BLACk market

Bérénice Pichat

Les Avrils, 275 pages, 2026

Why you should take a look at it:
√ A proven European phenomenon
√ A gritty and subversive take on WWII 
√ High-end literary craft meets commercial page-turner

The blockbuster author of La Petite Bonne—winner of the prestigious Prix des libraires with over 150,000 copies sold—returns with a sweeping, high-stakes historical thriller.

Set in the dark heart of Occupied Paris in 1943, Un Marché noir delivers an addictive mix of historical suspense and raw human drama. This gripping novel bypasses safe wartime clichés to explore the perilous "grey zones" of human morality, where hunger rules the day and survival demands a devastating price.

The pulse-pounding plot follows two unforgettable characters on a collision course.

Servane is a brave, naive teenager who risks everything by joining a shadow resistance network to fight for her future. Paul is a cynical, smooth-talking black-market trafficker who plays both sides, convinced that everything—even freedom—has a price tag.

As the Vichy regime closes in and the threat of betrayal looms around every corner, both are forced to decide exactly how far they will go to survive.

What elevates Un Marché noir is Pichat’s extraordinary literary craftsmanship. Blending traditional prose with poetic rhythms and historical textures, she builds an unbearable tension that loops tighter with every page, culminating in a jaw-dropping ending that completely recontextualizes the story.

Un marché noir is a haunting, deeply moving look at human frailty and the illusions we cling to in times of ultimate crisis.

Bérénice Pichat is a contemporary French novelist and primary school teacher.