Marseilles

by Alan Caillou

The second novel in Caillou's mystery-adventure series featuring Mike Benasque, former OSS agent, now an out-of-work journalist, hired to pentetrate a French terrorist organization

186 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

Reviews

[Patrick Baird · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first exposure to the fiction of Alan Caillou, and based on how much I enjoyed it, I plan to make room on my bookshelf for more of his works. It's a action adventure tale set in the seedier side of Marseilles, where the protagonist is given the assignment of uncovering the truth about a French Nationalist terrorist organization. Since he is only a journalist, he spends most of the book getting his ass kicked, chased, and having people around him get killed, rather than shoot or slug his way out of situations. There's a nice twist towards the end, with just enough sex and violence to keep your blood going at a gentle boil.

Caillou is one of those solid, unspectacular pros from back in the day that just churned out entertaining stories; he's the kind of writer I aspire to emulate.