Where Should You Start Reading Chris Lloyd?
Chris Lloyd has established himself as a master of atmospheric, morally complex crime fiction. He is best known for two distinct series: the historical Occupation Series (starring French Detective Eddie Giral in Nazi-occupied Paris) and the Elisenda Domènech Investigations (set in modern-day Girona, Catalonia). Because both series are highly character-driven and trace personal and political evolutions over time, it is highly recommended to read each series in publication order.
If you prefer gritty historical fiction filled with tense moral dilemmas and wartime suspense, start with The Unwanted Dead. If you prefer contemporary, noir-tinged police procedurals steeped in local folklore, start with City of Good Death.
The Detective Eddie Giral Series (The Occupation Series)
This award-winning historical crime series is set in Paris during the Nazi occupation. The protagonist, Detective Eddie Giral, is a cynical, battle-scarred veteran of the First World War who remains in the police force. Forced to work under the oversight of the German occupying forces, Eddie must navigate a minefield of collaboration, resistance, and personal survival while trying to solve murders that the occupiers would often prefer to ignore.
The recommended reading order for this series follows the chronological timeline of the occupation:
- The Unwanted Dead (2020): Set in June 1940 as the German army enters Paris. Eddie Giral is confronted with the murder of four Polish refugees in a railway station, a case that forces him to make his first harrowing compromises with the new occupiers. This debut novel won the prestigious Historical Writers' Association (HWA) Gold Crown Award.
- Paris Requiem (2023): Set in September 1940, three months into the occupation. Eddie investigates a series of murders and disappearances that lead him to the heart of the city's corrupt underworld and the psychiatric wards of Paris.
- Banquet of Beggars (2024): Set during the bitter winter of late 1940 and Christmas. Eddie is tasked with finding the killer of a black-marketeer and a German trader, under the threat of severe Nazi reprisal against Parisian civilians if he fails.
- The Art of Occupation (2026): Set in spring 1941. Eddie enters the dangerous, high-stakes world of looted art and stolen masterpieces, crossing paths with legendary real-life resistance curator Rose Valland at the Jeu de Paume museum.
The Elisenda Domènech Investigations
Before moving to wartime Paris, Chris Lloyd set a trilogy of crime novels in Girona, Spain. The series features Elisenda Domènech, the head of the serious crime unit of the Catalan police force (the Mossos d'Esquadra). Elisenda is a solitary, haunted detective who must solve high-profile cases while dealing with personal grief and the political tensions of Catalonia.
The trilogy should be read in the following order:
- City of Good Death (2015): Elisenda investigates a killer who stages victims according to local Girona myths and legends.
- City of Buried Ghosts (2016): A body discovered at a local archaeological dig opens up a cold case from the 1980s, forcing Elisenda to confront the ghosts of Girona's recent political past.
- City of Drowned Souls (2017): Elisenda is tasked with finding the missing son of a prominent Catalan politician while dealing with a wave of violent home invasions in the region.
What to Know Before You Start
Chris Lloyd's writing is heavily influenced by his personal experiences living across Europe. He spent over twenty years in Catalonia working as a translator and teacher, which gave him a deep appreciation for Catalan culture, language, and geography. To write the Eddie Giral novels, he did extensive research in Grenoble, France, studying the realities of the French Resistance and everyday life under German rule. This attention to detail results in settings that feel incredibly authentic—from the cold, rationing-choked streets of Paris to the myth-steeped alleys of Girona.