In 1997, Khadra published the detective novel "Morituri" (Eng. 2003), which was to bring him international recognition. Okacha Touita adapted and directed the film under the same title in 2004. Together with volumes "Double Blank" (1998, Eng. 2005) and "Autumn of the Phantoms" (1998, Eng. 2006), they form a trilogy, which portrays the Algerian Civil War and its background in a way that is both authentic and interesting. He has written these novels with a European (French) readership in mind as they focus on the psychological and social causes of Islamic fundamentalism using precise documentary detail and emotional intensity. He describes, from perspective of inspector Llob, Algerian everyday life and its omnipresent violence – bombings, corruption and the lack of economic prospects for large parts of the population. With these novels, he has succeeded in anchoring the genre detective novel in the Algerian literature. Together with his earlier books, "Le Dingue au bistouri" (1990) and "La Foire des enfoirés" (1993), they meet the formal criteria of the French roman noir subgenre. In the final volume, protagonist is discovered as the author behind the pseudonym Yasmina Khadra, is suspended from service, and dies.