Paris, June 1940.
The Nazi occupation of Paris begins. Detective Eddie Giral – a survivor of the last World War – watches helplessly on as his world changes forever. But there is something he still has control over.
Finding whoever is responsible for four murdered refugees: the unwanted dead, forgotten amid the headlines.
To do so, he must tread carefully between the Occupation and the Resistance, all the while becoming whoever he must be to survive in this new and terrible order descending on his home.
"...grippingly atmospheric." Peterborough Telegraph
"A sharp and compelling tale." The Sun
"Inspector Eddie Giral, a psychologically damaged First World War veteran, insists on launching an investigation, in a novel that chillingly evokes the horror of living under a brutal occupation." The Sunday Times
"... steeped in atmosphere, tingling with tension, and liberally sprinkled with a dark brand of humour..." Book-Marked
"Tense, emotional and vividly written." Woman & Home
"Powerful stuff." The Sunday Times Crime Club
"... a first rate police procedural set in Nazi occupied Paris in which nobody and no-one is quite what they seem to be" NetGalley
"In The Unwanted Dead, Chris Lloyd brings to life a Paris at the very beginning of German occupation. When four Polish refugees turn up dead, detective Eddie Giral must investigate, navigating a path between the city’s Nazi overlords, his conflicted colleagues, and his own haunted conscience. Lloyd serves up an excellent beginning to his new series. In Eddie Giral, he has created a character reminiscent of Philip Kerr’s Bernie Gunther, oozing with attitude and a conflicted morality that powers a complex, polished plot. Historical crime at its finest." Vaseem Khan, author, Midnight at Malabar House
"Well-written and carefully researched, it is one to stay with you long after you have finished reading." Adrian Magson, author of the Rocco series
"A thoughtful, haunting thriller." Mick Herron, author of the Slough House series
“Chris Lloyd’s new book is a terrific read. Revolving around the murder of four Polish refugees on the day the Germans occupied Paris, the story is gripping and well-paced." Mark Ellis, author, creator of the DCI Frank Merlin series
"The Unwanted Dead is the best kind of crime novel: gripping, thought-provoking and moving. In Detective Eddie Giral, Chris Lloyd has created a flawed hero not just for occupied Paris, but for our own times, too - someone who won't go down without a fight, who knows justice when he sees it, and never gives up on those who can't defend themselves." Katherine Stansfield, novelist and poet, author of The Visitor and The Magpie Tree.
"Such a powerful and morally nuanced crime novel, with the bonus of an unusual and fascinating setting. I thought the book managed the difficult job of being both a gripping murder mystery and a vivid recreation of Paris under German Occupation in World War II." Andrew Taylor, author of The American Boy, the Roth Trilogy and the Lydmouth detective series.