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Eugene Tarpon #2
Skeletons in the Closet
Eugéne Tarpon, the private-eye protagonist from Manchette’s No Room at the Morgue, appears once more for a characteristically brisk and brutal story full of unexpected comedy and feeling.
Private eye Eugéne Tarpon is back to sleeping in his office, waiting for a paying job to turn up. Then he gets a call from a sometime contact in the police department. He's referring a nice old lady—a distant relative—to Tarpon; her daughter's gone missing and, the copy says, there's no finding her. There are no leads. She's gone. But the old lady's pigheaded. Do me a favor, he tells Tarpon. Humor her. Take her off our hands. Take her money, too. And, by the way, there's no need to investigate the actual business at all.
Tarpon may be down and out, but he's too much of a gentleman for that. Plus, fed an obviously fishy story, he doesn't have it in him to let well enough alone.
Once again, Tarpon is making a very big mistake.
Private eye Eugéne Tarpon is back to sleeping in his office, waiting for a paying job to turn up. Then he gets a call from a sometime contact in the police department. He's referring a nice old lady—a distant relative—to Tarpon; her daughter's gone missing and, the copy says, there's no finding her. There are no leads. She's gone. But the old lady's pigheaded. Do me a favor, he tells Tarpon. Humor her. Take her off our hands. Take her money, too. And, by the way, there's no need to investigate the actual business at all.
Tarpon may be down and out, but he's too much of a gentleman for that. Plus, fed an obviously fishy story, he doesn't have it in him to let well enough alone.
Once again, Tarpon is making a very big mistake.
157 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1976
40 people are currently reading
894 people want to read
About the author
Jean-Patrick Manchette
66 books321 followersJean-Patrick Manchette was a French crime novelist credited with reinventing and reinvigorating the genre. He wrote ten short novels in the seventies and early eighties, and is widely recognized as the foremost French crime fiction author of the 1970s - 1980s . His stories are violent, existentialist explorations of the human condition and French society.
Manchette was politically to the left and his writing reflects this through his analysis of social positions and culture. His books are reminiscent of the nouvelle vague crime films of Jean-Pierre Melville, employing a similarly cool, existential style on a typically American genre (film noir for Melville and pulp novels for Manchette).
Three of his novels have been translated into English. Two were published by San Francisco publisher City Lights Books (3 To Kill [from the French "Le petit bleu de la côte ouest"] and The Prone Gunman [from the French "La Position du tireur couché"]). A third, Fatale, was released by New York Review Books Classics in 2011.
Manchette believed he had gone full circle with his last novel, which he conceived as a "closure" of his Noir fiction. In a 1988 letter to a journalist, Manchette said:
" After that, as I did not have to belong to any kind of literary school, I entered a very different work area. In seven years, I have not done anything good. I'm still working at it."
In 1989, finally having found new territory he wanted to explore, Manchette started writing a new novel, La Princesse du Sang" ("Blood Princess"), an international thriller, which was supposed to be the first book in a new cycle, a series of novels covering five decades from the post-war period to present times. He died from cancer before completing it.
Starting in 1996, a year after Manchette's death, several unpublished works were released, showing how very active he was during in the years preceding his death.
In 2009, Fantagraphics Books released an English-language version of French cartoonist Jacques Tardi's adaptation of Le petit bleu, under the new English title 'West Coast Blues.' Fantagraphics released a second Tardi adaptation, of "La Position du tireur couché" (under the title "Like a Sniper Lining Up His Shot" ) in the summer of 2011, and has scheduled a third one, of "Ô Dingos! Ô Châteaux!" (under the title "Run Like Crazy Run Like Hell") in summer 2014. Manchette himself was a fan of comics, and his praised translation of Alan Moore's Watchmen into French remains in print.
Manchette was politically to the left and his writing reflects this through his analysis of social positions and culture. His books are reminiscent of the nouvelle vague crime films of Jean-Pierre Melville, employing a similarly cool, existential style on a typically American genre (film noir for Melville and pulp novels for Manchette).
Three of his novels have been translated into English. Two were published by San Francisco publisher City Lights Books (3 To Kill [from the French "Le petit bleu de la côte ouest"] and The Prone Gunman [from the French "La Position du tireur couché"]). A third, Fatale, was released by New York Review Books Classics in 2011.
