Journalist and writer Thomas Bronnec has just won the 2026 Landerneau Crime Fiction Prize for his novel *Toute l'infortune du monde* (All the Misfortune in the World), published in Gallimard's Série Noire collection. This political thriller, praised by the jury chaired by Bruce Toussaint, plunges the reader into a Europe shaken by international tensions and drone attacks targeting Paris. The plot blends fiction and geopolitical realities, a hallmark of an author already renowned for his political thrillers.
A dystopian novel set in the heart of a global crisis
In All the Misfortune in the World, the action takes place in 2029 in a world dominated by authoritarian regimes. According to AFP, the story imagines France targeted by drone strikes carried out by both the United States and Russia, two powers led in the novel by autocratic leaders. Faced with this explosive situation, the French president attempts to mobilize Europe to organize a response.
The novel stands out for its unsettling atmosphere, in which Paris is gradually emptied of its inhabitants under the threat of repeated attacks. The jury members were particularly drawn to this political vision of the future. Bruce Toussaint, president of the jury, praised it, according to franceinfo, as "a remarkable story rooted in a reality that seems so close to us," describing a plunge that is both "anguishing and exhilarating" into a fictional yet believable global crisis.
A French specialist in political thrillers
A journalist at Ouest-France and author of several television documentaries, Thomas Bronnec has established himself over the years as one of France's leading figures in the political thriller genre. Before Toute l'infortune du monde (All the Misfortune in the World), he had already explored the inner workings of power and international crises in several novels such as En pays conquis (In Conquered Lands), La Meute (The Pack), and Coliseum.
Created in 2012 by E.Leclerc Cultural Spaces, the Landerneau Crime Fiction Prize is awarded annually to a standout work in the genre and comes with a €6,000 prize and prominent placement in the chain's 233 bookstores, AFP reports. In 2015, the prize was awarded to Benjamin Dierstein for *Bleus, Blancs, Rouges*. This latest award confirms Thomas Bronnec's place among the leading authors of contemporary political crime fiction.
