When Britney Spears begins receiving threats from an alleged Islamic sect, the French secret service sends one of its own to Los Angeles to investigate. At first blush, the agent in question doesn't seem to be the most qualified: he smokes, doesn't drive, isn't interested at all in the entertainment industry, and suffers from a nervous condition. However, he does everything in his power to get himself up to date quickly: he infiltrates the world of the paparazzi, frequents Sunset Boulevard and Rodeo Drive, and becomes an expert on Britney Spears and on the city's public transportation system. Using the famous singer and a comical detective as a starting point, the author offers his own satirical take on famous people who are known more for their excesses and private lives than for their work. "Cuando Britney Spears recibe amenazas de un supuesto grupusculo islamista, los servicios secretos franceses envian a Los Angeles a uno de sus hombres para investigar el asunto. Asi a primera vista, el agente en cuestion no parece el mas adecuado: fuma, no conduce, ignora todo sobre la farandula y sufre de una condicion de los nervios. Sin embargo, hace todo lo posible para ponerse al dia rapidamente: se introduce en el mundo de los paparazzi, frecuenta Sunset Boulevard y Rodeo Drive y se convierte en un especialista en Britney Spears y en la red de transporte publico de la ciudad. A partir de la figura de la popular cantante y de un comico detective, el autor ofrece su particular vision satirica de unos famosos que son mas conocidos por sus excesos o sus vidas privadas que por su trabajo."

In the 14th arrondissement of Paris in the years following World War II, detective Nestor Burma runs into an ex-convict he had met during the war who offers him an opportunity to make a large sum of money completely legally. But when the ex-convict is mysteriously murdered, Burma begins an investigation to solve the murder and comes into contact with art collectors, magistrates, crazy surrealist poets, and a fascinating and little-known Paris. His inquests set him on the trail of a band of robbers, the Rats of Montsouris, and of a great treasure that has been hidden ever since the end of the war. "En el XVIe arrondissement de Paris en los anos posteriores a la Segunda Guerra Mundial, el detective Nestor Burma se encuentra con un ex presidiario, al que habia conocido durante la guerra, que le ofrece la oportunidad de ganar mucho dinero y de manera legal. Pero cuando el ex presidiario es misteriosamente asesinado, Burma inicia una investigacion para esclarecer la muerte y entra en contacto con coleccionistas de arte, magistrados, locos poetas surrealistas y un Paris fascinante y poco conocido. Sus pesquisas lo ponen tras la pista de una banda de atracadores, las Ratas de Montsouris, y de un gran botin que lleva escondido desde el final de la guerra."

Set in France during World War II, this is Leo Malet's first novel starring detective Nestor Burma. Burma's assistant Bob Colomer, having just arrived in France after being held prisoner in a German camp, is murdered at the Lyon station as soon as he reunites with his boss. Colomer's last words, whispered to Burma as he lay dying, are the address 120 Station Street, the same address Burma had heard from an agonizing patient in a military hospital. And thus begins an investigation that will force Burma to revisit episodes from his past he thought he had buried long ago, and that will take him from Vichy France to Nazi-occupied Paris. First published in 1942, this passionate noire novel is a description of everyday French life during World War II, where rationing, division of territory, and Nazi-imposed restrictions serve as the backdrop to this tale of intrigue. "Ambientada en la Francia de la segunda guerra mundial, esta es la primera novela de Leo Malet en la que aparece el detective Nestor Burma como protagonista. Su ayudante Bob Colomer, recien llegado a Francia del campo de prisioneros aleman en el que habia estado internado, es asesinado en la estacion de Lyon justo cuando acababa de reencontrarse con su jefe. Antes de morir, Colomer logra susurrarle una direccion, Calle de la Estacion, 120, la misma que Burma habia escuchado de un prisionero agonizante en el hospital militar. A partir de ahi arranca una investigacion en la que el detective tendra que indagar en episodios de su pasado que ya creia enterrados y que le llevara de la Francia de Vichy al Paris ocupado por los nazis. Publicada por primera vez en 1942, esta apasionante novela negra es una descripcion de la vida cotidiana de la Francia de la segunda guerra mundial en la que el racionamiento, la division del territorio y las restricciones impuestas por los nazis sirven de escenario para esta narracion de intriga."

Set in Paris during the 1950s, in a country shaken by the echoes of the Algerian war and that is still recuperating from World War II, this is the story of an anarchist attack that was never carried out and of betrayed revolutionary ideals. Abel Benoit, an elderly anarchist, dies in the hospital after being the victim of a mysterious attack, but before his death he is able to contact private investigator Bestor Burma, who will begin an investigation that will force him to remember his adolescence as a young libertarian in the Paris between wars. "Ambientada en el Paris de los anos cincuenta, en un pais sacudido por los ecos de la guerra de Argelia y que se esta recuperando todavia de la segunda guerra mundial, esta es la historia de un atentado anarquista no cometido y de ideales revolucionarios traicionados. Abel Benoit, un viejo anarquista, muere en el hospital tras ser victima de una misteriosa agresion, pero antes de su muerte consigue ponerse en contacto con el detective privado Nestor Burma, quien emprendera una investigacion que le llevara a recordar su adolescencia de joven libertario perdido en el Paris de entreguerras."