{"title":"Antoine Laurain","description":"Antoine Laurain was born in Paris and is a journalist, antiques collector and award-winning author of ten novels, including The Red Notebook and The President's Hat. His books have been translated into 25 languages and sold more than 200,000 copies in English. He lives in Paris, France.","products":[{"product_id":"smoking-kills-paperback","title":"Smoking Kills - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn this cozy crime novel with a witty, Parisian black-comedy twist, anti-hero Fabrice can only make smoking pleasurable by committing the ultimate crime \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Hilarious, formidable―and essential packing for any French Summer holiday\" \u003ci\u003e-- The Daily Mail\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A brisk black comedy . . . makes cigarettes seem seductive again, even to committed non-smokers\" \u003ci\u003e-- The Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eHow far would you go to enjoy a cigarette?\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhen headhunter Fabrice Valantine faces a smoking ban at work, he decides to undertake a course of hypnotherapy to rid himself of the habit. At first the treatment works, but his stress levels begin to rise when he is passed over for an important promotion and he finds himself lighting up again--but with none of his previous enjoyment. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThen he discovers something terrible: he accidentally causes a man's death, and, needing a cigarette to calm his nerves, he enjoys it more than any other previous smoke. What if he now needs to kill someone every time he wants to properly appreciate his next Benson and Hedges? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eUnwilling to return to the numbness of a life without pleasurable smoking, Fabrice launches into a life of crime, finding ever more original murder methods--including the use of a poisonous Ecuadorean frog. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA blackly comic story of addiction and transgression, this is also an exploration of the human need for fulfillment, and the lengths we will go to in order to find it. In the end the book provokes us to question the limits we place on ourselves, and the true definition of joy.","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50101953560799,"sku":"9781805333630","price":17.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/Qc46qIaRpC9781805333630.webp?v=1781075955"},{"product_id":"the-red-notebook-paperback","title":"The Red Notebook - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDescribed as \"Parisian perfection\" by Queen Camilla, you won't want to miss this charming, quirky love story from one of the UK's favourite French authors! \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn this bestselling novel, a bookseller pursues a mystery woman--known only through the jottings in her red notebook--through the streets of Paris \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBookseller Laurent Letellier comes across an abandoned handbag on a Parisian street, and feels compelled to return it to its owner. Quickly ruling out the police station, which is always best avoided, he turns the contents out onto his kitchen table to see if they hold a clue. The bag contains no money, phone or contact information. But it does yield a small red notebook, full of handwritten thoughts and jottings that reveal someone Laurent would very much like to meet. From the lists of likes and dislikes, things noticed and things felt, emerges the portrait of a woman who might just be his soulmate. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBut without even a name to go on, and only a few of her possessions to help him, how is he to find one woman in a city of millions? He'll have to turn to his daughter, who helps him decode the possessions and sends him on a madcap journey around the French capital. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMeanwhile, in an anonymous hospital room, fragmentary thoughts float through the mind of a woman in a coma. She thinks she's called Laure, and she has some strong opinions and painful memories - but will she ever wake up and get a fresh chance at life? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSoaked in Parisian atmosphere, this lovely, clever, funny novel is the perfect French holiday read!","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50102838886623,"sku":"9781805333456","price":16.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/Bi3aBIVejV9781805333456.webp?v=1781087452"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/antoine-laurain.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}