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Original Essays | December 12, 2009

Alexander McCall Smith: IMG The Courage of Others



I have recently written a novel about life in England during the Second World War. I felt some concern before I tackled this theme — the War... Continue »
  1. $16.76 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

    La's Orchestra Saves the World

    Alexander McCall Smith

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Other titles in the Marseilles Trilogy series:

  1. Solea

Total Chaos (Marseilles Trilogy)

by Jean-claude Izzo

Total Chaos (Marseilles Trilogy) Cover

ISBN13: 9781933372044
ISBN10: 1933372044
Condition: Standard
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

"Jean-Claude Izzo's . . . growing literary renown and huge sales are leading to a recognizable new trend in continental fiction: the rise of the sophisticated Mediterranean thriller. . . . Caught between pride and crime, racism and fraternity, tragedy and light, messy urbanization and generous beauty, the city for [detective Fabio Montale] is a Utopia, an ultimate port of call for exiles. There, he is torn between fatalism and revolt, despair and sensualism."-The Economist

This first installment in the legendary Marseilles Trilogysees Fabio Montale turning his back on a police force marred by corruption and racism and taking the fight against the mafia into his own hands.

Jean-Claude Izzoachieved astoundingly rapid success with his Marseilles Trilogy. He died in Marseilles in 2000 at the age of 55.

Review:

"A love quadrangle that has lain dormant for 20 years — three men and one woman, friends and successive partners in childhood and young adulthood — resurfaces with a vengeance in this literary policier. Italian migr Fabio Montale is the beat cop in Marseille's La Paternelle, an Arab ghetto that sits at the center of the city's seething melting pot of immigration, xenophobia and corruption. He's the last of the three men left standing after Manu, a Spanish migr, is killed (probably by the mob) and Ugo (a nabo, or Neapolitan) is killed by police while staking out the boss he thinks ordered the hit. Manu was the partner of Lole, also from Spain and Ugo's ex-lover. If the deaths aren't enough to spur Fabio to action, the disappearance of his former lover Leila, an Arab who had made it out of La Paternelle, puts him on the case — and back in Lole's life. Izzo, who died in 2000 at age 55, puts a sophisticated spin on mob-murder — mystery clichs and airs French race politics frankly — the latter is what made this (and two related novels) a hit there. This novel won't electrify U.S. readers in the same way, but it's a hard-boiled and entertaining look at the underside of la politesse." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

About the Author

Jean-Claude Izzo achieved immediate success with his Marseilles Trilogy (Total Chaos, Chourmo, Solea). In addition to this trilogy, his two novels The Lost Sailors, The Sun of the Dying, and one collection of short stories, Living Tires, enjoyed great critical and popular acclaim. Izzo died in 2000 at the age of fifty-five.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
lovingreader, May 6, 2009 (view all comments by lovingreader)
This was a great means of transportation to the back streets of Marseilles, as told by Fabio, a poleceman and ex-thief. The food, wine, and scenery are great. The corruption and violence are better to find in a book than in real life.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9781933372044
Translator:
Curtis, Howard
Publisher:
Europa Editions
Translator:
Curtis, Howard
Author:
Curtis, Howard
Author:
Howard Cu
Author:
Izzo, Jean-Claude
Author:
rtis
Subject:
Murder
Subject:
Mafia
Subject:
Mystery & Detective - General
Subject:
General Fiction
Subject:
Mystery & Detective - Police Procedural
Series:
Marseilles Trilogy
Publication Date:
October 2005
Binding:
Paperback
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
248
Dimensions:
8.26x5.38x.72 in. .53 lbs.

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