The Awkward Squad (The Awkward Squad, 1) - Hardcover

Sophie Hénaff is a journalist, author, and former Lyonnaise bar owner. She began her journalism career as a critic at Lyon Poche, before moving to Paris to write for Cosmopolitan, where she established her own humorous column, "La Cosmolite." The Awkward Squad was first published as Poulets grillés in 2015, and is her first novel.

"Hénaff's debut, an amusingly literal Parisian version of Jussi Adler-Olsen's tales about Copenhagen's equally marginal Department Q, combines conscientious mystery mongering with good, somewhat clean fun."
―Kirkus Reviews


"Readers who appreciate quirky and interesting characters with their mysteries will find much to savor in this series launch, which is as much about a crew of police rejects as the crimes they investigate."
―Library Journal


"Hénaff's fun first novel offers a wry look at Parisian policing and the infinite twists of the bureaucracy . . . Commissaire Anne Capestan, her career on tenterhooks for her role in the shooting of a suspect, takes charge of a cold-case squad populated by departmental castoffs who can't be fired but refuse to quit. Starting with a sense of wounded pragmatism that gives way to an increasingly focused joy of the hunt, Capestan marshals [the] team."
―Publishers Weekly


"A marvelous French police procedural laced with subtle--and sometimes, not so subtle--humor about a squad of assorted losers who cannot be fired . . . An absorbing, sometimes laugh-out-loud, mystery laced with some graphic scenes of violence's aftermath. One can only sincerely hope that this is the first title in a very long series."
―D.R. Meredith, New York Journal of Books


"A ragtag group of cops whom nobody else wants get their own squad. Could be a sitcom. Could be noir. Could be the first entry in this smart Parisian mystery series."
―Booklist

"Hénaff's Capestan is a delightful creation, the members of her team amusing and the book lively."―Marcel Berlins, The Times

"Capestan's crew positively sparkle with life, and it is full of very lively humor."―Shots Magazine

"Both amusing and interesting to watch this awkward squad gradually acquiring an esprit de corps . . . This very enjoyable tale has deservingly won several French literary prizes."―Literary Review

"Misfit Paris cops bring an entertaining collection of idiosyncrasies to the newly formed cold-case team headed by impetuous detective Anne Capestan--though the fun has to stop as they start to piece together evidence of serious corruption in high places."―Crime Club

"This summer's crime read."―Cosmopolitan UK