Joëlle Vialatte and Pierre Fiastre honored

Building on the success of last year, this cultural event honors two genres: general literature and crime fiction. The event was held at the Musée Jean Aicard - Paulin Bertrand, in the presence of authors, passionate readers, and partner Cultura, which offered a space dedicated to the selected works. Behind this initiative is Claire Perbal Labalette, creator of the literary agency "Clairement Livre" in Toulon. Known for her commitment to regional writers, she runs a book club in the city and works to promote local talent. For this edition, 35 novels were submitted to the jury. With the help of her twelve collaborators, Claire Perbal Labalette carried out a meticulous selection process to choose the semi-finalists. The criteria were strict: authors had to reside in the Sud region, submit texts written without the use of artificial intelligence, and self-published books were accepted on the condition that they were not published via Amazon KDP. Eight works were selected for the semi-final. In the general literature category were Aurélie Dye Pelisson with "Ce que l’Océan ne dira jamais", Pierre Fiastre for "Le carnet de Ludwig W", Simon Johannin with "Le fin chemin des anges", and Christelle Saiani with her novel "Un parfum de moka et de térébenthine". In the crime fiction category, the nominees were Delphine Blavy with "Semper Vitulum ou le chaos", Emilien du Pouzenc for "Loys", Jean Louis Sarrato with "Ne pas ouvrir", and Joëlle Vialatte for "Faux semblants". Faced with the quality of the works, the jury had a difficult task in choosing between the candidates. Ultimately, Joëlle Vialatte won the Prix de la Rade in the general literature category thanks to "Faux semblants", a novel praised for its captivating locked-room mystery reminiscent of the atmosphere of Agatha Christie's plots. In the crime fiction category, it was Pierre Fiastre who was rewarded for "Le carnet de Ludwig X", whose precise and masterful writing won over the jury.