When he left Nauzac at nineteen Martin Terrier had a life plan: Make enough money to return in a decade and retrieve his girlfriend Anne Freux. Whatever his plan, he joined the army, moved on to mercenary work, then was recruited by a “firm” as a hired killer, an assassin. Now that he wants to leave that life, the firm objects. He goes anyway to find Anne has married while he was gone. Then the turmoil begins.

There are murders and kidnappings that Martin gets caught up in, caused by his former boss at the shadowy firm. He’s meant to be a scapegoat. There’s the Anne issue. Maybe he comes out on top – it’s subject to interpretation. And then there’s his father’s legacy. There’s more to the story than assassinations, murder and conspiracies. That’s what set this book aside from others of the genre. ( )

Beautifully written and spare, this story of a less-than-brilliant gunman looking to retire is a bit reminiscent of something James Sallis at his best might write. The situations and the settings are all very well done. There is even a bit of humor. This is about as noir as it gets. Obviously, a great translation! ( )

A dark, violent piece of French Noir. A quick brutal read that turned me into a fan of Manchette overnight. Certainly not for everyone, but should be high on the list of any brutal crime fiction fan. ( )

Martin Terrier is an excellent and highly compensated assassin. But now, at age 28, it is time for him to retire. Ten years previously he left his hometown as an impoverished youth, telling Anne the rich girl he loved that he would be back in ten years to claim her after having made his fortune. Unfortunately, the organization he works for does not want to let him go. Murder and mayhem ensue--this is noir, noir most violent and gory. I lost track of the body count early on.

The author wrote ten short novels in the 1970's and early 1980's which were described as "violent existential explorations of the human condition and French society." His books have many fans, and a couple have been reissued as NYRB books. I found the prose and writing of this book to be good, but I found the story became a bit farcical--I'm just not a fan of crime books (or movies) that are "all action." I've now read two books by this author, and I'm done.

2 1/2 stars ( )

Brutally effective policier that goes a tad bonkers at the end. Obviously it had almost nothing at all to do with the movie but there was enough here to make me want to find some other Manchette work. ( )