Discover the Penguin books that shaped us

Nada

Long live the revolution. To hell with its children.

In Paris, the Nada gang – a small cell of left-wing radicals – hatch a plan: kidnap the U.S. ambassador. They’re armed, angry, and almost successful – but totally unprepared for what follows.

The state moves fast and without mercy. As the crackdown begins, the group splinters under pressure – exposing cowardice, betrayal, and the thin line between radical idealism and outright nihilism. There will be no heroes – only casualties.

Jean-Patrick Manchette skewers both the establishment and its would-be destroyers in this pitch-black political thriller. Nada is his most overtly radical work: a savage, stylish dissection of violence, ideology, and the wreckage left behind.

About Jean-Patrick Manchette

Jean-Patrick Manchette (1942–1995) was a crime novelist, screenwriter, critic, and translator. In 1971 he published his first novel and went on to establish a new genre of French novel, the neo-polar. Vintage Classics publishes his Fatale, Nada, No Room at the Morgue and Skeletons in the Closet.
Details
  • Imprint: Vintage Classics
  • ISBN: 9781529977233
  • Length: 208 pages
  • Price: £9.99
All editions