THE DEAD LETTERS SERIES
A seven-book noir thriller series following Émilie Vidal as she uncovers corruption networks that connect the most powerful people in Paris. Each book stands alone, but together they reveal something larger—a web of protection that spans decades.
BOOK ONE
THE PAPER TRAIL
Three missing women. Three cold cases. One pattern no one wanted found.
THE STORY
Émilie Vidal left war reporting behind for a quiet job in the Paris police archives. No more Kabul dust, no more Damascus rubble—just file folders and silence.
Then she finds the pattern.
Three missing women across three cities, decades apart. Each investigation went cold. Each file showed the same warning signs. And each case pointed to the same man—someone powerful enough that evidence disappeared, witnesses went silent, and investigators got transferred.
With Detective Lieutenant Alain Masson reluctantly at her side, Émilie follows a trail through Lyon, Bordeaux, and Paris. Every answer raises new questions. Every file reveals another layer of protection. And someone is watching—someone who’s kept these secrets buried for thirty years.
Because some crimes don’t end when the file closes. They end when someone finally refuses to look away.
WHAT TO EXPECT
- Gritty Parisian noir with institutional corruption at its core
- A protagonist haunted by her years covering war zones
- Complex mystery rooted in realistic power networks
- Atmospheric investigation across Paris’s hidden spaces
- Sharp dialogue and relentless pacing
FOR READERS WHO LIKE
- Investigative journalism thrillers
- Corruption mysteries with institutional depth
- Character-driven noir
- European crime fiction (Lucarelli, Mankell, Camilleri)
- Flawed protagonists with haunted pasts
Available in English and Italian (Lettere Morte: Il Filo di Carta)
THE SERIES CONTINUES
Book Two: The Damascus File (Coming 2025)
The past Émilie tried to leave behind catches up with her in Syria. Some truths were meant to stay buried in the rubble.
Books 3-7 forthcoming
Each investigation peels back another layer of the network. Each book reveals connections no one wanted found.
ABOUT ÉMILIE VIDAL
Émilie Vidal is a protagonist forged in war zones and broken by guilt. A former war correspondent who covered Kabul, Damascus, and Mosul, she carries the weight of every story she couldn’t save, every source she couldn’t protect. Her sister’s death destroyed her journalism career, but it sharpened her instincts for finding patterns in chaos.
She’s courageous without being fearless—her hands shake, her sleep is haunted, and she questions every choice. That vulnerability makes her perfect for noir. She doesn’t solve cases with brilliance alone. She solves them with stubbornness, survivor’s guilt, and the inability to look away from injustice even when it would be safer to stop digging.
Émilie Vidal investigates because she has to. Because silence costs more than danger. Because some stories demand to be told, no matter the price.