It is carnival time in Fort-de-France, Martinique. Before an enthralled crowd Solibo Magnificent, the great teller of tales, is felled, seemingly choked by his own words. It is autostrangulation or murder? Two officers lead the investigation, but what they discover is a transitory universe at the threshold of oblivion - the universe of the Masters of the Word who, like Solibo, possess the gift of language: perfect for rich and boundless discourse, but not very helpful for unravelling a crime.
Patrick Chamoiseau's intriguing riff on the police procedural is a stunning confirmation of the exceptional and original gifts that have placed him among the world's foremost contemporary writers.
