'Hilarious' Daily Mail

'Superbly over-the-top' The Times

How far would you go to enjoy a cigarette?

When headhunter Fabrice Valantine faces a smoking ban at work, he decides to undergo hypnotherapy to help him kick the habit.

The treatment is all too effective - Fabrice can no longer enjoy his favourite vice, even when he does light up. Then, in the aftermath of a horrific incident, he rediscovers the buzz of his very first cigarette, and his delight is positively criminal...

This original and totally French black comedy asks how far you would go for pleasure - and just where any of us would stop.

Translated by Louise Rogers Lalaurie.

Antoine Laurain worked as a journalist and in the world of antiques before becoming the 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.

Louise Rogers Lalaurie is a writer and translator from French, including Frédéric Dard's The King of Fools and The Inspector of Strange and Unexplained Deaths by Olivier Barde-Cabuçon, both published by Pushkin Vertigo. Her work has been shortlisted for the Best Translated Book Award, the Jan Michalski Prize for Literature and the Crime Writers Association International Dagger.

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.