When readers take a deep breath and dive into “A Day in the Life” they think to themselves when they’ve finished this short story, that the French city of Rennes must be a good place to write novellas like this. From Pontchaillou Hospital’s grimy halls to road races and hunting down criminals next to Thabor Park, we’ve almost forgotten Paris’s traditionally dark detective novels. Though it has a short format, its main protagonists, Corynthe, Louise, and even the thug, Baloo, all have deeply profound and developed characters.