Apocalypse Baby, Paperback/Virginie Despentes

"Virginie Despentes's "Apocalypse Baby" kept me up several nights in a rowin part because it's a terrific page-turner, and in part because I was anxious to see how Despentes would sustain her narrative ride. "Apocalypse Baby" is more than a compelling punk, queerish spin on the noir genre. It is a choral performance that tumbles its readers into the heart of violent spectacle, with all its attendant grief, unease, and unclarity."Maggie Nelson, author of "The Argonauts" "Apocalypse Baby" is a smart, fast-paced mystery about a missing adolescent girl traveling through Paris and Barcelona. She is tailed by two mismatched private investigators: the Hyena, part ruthless interrogator, part oversexed rock star, and Lucie, her plain and passivealmost to the point of invisiblesidekick. As their desperate search unfolds, they interrogate a suspicious cast of characters, and the dark heart of contemporary youth culture is exposed. "