Tussen vier muren #1

The stark, black-background cover of this 2020 Daedalus release says everything without showing a face: a powerfully built man, fists clenched at his sides, stands with his back to us — tense, guarded, and unmistakably ready for confrontation. Laurent Astier's cover art (he also handles the full interior art duties) delivers raw physical tension with impressive economy, while writers Jean-Claude Pautot and Dieter Van Tilburgh set the stage for what the Dutch title promises — a story lived "Between Four Walls." It's a compelling opener that pulls you in precisely because it withholds as much as it reveals.