Jean-Marie Malbec
Jean-Marie Malbec
Jean-Marie Malbec, a retired teacher, enjoys sharing with readers his unconventional perspective on public education. He divides his time between the tip of Penmarc'h in the Bigouden region and Évian-les-Bains in the Alps. He taught in France, but also spent several years abroad, notably in Madagascar, Qatar, and Dubai. His books published by Douro include: "An Ideal High School?", "(When) Jules Becomes Eugène", "Posthumous Reprisals", and "The Secrets of the Underground Passages of Belmond Abbey (and Other Escapes)".
“You never know when everything can collapse. For me, it was a few years ago. On June 8, 2021, to be precise, in the early morning, the anti-terrorism squad raided my home. In a matter of hours, I became a suspect, an accomplice in the attack that took the life of Samuel Paty, a history and geography teacher murdered in horrific circumstances. Why me? Because everything seemed to point to me: my name, my movements, my purchases, the places I had been… A series of improbable coincidences which, put together, painted a damning picture. For the investigators, two options presented themselves: either I was the unluckiest man alive, or I was involved, supporting terrorism. In this account, I retrace the chilling chronology of this affair, the hours of interrogation, the changing looks, the fear of losing everything, the impossibility of proving what one didn't do.” I recount that suspended moment when a life can tip one way or the other. What you feel when innocence is no longer enough to convince. And then that object, almost forgotten, that allows everything to fall back into place. Unless… But this book isn't just the story of a miscarriage of justice. It's also the story of what comes after. How will I rebuild my life after being suspected of complicity in a heinous crime? Even once exonerated, how do I face the gaze of those who know? How do I return to a normal life when the shadow of doubt still lingers in certain silences? This account is one of a brutal fall, but also of a slow rebirth. Loïc Turgis is a real estate agent. "That Morning, I Became a Suspect" is his first book. Publication date: October 1, 2025. Order now. Press release.
A famous sociologist once maintained that "Prison creates criminals." Lysandre, a notorious prisoner, doesn't hold any preconceived notions on the subject, but adds with conviction: "An escape forges unbreakable bonds between escapees." Because an escape requires preparation; it's a meticulously planned operation, especially when you slip away unnoticed on a rainy day, without a weapon or a circular saw. This shows that not all incarcerated people are necessarily full-time criminals. That's exactly what happened to the five prisoners in cell 25 on the second floor of Belmond prison, leading 350 other inmates to their escape. Unprecedented in the annals of French prisons. Lysandre, the mastermind behind the operation, will still have to be wary of two or three "accomplices" accompanying him, not always easy to manage, and of the authorities, never ready to acknowledge the obvious. This is precisely the story we're telling you, starting at the beginning, long before the prison was built, because everything has to start somewhere! Publication date: January 2, 2025 Order Press release
A police investigation begins in a school, led by a relaxed and detached police captain. Facing him, a headmaster discovers that his school isn't what he thought it was. "A phalanstery in my school? That's completely insane!" Nothing could be more commonplace, you might say. A second story began a few years earlier and is interwoven with the first. A unique twist in this novel is that a student creates a school phalanstery within his school. A community of students proposes original projects based on the model of Charles Fourier, the early 19th-century utopian thinker, which transforms all the human relationships within the school. Two worlds brush against each other without ever meeting, two parallel universes: that of the students on one side and that of the teachers on the other. The two stories will eventually intersect, but to understand what happens next, you'll have to overcome a series of obstacles. Because this book is first and foremost a detective novel, built around an ideal to be achieved, which should be devoured as a truly enjoyable read. Publication date: 2nd edition, July 1, 2024; 1st edition: July 1, 2021. Order Press release
What do you do when you feel betrayed from all sides? When nothing works properly anymore? When I realize that for months I've been a completely naive mule, without even realizing it, without understanding anything about the biased human relationships that now make me doubt myself. I see only one solution: make them pay dearly, all those who made a fortune off my back and who are ready to abandon me at the slightest misstep. I resent them, you have no idea. I don't know how yet, but they're going to feel it. That's for sure. For his part, the commander gave up a long time ago; he too felt betrayed. At the very least, let's just say he received little support. He drags his malaise, the origin of which he doesn't understand, along the A6 motorway, between Auxerre and Joigny, in motorway service areas whose refrain he knows by heart. These two will never speak to each other, and yet their destinies will cross, even intertwine, and a number of people are likely to remember it, I tell you! Publication date: September 1, 2023 Order
When genealogy allows you to envision your own destiny... "Is there a link between that date, November 9, 2003, and a past unknown to me? I must search, move forward, solve this mystery buried deep within me. It's a matter of survival!" Approaching forty, Jules leads a seemingly trouble-free city life. One morning, he finds himself confronted with an unsolved enigma: his own life, which he no longer controls, without finding a rational explanation. This novel, full of twists and turns, unveils a series of distinctive and endearing characters who, each in their own way, try to help Jules escape the trap in which he feels imprisoned. It is understanding his own family history that will open doors that were previously closed and offer him the keys to his destiny. Publication date: September 1, 2022. Order now
Through his detective story, the author presents us with a vision of an ideal high school where everyone has their place and a role to play. He draws on the utopias of Charles Fourier, an early 19th-century author, to suggest new paths forward in the early 21st century. This skillfully crafted story raises numerous questions and prompts us to consider the very essence of knowledge transmission as it currently operates. The book focuses on the approach to teaching itself, exploring the concept of transmissibility. As with any modern novel, it is up to the reader to form their own opinion, as the author offers no definitive solution, even though many possibilities are presented. This detective novel takes the form of a true coming-of-age story with a multitude of characters and a strong social dimension. Publication date: July 1, 2021. Order now
