The Rich Man

183 pp. "Lecoin, a man of powerful physique, is "the rich man," of a French fishermen's village. Not only does he own, like the others, mussel and oyster beds, he also carries on a flourishing trade with his two trucks. He dominates his fellow villagers as much by his money as by his size. And behind him looms his faithful watchdog, Doudou, a deaf-mute ready to be killed--and to kill-for him. Lecoin is married to a woman above his station, whom he has made into a capable assistant. Together, they devot their lives to work and profit. Then, one day, Lecoin's wife hires a servant girl, an orphan who has been misused by her previous employer. The prosperous and peaceful routine of Lecoin's life is shattered by a ground swell of emotion and its chain of consequences."--Front jacket flap