Manchette believed he had gone full circle with his last novel, which he conceived as a "closure" of his Noir fiction. In a 1988 letter to a journalist, Manchette said:
" After that, as I did not have to belong to any kind of literary school, I entered a very different work area. In seven years, I have not done anything good. I'm still working at it."
In 1989, finally having found new territory he wanted to explore, Manchette started writing a new novel, La Princesse du Sang" ("Blood Princess"), an international thriller, which was supposed to be the first book in a new cycle, a series of novels covering five decades from the post-war period to present times. He died from cancer before completing it.
Starting in 1996, a year after Manchette's death, several unpublished works were released, showing how very active he was during in the years preceding his death.
In 2009, Fantagraphics Books released an English-language version of French cartoonist Jacques Tardi's adaptation of Le petit bleu, under the new English title 'West Coast Blues.' Fantagraphics released a second Tardi adaptation, of "La Position du tireur couché" (under the title "Like a Sniper Lining Up His Shot" ) in the summer of 2011, and has scheduled a third one, of "Ô Dingos! Ô Châteaux!" (under the title "Run Like Crazy Run Like Hell") in summer 2014. Manchette himself was a fan of comics, and his praised translation of Alan Moore's Watchmen into French remains in print.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
April 15, 2024
He's back!
Jean-Patrick Manchette first introduced readers to Eugène Tarpon in his novel No Room at the Morgue where we learn that Tarpon, currently a private eye aka gumshoe aka sleuthhound, was formerly a highly regarded member of the National Gendarmerie who had been expelled for shooting a twenty-year-old during an attack on their Paris police station.
Once again, Tarpon sits in his fifth floor rundown Paris apartment in the hip Porte Saint-Martin district. Only this time, the detective is listening to an old lady who reminds him of his mother telling him about her daughter who disappeared a month ago.
There are simply too many swerves, curves, shocks, surprises, and shootings in Jean-Patrick's superbly constructed tale for me to say anything about the unfolding sequence of events and happenings. Thus, I'll make a quick shift to spotlight a batch of highlights:
Compression – One of the most important thing I can say is, similar to Jean-Patrick's other noir novels, Skeletons, originally published in 1976, has loads of action packed into less than 200 pages. This is decidedly different than doorstops written by the likes of Tana French, Stieg Larsson, and Jo Nesbø. Personally, I find the shorter form much more compelling and appealing. I continually ask myself: Why can't contemporary authors write tight existential crime fiction like Georges Simenon, Pascal Garnier, Frédéric Dard – and Jean-Parick Manchette? For me and many others, less is more.
Voice – No Room at the Morgue is written in tight third-person where we as readers look over the shoulder of Eugène Tarpon. Forever the creative literary artist, Jean-Parick changes things up in Skeletons: Eugène Tarpon as first-person narrator relates his own story. “As far as I was concerned, the profusion of photos wasn't necessary. One of the most recent ones would have sufficed, but the old lady was determined to give me a detailed bio of her daughter, which was harmless I suppose, and she wanted it to be illustrated.” Every single scene contains a turbocharged verve and drive complemented by Tarpon's colorful commentary. Oh, man, you'll want to continue to turn those pages right to the mind-blowing end.
Police - “Listen, tell her you'll take on her case, you'll need a couple of weeks and that your rate is twenty grand a week. We could've really sent you up the creek last year, Tarpon old man, what with that Sergent business, so you owe us something.” So speaks Officer Coccioli on the phone, interrupting the old lady telling her sob story to Tarpon. Now, why would a head cop insist Tarpon take this case? The more we read, the more we realize the police can be a party to a murky crime network, especially when astronomical amounts of cash are on the line. Vintage Jean-Patrick Manchette: if anybody dares to be a lone honest voice in our modern society, they stand a good chance of being tortured or receiving a bullet in the head.
Gorgeous Honey – What's a Manchette novel without a luscious young beauty willing to take risks? Meet Charlotte Malrakis, a gal who performs daredevil stunts in films and has a flair for the martial arts. Although he goes to Charlotte's apartment to recover from a serious injury, Tarpon doesn't want her to get deeply involved. But Charlotte knows the score and tells him as much. “If they're killing everyone who ever heard the name Fanch Tanguy, I'm the next in line, old man.” Keep an eye on dear Charlotte. She adds more than a touch of spice to the unfolding drama.
