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The Marseilles trilogy
by Jean-Claude Izzo
The Marseilles trilogy, featuring ex-cop Fabio Montale, is a classic of European crime fiction. Its publication was the catalyst for the foundation of an entire literary movement, Mediterranean noir, and made its author an overnight celebrity. Europa is proud to reissue the entire trilogy this summer in new editions that have a fresh look and feature an introduction by "the reigning king of Mediterranean noir", Massimo Carlotto.
"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
"Though the plot of this "Mediterranean noir" tale is as insubstantial as the cause for a good street fight, the vivid portrayal of a city as a melting pot on the verge of a meltdown is comparable to such recent works as Donna Leon's Blood from a Stone and Ian Rankin's Fleshmarket Alley." - Library Journal
"For better or worse, the title of this melancholy, high-energy bloodbath is just perfect. One can only wonder what new atrocities are left for the second and third installments, both due next year." - Kirkus
This information about Total Chaos was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Jean-Claude Izzo was born in Marseilles, France, in 1945. He achieved astounding success with his Marseilles Trilogy (Total Chaos, Chourmo, Solea). In addition to the books in this trilogy, his two novels (The Lost Saliors, and A Sun for the Dying) and one collection of short stories (Vivre fatigue) also enjoy great success with both critics and the public. Izzo died in 2000 at the age of fifty-five.
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