Born in Île-de-France, he has made investigations into old news stories his trademark since 2013’s Sulak, which told the story of a notorious and charismatic robber and escape artist who targeted jewellery stores in the 1980s.
The Goncourt is decided each autumn by a small academy of writers. Victory after four previous shortlists marked a late career peak for a novelist long associated with archival crime.
Readers of Jaenada’s earlier work will recognise the method: long immersion in forgotten dossiers, then a narrative that restores names the original inquiry had dismissed.
Jaenada’s 530-page book goes to some length to right the wrongs of that investigation. It does so not only by suggesting the name of the murderer but also through an empathetic portrayal of the victim. The award went to the 13th novel of his career. Jaenada had been shortlisted for the Goncourt four times before.