The first work available in English translation by the major French writer, Regis Jauffret, is a dialogue between the narrator and a young woman who has been suicided - also once his lover. Through laughter, tears, derision and madness, they tell of the bond beyond loneliness and of love that defeats absence. Jauffret is renowned for his use of jubilant language that explores the depths of the soul with tenderness. Lacrimosa, with its devastating beauty and merciless sincerity, introduces his oeuvre to English readers with a powerful, provocative punch.

Inspired by a tragic event - the murder of banker Edouard Stern - Regis Jauffret imagines how the story unfolds in the mind of the murderess. She had met the banker at an exclusive business dinner: together with other call girls, she was the dessert. Their love was based on sadomasochistic games, including money and firearms. Murder was the orgasmic supreme achievement. Every sentence carries her rough, tortuous and greedy personality. Severe is an explosive blend of violence, passion and crime.