DNA
Hunger strike for the kidnapper
DNA covers Emmanuel Caldier's case in Horbourg-Wihr — hunger strike in detention.
A filmed kidnapping. A book. A true story.
In 2017, Emmanuel Caldier filmed a debt recovery operation against scammers who had embezzled 600,000 euros. He turned it into a 578-page book, prefaced by Michel Mary, investigative reporter at Le Nouveau Détective.
Direct from the author — Preface by Michel Mary — Paperback and ebook
578 pages
578
pages
3
books published
40 yrs
prefacer's career
Emmanuel Caldier
aka Manu le Gitan
Author — Speaker — Security Consultant — Media Consultant — Radio Kardeche Commentator
Emmanuel Caldier is not a fictional character. Known as Manu le Gitan or Manu El Gitano, he crossed every layer of French organized crime before becoming an author, speaker and security consultant.
« I'm a gangster, but I'm a Robin Hood. I always tried to do justice myself when French justice wouldn't. »
Car thief at 10, safe-cracker at 14, debt recovery specialist, arms dealer — his story reads like a noir novel. The press archives prove it: DNA, L'Alsace, Le Parisien, Le Nouveau Détective.
Ten years in prison total. But it was behind those walls that he found his voice. Three books including two with Flammarion, and today a public life fully embraced — conferences, security consulting, media consulting and political commentary on Radio Kardeche.
The limousine project
A white stretch Lincoln Town Car, soon to be fully wrapped with the book cover. Emmanuel Caldier parks it in front of major French bookstores — with QR codes linking directly to the site.
The book
Kidnapping Live
2017. Scammers embezzle 600,000 euros. The justice system doesn't move. Emmanuel Caldier decides to act.
Camera in hand, he launches a debt recovery operation. He films the kidnapping, the confessions, the evidence. Things go wrong — two years in prison.
In his cell, he writes. 578 pages of raw testimony. No fiction, no filter. A real-life thriller prefaced by Michel Mary, investigative reporter at Le Nouveau Détective for 40 years.
« Every time I end up locked in prison, my body is locked up, but my mind is free. And since my mind is free, I start writing. »Order direct from the author
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Pages 578
Format Paperback, 15.5 × 22 cm
Publisher Éditions Caldier / BoD
ISBN 978-2-3225-3536-1
Preface Michel Mary
Published November 2024
In the press
DNA, Le Parisien, L'Alsace, Le Nouveau Détective — all covered Emmanuel Caldier's cases.
Le Parisien
Former robber refuses to eat
Le Parisien front page — Emmanuel Caldier incarcerated, refuses food.
L'Alsace
Kidnapping of a Haut-Rhinois: verdict
L'Alsace covers the trial for the broker's kidnapping.
Preface by Michel Mary — Investigative reporter
Michel Mary is an investigative reporter. Nearly 40 years at Le Nouveau Détective, judicial chronicler, true crime specialist. TV commentator on French national television.
In 2001, Michel Mary crossed paths with Emmanuel Caldier. The story seemed too big to be true. He checked with the OCRB (Central Office for the Repression of Banditry). Result: everything was rigorously true.
« For once, the author Emmanuel Caldier is legitimate in writing what he writes. »
— Michel Mary, preface of Kidnapping Live
« The character is complex, often turbulent and on the margins, but he is honest and upright, proud and loyal. He has true values that tend to disappear. »
Previously published by Flammarion
Two books published by Flammarion — a major reference in French publishing.
Moi, Manu le Gitan
2004 — Flammarion
The Swiss banker kidnapping — a banker who defrauded a foundation for autistic children. Incredible car chases, James Bond-worthy techniques.
Mes Prisons
2005 — Flammarion
From juvenile detention to the VIP wing — an honest testimony on the French prison system.
Videos, podcasts and lives
Manu le Gitan on camera — interviews, podcasts and YouTube lives
Frequently asked questions about the book and author
What is Kidnapping Live about?
The book covers a debt recovery operation filmed in 2017 by Emmanuel Caldier against scammers who had embezzled 600,000 euros. 578 pages of authentic testimony — the kidnapping, the evidence, the prison. Prefaced by Michel Mary, investigative reporter at Le Nouveau Détective.
Who is Michel Mary, the prefacer?
Michel Mary is an investigative reporter at Le Nouveau Détective for nearly 40 years. A judicial chronicler and true crime specialist, he also appears on French TV. He verified Emmanuel Caldier's facts with the OCRB (Central Office for the Repression of Banditry) back in 2001.
Is the kidnapping story true?
Yes, entirely. The 2017 operation was filmed by Emmanuel Caldier himself. The case was covered by Le Parisien. The facts were verified by Michel Mary with the OCRB. Caldier also published two books through Flammarion about his earlier cases (2004, 2005), covered by DNA and L'Alsace.
Contact Emmanuel Caldier
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