Chourmo

The second book in Izzo's Marseilles trilogy is even better and harder-hitting than the first. The ending is perfect. The protagonist, Fabio's, ability to navigate through all the pain in the world, with a background soundtrack of jazz, gypsy music, tango, etc. etc. etc.--and ZZ Topp for the climax, fueled by wine, cassis, and Scotch Whisky, make this a journey you won't forget. And you'll probably want to enjoy it with your choice of beverage. Sure, this is noir at its best, but it is also dark and true. As good as Chandler and Hammett were, they didn't deal with real people the way Izzo did. Read this. Read this. Read this.

Another solid Noir crime read and great second book in Izzo's "Marseilles Trilogy". This one still has a fair bit of hard-boiled action and violence, but not quite as extreme as I found in the previous book, Total Chaos. The overall tone of the story is a little more laid back, reflective and philosophical but it is still a really nasty world of organized crime, corruption and racial intolerance/unrest (with growing fundamentalist/terrorist underpinnings). The desolation and rage that characterizes Montale adds to the gritty, determined edge of the story. Izzo adds just the right balance of quieter contemplation and heart-pumping drama and I am really growing to like Montale as a character, so I was happy to see that this is as much show more Montale's story as it is about Marseilles and the mystery. The downside for me is that Izzo withholds from the reader information Montale is privy to. I am not a big fan of being left in the dark of what the leading protagonist knows, so I tend to find the "reveals", when they happen, to be a bit frustrating as I don't have all of the facts as I try to piece together the situation. That is really the only grip I have with this one.

Overall, a great follow-up to Total Chaos, and I am looking forward to reading Solea, the final book in the trilogy. show less

In the second of Izzo's Marseilles trilogy, Fabio Montale is contacted by his cousin, seeking his help in finding her missing son. It doesn't take him long to realise that the situation is very bad indeed, made worse by him witnessing the drive-by shooting of a former colleague in the course of his investigations.

In his books, Izzo really nails the description of Marseilles. He immerses you in the sub-cultures, the geography, the food and the music of his home town. In the process he recounts a twisted plot as Montale deals with a range of enemies including terrorists, organised crime and the police. Given this was written in the 1990s, the political aspects of Izzo's tale are quite visionary.

I've no idea why these books are so hard to show more c0me by; they should be on the shelves of every bookshop. This is an excellent series, and well worth seeking out. show less

Marseilles detective Fabio Montale, who left the police force some time after the end of the previous book, is contemplating taking on the management of his local café, but (surprise, surprise!) he gets mixed up in another criminal investigation when his cousin's teenage son goes missing. It's more or less the same mix of organised crime, police corruption, and eclectic multi-culti Mediterranean music, food and poetry we enjoyed in the first book, with a bit of Islamic extremism thrown in to complicate things further. The plot is a little bit predictable, and the introduction of yet another of Montale's loved-and-lost childhood sweethearts feels a bit clunky, but it's Montale's very individual view of the world and way of commenting on show more it - noir, romantic and pessimistic all at the same time - that makes these books worthwhile. show less

Chourmo is the second novel in Izzo's Marseilles trilogy (aptly named, as the essential character in all the novels is the city itself). Marseille, in all its complexity, is a constant for Izzo; the city's role in the drama goes beyond that of background or setting for the crime-story: the corruption, murder, sex, love and hate with which he populates his noir narratives. Marseille is, in a sense, both father and mother, friend & lover for generations of immigrants, once Italian & Spanish, more recently, North African. It is both fishing village, impoverished post-industrial metropole, & millenial new-economy super-city. In Chourmo, retired police officer Fabio Montale reenters the investigative fray when the youngest son, Guitou, of show more Fabio's favorite cousin, Gélou, disappears while on an unauthorized weekend visit with his girlfriend Naima. Much murder and mayhem insues, with corrupt police, Islamist extremists, FN racists, confused, more or less innocent adolescents, and the Mafia all involved. A Vietamese buddhist temple, a pair of elderly lovers, & a stupendous car chase along the coast finish things off. My only disappointment is that Izzo waxes less lyrical less often in Chourmo than he did in Total Khéops on the endlessly fascinating topics of food & music. Fabio Montale has become even more cynical, more fatalistic & more of an alcoholic. One senses that for him, in spite of his determination to focus on the life & love he finds very close at hand with friends, food, drink & the sea, his fate must be a tragic one. show less

Jean Claude Izzo is the Raymond Chandler of Marseilles, a city as complex and corrupt as the Los Angeles Chandler wrote about. To say that he is as good as Chandler is high praise, and true, but one hastens to add that without Chandler there could be no Izzo. Very much in the tradition Chandler invented, he is a worthy successor to the master, and anyone not absolutely repelled by crime novels, by honesty, by beauty, should explore these novels now.

Like the first in the trilogy, I enjoyed this more because I've been to Marseille and was having fun imagining the locations there (most of which I'd never been to, but never mind). I'm not a fan of Noir, but that doesn't stop me from reading this trilogy, it only stops me from rating it very highly because, hey, I don't much like Noir and my ratings reflect how well I think the book is written combined with how much I enjoyed it. In addition to its being a thriller with too many murders and too many bad guys, it also felt as if it had too many words. None of this will stop me from eventually reading the third in the trilogy.... some day.