Violence and More Violence – At one point, Tarpon takes inventory. “We were in a sort of living room. I cleared the mess of the glass-topped coffee table and lined up various interesting objects in front of me: the .45 and its silencer; the Czech automatic (7.62 mm): the MR73; the Python that belonged to the man wearing just his shirt; the Beretta shotgun; the bullets that the man wearing just his shirt had in his pockets (375 Magnum, perfect for the MR73 – with all the guns we'd collected, we'd finally found munitions that were compatible with one; and the shirt guy's wallet.” My, my, with so many guns and all the ammo, you'll have to keep a running tally of dead bodies. Once again, barely room at the morgue.
Life in the Fast Lane – Readers familiar with Jean-Patrick Manchette's fiction know men and women will be surrounded by brand names aplenty. To name just two here: a Peugeot 504 and a Citroën GSs. Also, how could anyone think of making it through the day without smoking cigarettes, drinking coffee, and plying oneself with all varieties of alcohol? It's Paris in the seventies – given a barrage of challenges, the body and mind have developed unquenchable needs.
Kicker – Police corruption, crocked politicians, organized crime, echo of Nazi Germany, what else could be added to this sleazy, scummy mix to make it even more explosive and death-dealing? Since it is post-1960s, the answer might be obvious: hard drugs. Read all about it. Skeletons in the Closet is a classic. Many thanks to New York Review Books for publishing and Alyson Waters for her excellent translation.
Jean-Patrick Manchette, 1942-1995
"Look, Tarpon," said Coccioli, "stop bugging me. You don't know how the game is played. We're among policemen, we're among comrades, there are some things . . . Listen, the police are doing their job; and then small cliques form, because the work isn't always clean, and so these cliques form among people who have the same skeleton in the same closet. You can understand that, can't you, for God's sake?" - Jean-Patrick Manchette, Skeletons in the Closet
November 18, 2023
Bittersweet, as I believe I've now read all of his novels. Skeletons in the Closet is up there with the best of them. This time Eugene Tarpon is up against some kind of New Age cult, Nazis, a money laundering ring, and the conspiracy of cops keeping a lid on everything.
Jean-Patrick Manchette is one of the greatest writers of action I've ever come across, second only to Matthew Woodring Stover. His novels are short but action-packed, and yet they never devolve into something like a bad action film, there's a plausibility over all of this that keeps it going.
Also important to note that this is easily the funniest of his novels.
Jean-Patrick Manchette is one of the greatest writers of action I've ever come across, second only to Matthew Woodring Stover. His novels are short but action-packed, and yet they never devolve into something like a bad action film, there's a plausibility over all of this that keeps it going.
Also important to note that this is easily the funniest of his novels.
February 12, 2025
I will always eat up a noir detective story!!! All the action was a bit nonsensical and absurd but it was hilarious and I had a good ol time with it
March 25, 2024
Another Manchette tale of Private eye Eugene Tarpon. In this one, not unlike the previous one, Tarpon gets singed by a bullet, knocked unconscious by something like an anvil, crashes a car or two, and gets both arms broken. I'm not plot-spoiling to tell you he survives it all, and figures everything out.
December 10, 2023
Skeletons in the Closet is titled Que d'Os! in the original French and is also known in English as It's Raining Bones! This is the second of Manchette's two outings featuring semi-hard-boiled detective Eugène Tarpon, the other being No Room at the Morgue (1973). Tarpon is no Mike Hammer. Others easily get the best of him and he's fairly well-battered by the end. Here Tarpon has two disparate cases: a blind woman has disappeared and a gambling pharmacist is suspected of embezzling from his employer. Could they be linked? Up against crooked cops, religious cultists, and a nice old lady, with help from his only two friends and a sense of humor Tarpon will find out. Manchette restyled noir detective and crime fiction, which is only appropriate as France was the country that turned Chester Himes into a legend (or at least a myth). Manchette called his crime novels neo-polars or new crime novels, as his characters and plots reflected political and social conditions in France, with pretty much everyone being corrupt, resulting in a hard-boiled moral fiction. NYRB has translated and republished at least seven of the ten Manchette neo-polars. Two other titles are available from City Lights. The only novel not easily available in English was co-written with Jean-Pierre Bastid, the multi-titled Corpses in the Sun (1971), in French Laissez Bronzer les Cadavres -- also known as Let the Corpses Tan. Not sure if NYRB will get around to that one. All Jean-Patrick Manchette's books efficiently pack a disturbing amount of action and violence in just a few pages while happily identifying the specific cars, guns, food, and drink involved. [4★]
December 17, 2023
This is the seventh NYRB translation of a Manchette novel. To some degree, in order of translation at least, he lives off the strength of his phenomenal earlier work, Fatale, The Mad and the Bad and Three to Kill, though the latter NYRB has yet to issue.
