“What happens within a police force? In his intimate and revealing inside look at France's police culture, journalist Valentin Gendrot depicts his two year undercover investigation. Juxtaposed with playful feline illustrations, this shocking exposé is as relevant as ever.”
—New York Public Library, ‘NYPL Recommends: Best New Comics for Adults’
The story of a French journalist who infiltrated the country's police force, revealing a culture of racism and violence in which officers act with impunity.
What happens behind the walls of a police station? In order to answer this question, undercover journalist Valentin Gendrot puts his life on hold for two years. He decides to undertake training and become a police officer. Several months later, Gendrot is working in a police station in one of the tough northern arrondissements of Paris, where relations between the law and locals are strained.
Gendrot hides nothing. He witnesses police brutality, racism, blunders, and cover-ups. But he also sees the oppressive working conditions that officers endure, and mourns the tragic suicide of a colleague.
Asking important questions about who holds institutional power and how we can hold them to account, Flic is a gripping exposé of a world never before seen by outsiders.
“What [Gendrot] depicts is a world of nihilistic cynicism. Stewing in racist invective and anti-bureaucratic rage at the mountains of paperwork they are buried under, Gendrot’s fellow officers come across as frustrated and thwarted. They take that anger out on usually defenseless immigrants. While Gendrot depicts many potent scenes of vindictive violence—at one point, he witnesses cops pummeling a teenager with all the vicious senselessness of a scene out of A Clockwork Orange—he also digs into the policing institution’s sad state of logistical affairs. After one officer kills himself, Gendrot delves into the sense of helplessness that leads so many other police to do the same (51 in 2017). The work builds into an empathetic chronicle of human suffering, with Gendrot emerging more mystified more than outraged. It’s a thought-provoking affront to any reader looking for simple solutions.”
Publishers Weekly
“A great follow-up to the investigative book, Cop. This retreads a lot of the same material, but also brings it up to date with some things that have happened since the publication of the book. The art is great and the balance between the text and the graphics are wonderful. If you're looking for a diatribe this won't be it; there is curiosity and compassion in Valentin's accounting, but also truths laid bare that will make everyone ponder how a system can exist that both repeatedly and continually harms those who are just trying to live their lives (non-cops) as well as the people who have volunteered to ‘maintain the laws.’ Highly recommended.”
Odyssey Bookshop
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“I am a criminologist, and Flic is as effective and nuanced a depiction of policing as I have encountered. That it is presented in cartoon form, with all the characters depicted as cats — well, it shouldn’t work, but it does.”
Richard Evans, Inside Story
Praise for Cop:
“An explosive new book by an investigative journalist has drawn fresh attention to police brutality and racism in France … Chronicles the author’s training and the six months he spent as a police officer in one of Paris’ poorest districts … its vivid portrayal underlines how France’s history of racism and present-day police tactics have remained relatively unexamined.”
Matt Bradley, NBC News
Praise for Cop:
“A journalist who spent almost six months undercover in a Paris police force witnessed racism, almost daily violence, and a culture of impunity for officers who mistreated civilians … The book’s release follows a period of increased criticism of police in France.”
Jamie Clifton, Vice
Praise for Cop:
“A remarkable coup … True crime doesn't get more real than this.”
Mark Sanderson, Crime Club
