The Marseilles Trilogy Series
4/5
()
About this series
This second novel in Izzo’s acclaimed Marseilles trilogy is a touching tribute to the author’s beloved city, in all its color and complexity. Fabio Montale is an unwitting hero in this city of melancholy beauty.
Montale has left a police force marred by corruption, xenophobia, and greed. But getting out is not going to be so easy. When his cousin’s son goes missing, Montale is dragged back onto the mean streets of a violent, crime-infested Marseilles. To discover the truth about the boy’s disappearance, he infiltrates a dangerous underworld of mobsters, religious fanatics, crooked cops, and ordinary people driven to extremes by desperation.
“Noir at its finest.” —The Times Literary Supplement
“Izzo, who died in 2000, is more than adept at noir conventions—gritty light, sudden switches of scene, the pervasive rot of cynicism, which sullies even the best intentions. But what makes his work haunting is his extraordinary ability to convey the tastes and smells of Marseilles, and the way memory and obligation dog every step his hero takes.” —The New Yorker
“Like the best American practitioners in the genre, Izzo refrains from any sugarcoating of the city he depicts or the broken and imperfect men and women who people it.” —Publishers Weekly
“This hard-hitting series captures all the world-weariness of the contemporary European crime novel, but Izzo mixes it with a hero who is as virile as he is burned out.” —Booklist
Titles in the series (3)
- Total Chaos
An ex-cop takes on the mafia in the blockbuster novel that kicks off the Marseilles trilogy with what “may be the most lyrical hard-boiled writing yet” (The Nation). In Jean-Claude Izzo’s “Mediterranean noir” mysteries, the city of Marseilles is explosive, breathtakingly beautiful, and deadly. Total Chaos introduces readers to Fabio Montale, a disenchanted cop who turns his back on a police force marred by corruption and racism and, in the name of friendship, takes the fight against the mafia into his own hands. Ugo, Manu, and Fabio grew up together on the mean streets of Marseilles where friendship means everything. They promised to stay true to one another and swore that nothing would break their bond. But people and circumstances change. Ugo and Manu have been drawn into the criminal underworld of Europe’s toughest and most violent city. When Manu is murdered and Ugo returns from abroad to avenge his friend’s death, only to be killed himself, it is left to the third in this trio, Det. Fabio Montale, to ensure justice is done. Despite warnings from both his colleagues in law enforcement and his acquaintances in the underworld, Montale cannot forget the promise he once made Manu and Ugo. He’s going to find their killer no matter the consequences. “One of the masterpieces of modern noir.” —The Washington Post “Like the best noir writers—and make no mistake, he is among the best—Izzo not only has a keen eye for detail . . . but also digs deep into what makes men weep.” —Time Out New York “The holy grail of noir fiction . . . a fast paced and stylishly told modern tragedy.” —NB Magazine
- Solea
The final book in the Marseilles trilogy, following Chourmo, from “a talented writer who draws from the deep, dark well of noir (The Washington Post). Ex-cop, loner, Fabio Montale returns in this stunning conclusion to Jean-Claude Izzo’s Marseilles trilogy. Italian Mafiosi are hunting journalist-activist Babette Bellini, and the body count is growing as they close in on their prey. In desperation, Bellini seeks help from her former lover, Montale. Before he has time to shake off his most recent hangover, Montale is receiving sinister phone calls from men with Italian accents who want him to find Bellini for them. Like a woman he can’t leave, like strong liquor he can’t refuse, Marseilles lures Montale back into its violent embrace. Solea is Izzo’s heartfelt cry against the criminal forces corrupting his beloved city. It is his farewell to Marseilles and to its ideal protagonist, Fabio Montale. It concludes an unforgettable trilogy that epitomizes the aspirations and ideals of the Mediterranean noir movement. Praise for Izzo’s Marseilles Trilogy “One of the masterpieces of modern noir.” —The Washington Post “Izzo’s ability to describe Marseilles and to make his readers feel the multiracial reality of that city so directly and authentically is fascinating.” —Andrea Camilleri, New York Times–bestselling author of the Inspector Montalbano series “Sensationally readable . . . Full of fascinating characters.” —Chicago Tribune “Terrific.” —The New York Times “Like the best noir writers—and make no mistake, he is among the best—Izzo not only has a keen eye for detail . . . but also digs deep into what makes men weep.” —Time Out New York
- Chourmo
Second in the renowned Marseilles trilogy following Total Chaos, “one of the masterpieces of modern noir” (Michael Dirda, The Washington Post). This second novel in Izzo’s acclaimed Marseilles trilogy is a touching tribute to the author’s beloved city, in all its color and complexity. Fabio Montale is an unwitting hero in this city of melancholy beauty. Montale has left a police force marred by corruption, xenophobia, and greed. But getting out is not going to be so easy. When his cousin’s son goes missing, Montale is dragged back onto the mean streets of a violent, crime-infested Marseilles. To discover the truth about the boy’s disappearance, he infiltrates a dangerous underworld of mobsters, religious fanatics, crooked cops, and ordinary people driven to extremes by desperation. “Noir at its finest.” —The Times Literary Supplement “Izzo, who died in 2000, is more than adept at noir conventions—gritty light, sudden switches of scene, the pervasive rot of cynicism, which sullies even the best intentions. But what makes his work haunting is his extraordinary ability to convey the tastes and smells of Marseilles, and the way memory and obligation dog every step his hero takes.” —The New Yorker “Like the best American practitioners in the genre, Izzo refrains from any sugarcoating of the city he depicts or the broken and imperfect men and women who people it.” —Publishers Weekly “This hard-hitting series captures all the world-weariness of the contemporary European crime novel, but Izzo mixes it with a hero who is as virile as he is burned out.” —Booklist