First published in 1976, it is another outing for the former cop turned private investigator, Eugène Tarpon.
It begins with a referral, a rare case of a police officer sending a case across to Tarpon, "I thought of you because it's an odd case" - in other words, the police have run out of ideas and see solving the case as impossible. Marthe Pigot's blind daughter, Philippine, has disappeared without a trace.
Pretty soon Tarpon has a visitor who encourages him to drop the case, as, he is told, the daughter left home of her own accord. But as Tarpon heads to visit Madame Pigot the novel becomes more typical Manchette, with an acute violent turn. Tarpon suddenly becomes a wanted man.
It was Tarpon's second, and last outing. Manchette dropped him after this, and it’s not difficult to see why. PI stories aren't Manchette's thing. Though these two are soild enough, they restrict his talents too much. There's less of the classic Gallic noir, the amalgam of wit and menace so hard to recreate, and more of the comparatively dull police procedural.
First published in 1976, it is another outing for the former cop turned private investigator, Eugène Tarpon.
It begins with a referral, a rare case of a police officer sending a case across to Tarpon, "I thought of you because it's an odd case" - in other words, the police have run out of ideas and see solving the case as impossible. Marthe Pigot's blind daughter, Philippine, has disappeared without a trace.
Pretty soon Tarpon has a visitor who encourages him to drop the case, as, he is told, the daughter left home of her own accord. But as Tarpon heads to visit Madame Pigot the novel becomes more typical Manchette, with an acute violent turn. Tarpon suddenly becomes a wanted man.
It was Tarpon's second, and last outing. Manchette dropped him after this, and it’s not difficult to see why. PI stories aren't Manchette's thing. Though these two are soild enough, they restrict his talents too much. There's less of the classic Gallic noir, the amalgam of wit and menace so hard to recreate, and more of the comparatively dull police procedural.
June 20, 2024
Can a detective novel be both harrowing and droll? Manchette knew how to do it.
January 21, 2024
doesn't really make that much sense as a plot and feels like it was written in one draft. manchette gets away with this by turning the last third into violent absurdist comedy (a brawl at a fake new-age monastery in which the hero narrates the action despite having two broken arms and being high on heroin, and a blind woman dispatches a plot-critical character with a samurai sword, and also there are nazis and references to the movie M). manchette working the same territory as Three to Kill and flexing his previously noted dedication to minute detail re janky 1970s french automobile makes and models. is this an objectively good book, no. is it extremely my shit, yes. imagine if you mushed godard's late 60s love of comic violence with the robert altman version of the long goodbye and you get this. also one of the previous english translations was called "It's Raining Bones" which tells you the high level we're all operating on together. seriously if you have any kind of fondness for dumb violent noir as a form of literary art you gotta read this guy
June 28, 2025
Nonsensical plot, but one hell of a good romp. Pulpy and french. Felt like i should have been chainsmoking while reading.
Want to read
May 10, 2016Incipit
Il telefono ha squillato. Ho fatto un sorriso di scusa e ho risposto......
Piovono morti incipitmania.com
Il telefono ha squillato. Ho fatto un sorriso di scusa e ho risposto......
Piovono morti incipitmania.com
December 13, 2020
Υπέροχο, καταιγιστικό, ωμό γαλλικό νουάρ, με πιο δυνατό χαρτί του, ακόμη κι από τον κυνισμό των ηρώων του, το ανατρεπτικό του χιούμορ, που με έκανε να γελάω μόνος μου σε κάποια σημεία. Το απόλαυσα.
December 5, 2025
May I quote a reviewer - “Writing so dark it gives a new meaning to the word noir.” Welp, this is definitely murky to the extreme, but a lot of that was on myself as the reader.
Written by French crime writer Manchette in 1976, Skeletons in the Closet is a fast paced tale of private eye Eugene Tarpon, hired to theoretically search for the daughter of a little old lady. There are no leads, and those who hire him are connected with the police, and just want to make nice for the old lady.
