Ben Ames Williams' most successful and popular novel was ''Leave Her to Heaven,'' published in 1944. It was a massive bestseller that was later adapted into a classic 1945 film noir of the same name. A psychological thriller, the story follows Ellen Berent, a socialite whose intense, jealous, and obsessive love for her novelist husband, Richard Harland, threatens to lead to fatal consequences. The novel (often told in flashback) explores a "fatal attraction" scenario where Ellen's radiant beauty hides a dangerous, possessive, and murderous nature that might ruin the lives of those around her, including her husband and his brother. An unforgettable exploration of obsessive love.

« Le juge méjugé » suivi de « L'affût », deux récits de Ben Ames Williams. Ben Ames Williams (1889-1953), est un écrivain américain prolifique. On lui doit plusieurs centaines de nouvelles et une cinquantaine de romans dont certains furent adaptés au cinéma. Malgré le succès de l'auteur outre-Atlantique, celui-ci eut rarement l'honneur de voir ses récits traduits en français.

This riveting novel takes place on a whaling ship, where its captain, Black Pawl, has a troubled relationship with the first mate, his son. A minister is permitted aboard for the homeward-bound journey along with a young woman who is accompanying him. Before long, unforeseen complications and electrifying events ensue. Williams, an American author, wrote hundreds of short stories, many appearing in popular magazines, and over 30 novels, several of which were made into motion pictures.

Joel Shore, newly appointed captain of the whaling ship Nathan Ross following his brother's apparent demise as captain of the same ship, elects to make his first cruise as captain to the very location where his brother had last been seen - the Gilbert Islands, in order to try to learn more about what happened to his brother. The focus of this tale is of that voyage halfway around the globe and the adventures which he and his crew encounter. (Summary by Roger Melin)

L’Homme aux convenances plonge le lecteur dans une comédie de mœurs en vers, où l’art des apparences et les calculs sociaux dictent chaque geste.