Total Kheops
by Jean-Claude Izzo
Marseille : industrial harbor, capital of South France, once the city was
also the main entrance for Mediterranean migrants. Bred into this melting-pot,
Fabio Montale is now a suburb cop dealing with little delinquency and common
racism. Once two of his childhood friends violently die, he is forced to get
back to his not-so-clean past and to take a more active role in his own life.
Showing the shadow part of Marseille, Total Khéops is a Mediterranean
thriller. Its hero, Fabio Montale is torn between law and honor, love and
fear: Under a perfectly clear blue sky, with cicadas and rap songs in background,
the anarchist cop will dig through corruption and memories to stop a Mafia/far-right
alliance to take the control of all Marseille's criminal business.
Dark, almost hopeless, this book is also an hymn to Marseille's diversity,
and a love declaration from the author to his hometown, as well as a political
pledge against racist ideas.
Chourmo by Jean-Claude
Izzo
Second opus of Fabio Montale's adventures, this book deals with bloodties,
recomposed families and religious integrism. When Gelou's son has run away,
she turns to her cousin, Fabio Montale, to retrieve him. Leaving his boat
and his fishing habits, the ex-cop tracks the enamoured teenager but only
find two dead bodies : the young naked boy and an old Algerian historian who
flew his homeland persecution.
Once again, in Chourmo, Marseille shows its dark half : it's a city
full of hatred, racism, political manipulations, and betrayal of and from
the loved ones. It's also a city full of love, forgiveness, and redemption
where misleaded ones have another chance to walk the good path.
Solea by Jean-Claude
Izzo
To retrieve stolen documents, mafiosi can go
very far. As far as slaying all Fabio Montale's acquaintances to force him
to retrieve a former lover and journalist who's learnt too much. Hopeless,
the ex-cop will try one last stand to protect his family and ideals. In Marseille,
corruption has gone too far to be stopped by lonesome tired copboy.
Based on real fact about the progression of Mafia
in South France, Solea is at the same time the most luminous and the
most desperate book of Jean-Claude Izzo's trilogy. Whereas the other two show
some hope in the friendship and solidarity among the supporting cast, this
time, Fabio Montale has to fight alone, due to danger but also to his own
fear of commitment.
Darker than the two other books, this one lacks part of their magic but it's
still over the average thriller production.
Jean-Claude Izzo (1945-2000) is born in Marseille. Bookseller, librarian, unemployed then journalist, he started late his writing career. His first novel, Total Khéops, also open his Fabio Montale's trilogy, later continued with Chourmo and Solea.