CultureTrue-crime novel about 1949 Paris murder wins France’s top literary prize

Philippe Jaenada won the Prix Goncourt for L’Inconnue du quai de Javel, a novel revisiting the 1949 murder of Louise Cansot, a 29-year-old Breton life model. Police never identified her killer; Jaenada’s book seeks to solve the case and restore her reputation.

Prix GoncourtFrench literaturetrue-crime fiction

TThe Guardian★★☆☆☆2026-11-03 14:31Original