Jean-Claude Izzo
Jean-Claude Izzo was born in Marseilles, France in 1945. Best known for the Marseilles trilogy (Total Chaos, Chourmo, Solea), Izzo is also the author of The Lost Sailors, A Sun for the Dying, and one collection of short stories, Living Tires. Izzo is widely credited with being the founder of the modern Mediterranean noir novel. He died in 2000 at the age of fifty-five.
Read more from Jean Claude Izzo
Garlic, Mint, & Sweet Basil: Essays on Marseilles, Mediterranean Cuisine, and Noir Fiction Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Sun for the Dying Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to The Marseilles Trilogy
Related ebooks
Total Chaos Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jar City: An Inspector Erlendur Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sister Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Upstate: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hero Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Demon of Dakar: A Mystery Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Deadly Paradise Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Firewall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Red Wolf: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Basel Killings Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe White Lioness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5From Bruges with Love Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Flesh Wounds Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5City of Drowned Souls Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sail of Stone Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Faceless Killers: A Mystery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fifth Woman Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Victory Square: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Summer of Kim Novak Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Essays Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Pieter Van In Mysteries: The Square of Revenge, The Midas Murders, From Bruges with Love, and The Fourth Figure Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Pyramid: And Four Other Kurt Wallander Mysteries Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Heidelberg Requiem: A gritty crime thriller for fans of Donna Leon and Ian Rankin Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEstocada Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Nameless Serenade Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Meet me in Malmö: The first Inspector Anita Sundström mystery Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Green Hell Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Last Rites Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Eye of the Leopard: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Literary Fiction For You
The Covenant of Water (Oprah's Book Club) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Confederacy of Dunces Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Piranesi Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Man Called Ove: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Old Man and the Sea: The Hemingway Library Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pride and Prejudice: Bestsellers and famous Books Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Catch-22: 50th Anniversary Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Master & Margarita Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Prophet Song: A Novel (Booker Prize Winner) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Sympathizer: A Novel (Pulitzer Prize for Fiction) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Demon Copperhead: A Pulitzer Prize Winner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Flowers for Algernon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Queen's Gambit Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tender Is the Flesh Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Life of Pi: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Nigerwife: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Leave the World Behind: A Read with Jenna Pick Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Silmarillion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anna Karenina: Bestsellers and famous Books Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Handmaid's Tale Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Only Woman in the Room: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All the Ugly and Wonderful Things: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Tattooist of Auschwitz: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Jungle: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Little Birds: Erotica Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Poisonwood Bible: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Salvage the Bones: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for The Marseilles Trilogy
385 ratings0 reviews