Now Tarpon may be reduced to living out of his office, but he has no problem smelling something fishy about this whole business. Plus he has a bad habit of not being able to leave well enough alone. And so off we go. All sorts of post-war vehicles pop up, as well as all sorts of arms (brandished about quite frequently but rarely used), as well as hide-and-go chases along all sorts of routes in and out of Paris keep the action running at top speed, and I’m just barely hanging on.
Much like American film noir (think The Maltese Falcon and Double Indemnity), it’s easy to get lost in the who’s double crossing who. Although I suspect it would have been easier to follow as a movie. But good news. In the round-up of what happened to who at the end, it is mentioned that
Most of the little monks and nuns, having managed to prove that they were imbeciles, were released and had to reenlist in other sects of one sort of another.
So there is that.
Written by French crime writer Manchette in 1976, Skeletons in the Closet is a fast paced tale of private eye Eugene Tarpon, hired to theoretically search for the daughter of a little old lady. There are no leads, and those who hire him are connected with the police, and just want to make nice for the old lady.
Now Tarpon may be reduced to living out of his office, but he has no problem smelling something fishy about this whole business. Plus he has a bad habit of not being able to leave well enough alone. And so off we go. All sorts of post-war vehicles pop up, as well as all sorts of arms (brandished about quite frequently but rarely used), as well as hide-and-go chases along all sorts of routes in and out of Paris keep the action running at top speed, and I’m just barely hanging on.
Much like American film noir (think The Maltese Falcon and Double Indemnity), it’s easy to get lost in the who’s double crossing who. Although I suspect it would have been easier to follow as a movie. But good news. In the round-up of what happened to who at the end, it is mentioned that
Most of the little monks and nuns, having managed to prove that they were imbeciles, were released and had to reenlist in other sects of one sort of another.
So there is that.
July 17, 2025
1930s-style noir, written in France in the 70s: a 3+ rating.
A diverting beach read, but nothing on Hammett or Chandler.
I was initially heading for a four-star review rating, but a number of shortcomings dropped it down a notch:
- The female characters are poorly developed. The woman who helps Tarpon (the detective protagonist) after he is beaten up is giggly, needy, more of a sexual subplot than a genuine character.
- Chandler wrote that when you run out of ideas, have a man come through the door with a gun. This fallback is used repeatedly in Skeletons.
- The dialogue often seems to be filler, rather than crisply written; though possibly translation is an issue. None of the relationships, whether friendly or adversarial, ring true.
The above notwithstanding, there are some memorable scenes.
A diverting beach read, but nothing on Hammett or Chandler.
I was initially heading for a four-star review rating, but a number of shortcomings dropped it down a notch:
- The female characters are poorly developed. The woman who helps Tarpon (the detective protagonist) after he is beaten up is giggly, needy, more of a sexual subplot than a genuine character.
- Chandler wrote that when you run out of ideas, have a man come through the door with a gun. This fallback is used repeatedly in Skeletons.
- The dialogue often seems to be filler, rather than crisply written; though possibly translation is an issue. None of the relationships, whether friendly or adversarial, ring true.
The above notwithstanding, there are some memorable scenes.
January 17, 2024
Short but action packed, almost to the point of being convoluted. The writing style’s sharpness worked for me, but the lack of development in establishing its world (though I am assuming it’s because this is supposed to be part of series), leaves a slightly bitter taste in my mouth. It sometimes felt more like the skeleton of story than a true narrative feature. Nonetheless, it’s a fun quick read that manages to ploy the reader’s attention in its world of conspiracy.
Read
March 8, 2024Perhaps there is nothing finer than reading a laser sharp crime novel in one day. French Gestapo, fake Buddhist cults, drug operations. Perfect.
April 14, 2017
Καλούτσικος Manchette, χωρίς όμως να αγγίζει την υπεροχή άλλων έργων του. Ευχάριστο να το διαβάζεις μεν, μη πρωτότυπο δε. Δεν ήταν κι άσχημο, πάντως!
December 13, 2024
A no-nonsense mystery, with intrigue and action. Though a French writer, this novel brims with violence and death more akin to what I’d expect from Hollywood.
In short, even as private investigator Eugene Tarpan is interviewing a client, he is called by a contact in the police who tells him to ignore her case of finding a missing daughter, whom the police have tried to find. But Tarpan tries anyway, and after being beaten up by someone who tells him the daughter does not want to be found, the mother arranged to meet him. At the meeting spot, the mother is assassinated. All this action is in the first 23 pages of the 168-page book.
