Red Water

It’s 1989 on the Dalmatian coast, and the investigation into a young woman’s disappearance grinds to a halt as Yugoslavia descends into war. Silva is beautiful and cheeky, she has many admirers; but the police investigation reveals a more complex young woman than her family knew—a  high school student who dabbles in drugs and deals in heroin. But Silva’s brother loves her and stubbornly continues the search for her amid the upheavals of Croatian society. The following years will see the fall of communism and five long years of war. It will be almost 30 years till Silva’s fate is revealed.

A masterpiece’ Libération 

‘As inspiring as the Swedes Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö. Pavičić brilliantly utilises the noir genre to portray ordinary lives caught up in the collapse of communism, the rise of nationalism and the shock of war.’ Le Monde 

Winner in Croatia of the Ksaver Šandor Gjalski Prize and the Fric Prize. In France, the Grand prix de la literature policière, the Prix Mystère de la critique, and the Prix Le Point.