Offenses

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by Debre, Constance | Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945) Published 09/04/2026 by Profile Books Ltd (Tuskar Rock) in the United Kingdom Paperback | 96 pages198 x 126mm | 10 0g'Debré's voice is Camusian, comic, stark, relentless and totally hypnotic' Rachel KushnerIs a criminal born or made? What turns them towards violence?A young man stabs an elderly woman ten times for the sake of a 450 euro debt. But why would he commit such a brutal murder over a petty sum, when he has a girlfriend and a child at home? How much could he lose when there is already so little to start with? Centring on a perpetrator and a victim who remain nameless - who are nobodies but could be anybody - Offenses unfolds as a contemporary parable exploring the biases and barriers built into the legal system. Blending expertise in criminal law with her signature knife-edge prose, Constance Debré probes the intricacies of crime, punishment and accountability in this propulsive tale. Show more