The plot, of course, involves police corruption, drugs, and a cult-like curing facility run by monks. Twice, in this caper, when Tarpan is out of options, he shows up at a friend’s house, a friend the reader knows nothing about. How convenient. And one of the friends is brutalized and raped (off-page) because she too is linked to Tarpan. The corrupt police have a large network.
And the call that opens the story was a set-up.
According to Wikipedia, Manchette was credited with reinventing and reinvigorating the French crime genre, infusing his writing with his political views.
FB. A crime novel with action, violence, and police corruption, and a protagonist who wants to get to the bottom of why his client died and why people are trying to kill him, before they do.
In short, even as private investigator Eugene Tarpan is interviewing a client, he is called by a contact in the police who tells him to ignore her case of finding a missing daughter, whom the police have tried to find. But Tarpan tries anyway, and after being beaten up by someone who tells him the daughter does not want to be found, the mother arranged to meet him. At the meeting spot, the mother is assassinated. All this action is in the first 23 pages of the 168-page book.
The plot, of course, involves police corruption, drugs, and a cult-like curing facility run by monks. Twice, in this caper, when Tarpan is out of options, he shows up at a friend’s house, a friend the reader knows nothing about. How convenient. And one of the friends is brutalized and raped (off-page) because she too is linked to Tarpan. The corrupt police have a large network.
And the call that opens the story was a set-up.
According to Wikipedia, Manchette was credited with reinventing and reinvigorating the French crime genre, infusing his writing with his political views.
FB. A crime novel with action, violence, and police corruption, and a protagonist who wants to get to the bottom of why his client died and why people are trying to kill him, before they do.
July 5, 2024
This was a special order from Once Upon a Crime in Minneapolis, I was hoping for No Room in the Morgue but it's no longer in print. Manchette is known for his gimlet-eyed detective Tarpon and a stylish mode of 70s noir detective fiction, mostly set in Paris with misadventures in the provinces.
Tarpon's girlfriend is a louche movie stunt performer; his best friend is a cynical retired journalist; both have a taste for exotic chess (not a euphemism). Our villains are gangsters, politicians, and ex-Nazis, which overlap enough to make no difference. Most of this tale is unremitting, violent action: car chases, shootouts, abductions, fistfights. The climactic scene takes place at a new-age monastery that's a front for a heroin operation. While Tarpon hits first and hardest, he's usually stymied, leaving him gloomily chasing his next lead.
Skeletons winds up being a respectable but not remarkable specimen of 70s detective pulp, with the plotting a little too loose for my taste. For a guy suspected of murdering a couple cops, Tarpon is surprisingly elusive. If only all detectives living on a shoestring could buy and wreck Citroens the way this guy does. It's good but not quite good enough to be chasing down reprints from the antiquarian bookshops. Recommended with reservations.
Tarpon's girlfriend is a louche movie stunt performer; his best friend is a cynical retired journalist; both have a taste for exotic chess (not a euphemism). Our villains are gangsters, politicians, and ex-Nazis, which overlap enough to make no difference. Most of this tale is unremitting, violent action: car chases, shootouts, abductions, fistfights. The climactic scene takes place at a new-age monastery that's a front for a heroin operation. While Tarpon hits first and hardest, he's usually stymied, leaving him gloomily chasing his next lead.
Skeletons winds up being a respectable but not remarkable specimen of 70s detective pulp, with the plotting a little too loose for my taste. For a guy suspected of murdering a couple cops, Tarpon is surprisingly elusive. If only all detectives living on a shoestring could buy and wreck Citroens the way this guy does. It's good but not quite good enough to be chasing down reprints from the antiquarian bookshops. Recommended with reservations.
June 19, 2024
I picked up this French neo-noir novel from Doomed Planet in Pittsburgh (predominantly a comics store, but also has prose). It's published as a new translation in the NYRB Classic imprint, originally the 70s, and had blurbs from Ellroy, etc., so I thought it worth a look.
It was pretty good, but more straightforward than I had expected given the publisher. It was a bit Matt Scudder-esque, as I recall those books. A short and enjoyable read of around 170 pages, but I doubt I'll hang on to it.
