The Gravediggers' Bread

A claustrophobic thriller from the French master of noir

Putting dead bodies in the ground for a living could give anyone ideas…

Blaise is out of work and down on his luck when a chance encounter with a beautiful blonde has him hooked. He'll do anything to stay by her side, even if it means working for her husband, a funeral director. But as everyone knows, three's a crowd.

Praise for Dard's thrillers:

'Worthy of Agatha Christie at her devious best… Classic French noir' Guardian

'Spellbinding' Wall Street Journal

'The wonder is that Frédéric Dard's singular take on crime noir is not better known in this country' Daily Mail

Frédéric Dard (1921–2000) was one of the best known and loved French crime writers of the twentieth century. Enormously prolific, he wrote more than three hundred thrillers, suspense stories, plays and screenplays, under a variety of noms de plume, throughout his long and illustrious career, which also saw him win the 1957 Grand prix de littérature policière for The Executioner Weeps. Dard's Bird in a Cage, The Wicked Go to Hell, Crush, The Executioner Weeps and The King of Fools are also available or forthcoming from Pushkin Vertigo.



Frédéric Dard (1921–2000) was one of the best known and loved French crime writers of the twentieth century. Enormously prolific, he wrote more than three hundred thrillers, suspense stories, plays and screenplays, under a variety of noms de plume, throughout his long and illustrious career, which also saw him win the 1957 Grand prix de littérature policière for The Executioner Weeps. Dard's Bird in a Cage, The Wicked Go to Hell, Crush, The Executioner Weeps and The King of Fools are also available or forthcoming from Pushkin Vertigo.