Armelle Hérisson has been awarded the Prix Noir de l'Histoire 2026 for her book La mort malgré lui. The literary prize, known as Le Noir de l'Histoire, is organized by Agglopolys, the Blois agglomeration community, as part of the Rendez-vous de l'histoire. This year, the prize is awarded to Armelle Hérisson for La mort malgré lui, published in the Série noire series by Gallimard Editions. The book was published on 08/01/2026 and contains 400 pages, priced at 20.00 €. The prize is worth 3,000 euros and will be awarded by Christophe Degruelle, president of Agglopolys, the Blois agglomeration community. Last year, the winner was David Hury for Beyrouth Forever, published by Liana Levi Editions. The Prix Noir de l'Histoire annually recognizes "a French-language noir novel or thriller in which historical events play a major role." In 2026, the prize is awarded to Armelle Hérisson for her book published last January. La mort malgré lui was part of a selection of six books, announced last July. The other shortlisted titles include L'autre côté de la nuit by Editions du Rouergue, Les maisons parachutées by Gallimard Editions, Les Braises de l'incendie by Liana Levi, La chance rouge by Agullo, and Munich en ruine by Editions du Toucan. The publisher's summary for La mort malgré lui describes a narrative set in a village in Hungary in 1944, where young men are conscripted against their will into the Waffen-SS. Other plot elements include events in Isère, 1980, where eight women are kidnapped and killed for a macabre artistic project; Toulouse, 1986, where Martine Escadeillas disappears mysteriously; and Laval, 1987, where the body of a Parisian journalist is found naked and covered in blood at the base of a quiet HLM housing complex. The journalist was reportedly kidnapped several hundred kilometers from her home and appears to have been killed while trying to escape. The summary also mentions Commissioner Ralu and her team hoping to find the answer in the victim's investigation files. According to Thomas Cantaloube, president of the jury, "the noir novel knows no historical boundaries. But the noir novel cannot be simply an enigmatic narrative, nor a police or citizen investigation aimed at solving a crime, nor a text designed to create a thrill. The noir novel is primarily, in its essence, political and social. It is concerned with the genealogy of crime more than with transgression or with the investigation to solve it. With an engagement from the author, the noir novel seeks to trace the roots of evil to denounce them." Under his presidency, the jury included David Hury (2025 laureate), Vincent Ejarque (2024 laureate), Valérie Bernabotto (history professor), Catherine Chauchard (former director of the BILIPO), Yannick Dehée (director of Nouveau monde éditions), Antoine Favron (vice-president of the European Center for the Promotion of History), Émilie Geai (director of cabinet for the president of Agglopolys), Isabelle Heullant-Donat (professor at the University of Reims-Champagne-Ardennes), Dominique Manotti (author), Lionella Gallard (vice-president of Agglopolys in charge of culture), Natacha Levet (researcher and teacher at the University of Limoges), and Danielle Thiery (former divisional commissioner, author).