Interestingly Manchette published a translation of Watchmen in the 80s, and two of his books have been adapted by Tardi (Three to Kill and The Prone Gunman, which became Tardi's West Coast Blues and Like A Sniper Lining Up His Shot in English). But I've not read any of those.
I would read another by Manchette, but won't rush out to do so. Feel more drawn to continuing to work through Maigret.
It was pretty good, but more straightforward than I had expected given the publisher. It was a bit Matt Scudder-esque, as I recall those books. A short and enjoyable read of around 170 pages, but I doubt I'll hang on to it.
Interestingly Manchette published a translation of Watchmen in the 80s, and two of his books have been adapted by Tardi (Three to Kill and The Prone Gunman, which became Tardi's West Coast Blues and Like A Sniper Lining Up His Shot in English). But I've not read any of those.
I would read another by Manchette, but won't rush out to do so. Feel more drawn to continuing to work through Maigret.
December 16, 2023
Not my usual choice of books, but I am realizing I don’t know why that is; I used to regularly watch and enjoy the PBS cozy mysteries and network TV detective shows. Like some of those, mostly the PBS ones, the writing in this book pulled me in sufficiently enough to want to see how things played out.
Written in 1976, the implausibly narrow escapes from death and the instant 180 degree turns of both trust and character had by then already become cliche, as has the noir genre for me. But this wasn’t a bad selection for allowing myself to escape briefly into that genre that celebrates the animal baseness of humans while clinging to the ideal that justice can prevail despite our violent, selfish flaws.
But fortunately, I can escape, like the protagonist. Me into more meaningful work, him, apparently into the next book in the series.
Written in 1976, the implausibly narrow escapes from death and the instant 180 degree turns of both trust and character had by then already become cliche, as has the noir genre for me. But this wasn’t a bad selection for allowing myself to escape briefly into that genre that celebrates the animal baseness of humans while clinging to the ideal that justice can prevail despite our violent, selfish flaws.
But fortunately, I can escape, like the protagonist. Me into more meaningful work, him, apparently into the next book in the series.
September 16, 2025
This book has enough enjoyable sequences in it, most ending in abrupt violence, that it gets a recommend even if I lost track of the plot before it had even been introduced. It has something to do with money laundering and monks, and has way too many characters - albeit some fun ones who dish out some wonderful comic dialogue - and either a double or a triple cross that went over my head. But a guy does get his head blown off, as is required in every Manchette book, and another character gets his head cut in half down the middle with a samurai sword, and there is a fantastic car wreck where Manchette's description of a man going through the windshield should somehow be made into a work of art and displayed at the Louvre. I haven't read the first book in this series, but I can't wait to see how confusing it is.
January 20, 2024
Skeletons in the Closet
is only 168 pages but it's non-stop excitement and action for almost every one of those pages.
I can't remember where I saw a review or reference to this book but wherever, it sonded interesting and perhaps worth a read. All I can say is I'm glad I did.
Jean-Patrick Manchette is best described as "an old-school" crime writer more like some of the American writers of the 50's and 60's rather than the more plot driven, subtler crime writers you find in the U.K. or here in Australia.
But don't let that put you off, this is a rollicking good read!
Highly recommended!
Regards,
Peter
PS: I don't do step-by-step reviews, I do opinion pieces…
I can't remember where I saw a review or reference to this book but wherever, it sonded interesting and perhaps worth a read. All I can say is I'm glad I did.
Jean-Patrick Manchette is best described as "an old-school" crime writer more like some of the American writers of the 50's and 60's rather than the more plot driven, subtler crime writers you find in the U.K. or here in Australia.
But don't let that put you off, this is a rollicking good read!
Highly recommended!
Regards,
Peter
PS: I don't do step-by-step reviews, I do opinion pieces…
May 23, 2025
I'd been wanting to read Manchette for awhile after a coworker recommended his work to me. But the only books I'd find on sale were ones that I was warned were more complicated, not great entry points for Manchette's work, so I never bothered. But then this one showed up on remainder and I figured it was time.
And what a book! It's exhausted noir, maybe? Tarpon, the protagonist, is a former cop turned detective. He gets hired to help an old lady who daughter probably isn't actually missing, and then quickly gets shot at a bunch, and it just flies by. It does all my favorite things: it has brief, brutal action, it has intrigue, it's surprisingly funny, and the money? You know where it goes.
I'm excited to read more of his stuff.
