Book one in the Marseilles Trilogy

In Jean-Claude Izzo’s “Mediterranean noir” mysteries, the city of Marseilles is explosive, breathtakingly beautiful, and deadly.

"Izzo’s Marseilles is ravishing. Every street, cafe and house has its own character.”
—Globe and Mail

Fabio Montale is the perfect protagonist in this city of melancholy beauty. A disenchanted cop with an inimitable talent for living 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.

“Just as Raymond Chandler and James Ellroy made Los Angeles their very own, so Mr. Izzo has made Marseilles so much more than just another geographical setting.”—The Economist

“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

“One of the masterpieces of modern noir.”—The Washington Post

Jean-Claude Izzo
Jean-Claude Izzo (Marseilles 1945 – 2000) achieved astounding success with publication of the Marseilles Trilogy: Total Chaos, Chourmo and Solea. His two novels, The Lost Sailors and A Sun for the Dying, and the posthumous collection of essays and shorter pieces Garlic, Mint, & Sweet Basil also enjoy great success with critics and the public.

• Feb 5 2021
  Marseille: a virtual tour through books, film, food and music
  — The Guardian
• Jul 2 2018
  “The holy grail of noir fiction”
  — NB Magazine
• Jul 2 2018
  Total Chaos by Jean-Claude Izzo
  — Nudge Book
• Jun 29 2018
  ★ Star Pick
  — Times Crime Club
• Aug 10 2016
  Classic policier
  — Poison pen
• Jun 1 2016
  Total Chaos by Jean-Claude Izzo (Review)
  — Woodcock