finds himself a party to the gang leader's escape from jail, and once on the road through France with the band of thieves, Walter's life will never be the same again. Praise for Nicolas Freeling: "In depth of characterization, command of language and breadth of thought, Mr. Freeling has few peers when it comes to the international policier." — The New York Times "Nicolas Freeling . . . liberated the detective story from page-turning puzzler into a critique of society and an investigation of character." — The Daily Telegraph "Freeling rewards with his oblique, subtly comic style." — Publishers Weekly "Freeling writes like no one. . . . He is one of the most literate and idiosyncratic of crime writers." — Los Angeles Times