And what a book! It's exhausted noir, maybe? Tarpon, the protagonist, is a former cop turned detective. He gets hired to help an old lady who daughter probably isn't actually missing, and then quickly gets shot at a bunch, and it just flies by. It does all my favorite things: it has brief, brutal action, it has intrigue, it's surprisingly funny, and the money? You know where it goes.
I'm excited to read more of his stuff.
December 21, 2023
Enjoyably brutal entry, a moderately twisty Chandlerian hardboiled featuring Eugene Tarpon from No Room at the Morgue. Lots of bloodshed of the cartoonishly brutal variant favored in other Manchettes, although I don't think anyone is described as voiding their bowels at the exact moment they join with the Infinite. Something to work on... Sexual violence dealt with in an interesting and problematic way, contrary to any romantic notions of rescue. Lots of offensive basically hippie-bashing humor; still, the heart feels like it's in the right place. Some great set pieces. Moral of the story: flics are bastards and you can't trust them, even if you are them.
February 12, 2024
I opened this book. I read a page, and then I read some more pages. Then I ate dinner. It's cold outside. Someone knocked on my door. Then I answered the door. They were wearing a purple coat. They seemed angry. I'm wearing a tie. Suddenly their head exploded.
If you find this sort of matter-of-fact, bland, halting, devoid of vocabulary, basic writing interesting, then this book is for you. If I didn't know it was originally published in 1976, I would surely accuse this book of being written by the worst AI program ever.
Honestly, one of the most poorly written books I have ever read. I'm dumbfounded as to why this is a NYRB Book Club selection.
If you find this sort of matter-of-fact, bland, halting, devoid of vocabulary, basic writing interesting, then this book is for you. If I didn't know it was originally published in 1976, I would surely accuse this book of being written by the worst AI program ever.
Honestly, one of the most poorly written books I have ever read. I'm dumbfounded as to why this is a NYRB Book Club selection.
December 1, 2024
A quick, fun read, this crime novel threads a way from semi-amusing banter and interpersonal relationships between the private eye and everyone around him, and brutal violence and horror. Like many of the best noirish novels, the plot is not really as important as the tone, which hits a fun, but sort of awkward note here. There's a sort of romantic interest, though only in the loosest usage of the word. There's a best friend and assistant, who is, by turns, vital to the investigation, and a complete oaf. And then we have our inspector, who commits numerous crimes including murdering a police chief and still manages to make it out clean, with some minor debilitating injuries.
October 15, 2023
"It was obvious to me that I was fucked and I thought about the situation with a certain amused curiosity" (84).
"Obviously everywhere were incense sticks and burners and the place reeked of incense and myrrh. Well, incense in any case because I have no idea what myrrh smells like. I just said that to say it" (140).
"'Let's not waste any time, Tarpon, I'm on edge.'
He said this in a very flat tone, which made his words sound absolutely astonishing, as if a yogurt you'd just started to eat suddenly screamed, 'Hurry up! Finish me! I can't stand the pain of waiting!" (145).
"Obviously everywhere were incense sticks and burners and the place reeked of incense and myrrh. Well, incense in any case because I have no idea what myrrh smells like. I just said that to say it" (140).
"'Let's not waste any time, Tarpon, I'm on edge.'
He said this in a very flat tone, which made his words sound absolutely astonishing, as if a yogurt you'd just started to eat suddenly screamed, 'Hurry up! Finish me! I can't stand the pain of waiting!" (145).
December 25, 2023
A P.I. in the suburbs of Paris gets involved in an elaborate scheme with crooked police officials, heroin makers and all sorts of violent types. A pretty good plot, but this is clearly a series where many of the characters were introduced in previous stories, which made this one a bit confusing. Before reading this one, I would have liked to have figured out which came before it and read it/them. The whole thing would have been clearer.
December 24, 2024
torn between 3 and 4 stars; this was a quick and engaging read, but towards the end the book fell into chaos for me. Maybe I'm too primed by American Noir to expect everything to be wrapped up?
This is a French noir/crime novel (translated); at the time, Manchette was apparently the foremost French crime writer. Definitely more bloody than some other crime books I've read, but the protagonist is well written, with that signature dark humor of noir.
This is a French noir/crime novel (translated); at the time, Manchette was apparently the foremost French crime writer. Definitely more bloody than some other crime books I've read, but the protagonist is well written, with that signature dark humor of noir.
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