The gunman

English language

Published Nov. 5, 2015 by Profile Books.

ISBN:
978-1-78125-391-5
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OCLC Number:
898155653

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3 stars (2 reviews)

Deadly professional assassin Martin Terrier returns to Paris after his latest job determined to get out of the game. Ten years ago he made a promise to return to his childhood sweetheart in the south of France. But circumstances put Martin's attempted retirement on hold: a key target is flying in to Paris, and there is only one man fit for the task of eliminating him. As Martin flees southwards, desperate to return to the crushing mediocrity of life in a backwater town, he finds his former employers will stop at nothing to regain his services for one last job. Bursting with Gallic irony and visceral brutality, The Gunman (originally published in English as The Prone Gunman) is a shocking and sardonic masterpiece from the late, great master of the French crime novel, J-P Manchette.

1 edition

Review of 'The gunman' on 'Storygraph'

3 stars

This is a weird little book. The writing is sparse, clean and brutal and reads really well. It’s definitely 1970s/1980s noir; very violent and full of unpleasant characters. The “hero” in particular is completely despicable. The plot zips along nicely for first two thirds but then disintegrates in various bizarre directions. The ending is total nonsense and is followed by a few paragraphs that read like summaries of a longer novel. I enjoyed the pace of the book early on but don’t think I’ll read any more.

Subjects

  • Suspense fiction
  • Fiction

Places

  • Paris
  • Paris (France)
  • France