Laurent Eltschinger, the new standard-bearer for regional crime thrillers in French-speaking Switzerland

This fan of Georges Simenon and Frédéric Dard will continue to be the talk of the town. With Go easy on it, published in August, Laurent Eltschinger marks the third volume in a series of five crime novels set in French-speaking Switzerland that have attracted a large readership.

It's everywhere. Not in the press (though), but at literary fairs, in craft markets, in your streets. Laurent Eltschinger, 50, works as a librarian four and a half days a week, but spends the rest of his time criss-crossing our part of the country to meet the people of French-speaking Switzerland. Just for the release of his latest book, Cut your wine with some water!, whose main plot takes place in Chamoson (VS), the author has scheduled some 70 events throughout French-speaking Switzerland. The goal: to show that there is room in this niche, which already features two leading figures—Marc Voltenauer and Nicolas Feuz.

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And his approach is a hit. Several thousand people tune in for each new adventure of Inspector Jean-Bernard Brun, the recurring hero of his crime novels. «Generally speaking, crime fiction is much more accessible to the average person,» the author comments. «And I’ve noticed that many readers enjoy discovering stories that take place right on their doorstep.» This regional focus, however, did not find its way into Laurent Eltschinger’s literary project out of opportunism: it is the places themselves, with their evocative atmosphere, that inspire every single sentence written by the resident of Posat (FR).

Blending personal struggles with social issues such as the environment and religion, his novels—published by Editions Montsalvens at a steady pace (already three in fourteen months)—reflect a certain sense of commitment. «Since the 1980s, the crime novel has been one of the primary venues for social and political criticism. That aspect of the noir novel has mellowed considerably, eventually disappearing altogether. As a reader, I regret that the crime novel is no longer a space for expression, but merely a mystery with plot twists. As an author, I want to remedy that.» Thus, the local setting—which Laurent Eltschinger draws on extensively against a backdrop of irony and playful nods—also serves as a pretext for a return to the genre’s roots. A must-read for all fans.

Write to the author: [email protected]

Image: Novelist Laurent Eltschinger © Véronique K.

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«A fortnight's spa treatment in Ovronnaz (VS) is no picnic for Jean-Bernard Brun, police inspector with the Sûreté de Fribourg. He'll stick to his daily appointments at the baths, but for the rest, he's bound to find something to keep him busy in the wine-growing village of Chamoson. On the eve of the grape harvest, a woman disappears. In the village, this event leaves a taste of corkage. JiBé smells trouble. The situation doesn't seem to be settling down, and the climate is becoming as tense as the strikes that have devolved on him. Will he spit in the glass? If he's going to get into trouble, he might as well carry out his own investigations before things turn sour! And he's in for a treat...»

Laurent Eltschinger
Cut your wine with some water!
Editions Montsalvens
2022
314 pages

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