THE N'GUSTRO AFFAIR by Jean-Patrick Manchette

 

THE N'GUSTRO AFFAIR by Jean-Patrick Manchette; Translated by Donald Nicholson-Smith and Introduction by Gary Indiana (NYRB)

Crime fiction writing deals with space between the image and the words and the talent to enter and leave as quickly as possible. The French author Jean-Patrick Manchette seems to be in the position of being an excellent writer, and the ability to express action, not only in a physical sense but also in its intelligence. There are certain writers one can learn from, and Manchette and Richard Stark are both writers who know how to move the narration at a speed where one turns the page after another because one may know how it ends but love the journey to getting there. 

The N'GUSTRO Affair is based on the kidnapping and killing of Mehdi Ben Barka of Morocco. Still, Manchette turns the novel focusing on Henri Butron, a psychopath thug thrown into a world that he doesn't understand and just a puppet among the others who are pulling and controlling the strings. A tight and beautifully put-together novel, which again reminds me of the mechanics of the  Parker series by Richard Stark. Not a wasted word, and therefore every thought expressed, although in a minimalist manner of stark perfection. 

"No Room At The Morgue" by Jean-Patrick Manchette, Afterword by Howard A. Rodman (NYRB)

 

ISBN: 978-1-68137-418-5

As I live on in the 21st-century, I'm finding less pleasure in everyday life, except for the novels by Jean-Patrick Manchette (1942-1995).  "No Room at the Morgue" is unusual (so far) compared to his other narratives because the main character is a private detective.  Like a classic crime-noir novel, there are colorful characters in an iconic city, that's Paris.  The placement of a crime novel is always using the location as if it's another character.  I often wish that their fiction section is organized in a bookstore in what city the story takes place.  If I want to read a Parisian story, I go to the Paris section of the store. 

Manchette is one of the great crime writers, and what gives him that edge is that his world is very much part of the May '68 world or rebellion and the failure of that movement.  Usually, in classic detective novels, there is the background of war or an economic downturn that fuels the narrative in some form or method.  Manchette is no different in using contemporary (at then) life, and making it very much part of the world of the characters, and how they operate in such a manner.  

Harold A. Rodman's afterword is a dessert after a delicious main meal, the novel itself.  Once again, the New York Review of Books has put together a masterful package. 

"Fatale" by Jean-Patrick Manchette

A tough little superb French noir novel that is sort of a revenge against the rich and mighty, but also a snapshot image of class difference and hatred due to that difference. The main character is sort of a professional serial killer, who is a shark looking for the rich to kill. And like all classic noir novels, there is not a wasted word in the book. Manchette for sure has that "it" quality down, and i pray that more of this late writer's work will come out. So far three novels and two graphic novels in English. More? More