Jean-Patrick Manchette was a French crime novelist credited with reinventing and invigorating the genre. His gritty, existentialist works explored the depths of the human condition and French society, often with a political undercurrent reflecting his leftist leanings. With a cool, incisive style reminiscent of film noir, his writing solidified his status as a paramount figure in French crime fiction during the 1970s and 1980s.
Aimee is a beautiful young widow - she's also a killer. Driven by a deep- rooted desire for revenge, she sets about uncovering the secrets of the inhabitants of the sleepy rural town of Bleville, before ruthlessly murdering them. Faced with corruption of a kind she had scarcely imagined, she discovers a moral core under her murderous instincts.
Late one night in Paris, travelling salesman Gerfaut stops to help an injured motorist to hospital. Three days later, while Gerfaut is on holiday with his family, he is attacked by two men. Quickly realising the duo's murderous intent, but perplexed as to their motives, Gerfaut goes on the run, communicating with his family by telegram.