"Three to Kill" by Jean-Patrick Manchette is a fast-paced French noir thriller that follows the story of Georges Gerfaut, a businessman who gets entangled in a dangerous situation after stopping to help a motorist involved in a supposed accident. As Georges tries to unravel why he is being targeted by hired assassins, the narrative unfolds with unexpected twists and brutal events. The writing style is described as spare, elegant, and gripping, with a cool, detached tone that adds to the intensity of the story. Manchette's portrayal of a man caught in a web of violence and intrigue in a neoconservative world is both compelling and thought-provoking.

Characters:

Characters are richly drawn, reflecting a variety of societal roles and complexities, including both mundane and morally ambiguous traits.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is characterized by concise, impactful language with a mix of humor and a detached perspective on violence.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot examines how a simple act of kindness can lead to becoming entangled in a violent world, highlighting themes of violence and capitalism.

Setting:

The setting reflects modern France, blending everyday life with an undercurrent of violence and societal critique.

Pacing:

The pacing is quick and relentless, keeping readers engaged through rapid action and suspense.

And sometimes what used to happen was what is happening now: Georges Gerfaut is driving on Paris’s outer ring road. He has entered at the Porte d’Ivry. It is two-thirty or maybe three-fifteen in the m...

Notes:

Jean-Patrick Manchette was a French crime novelist who revitalized the genre in France during the 1970s.

He blended extreme violence with sharp social and political commentary.

The protagonist in 'Three to Kill', Georges Gerfaut, is an ordinary man who becomes a target of hit men after trying to help a crash victim.

Manchette's works have a cinematic quality, often compared to films like 'Pulp Fiction' and 'Kill Bill'.

He was a jazz saxophonist, which influenced the music references in his novels.

Cars and firearms are given special attention in his stories, adding glamour to the narrative.

His political views, particularly on capitalism, are evident in his characterizations and plotlines.

Manchette's characters often deal with the corrupting power of money and violence in society.

He created well-rounded villains, showing their humanity and quirks, making them relatable in a dark context.

The humor in Manchette's writing, alongside its brutality, adds a unique flavor to his narratives.

The book provides a commentary on the alienation felt by people in modern society, paralleling the existential themes seen in works by Dostoevsky and Camus.

Readers often identify with the lead character's longing for adventure and escape from mundane life.

Despite its darkness, Manchette's writing has been praised for its directness and the lack of superfluous language.

Only a few of Manchette's works have been translated into English, sparking interest in more translations.

'Three to Kill' has a brisk pace and is noted for its compact structure and tight storytelling.

Manchette's style is described as spare, with no wasted words, allowing for a fast and engaging read.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings include violence, potential references to torture, and social strife related to capitalism and class struggles.

From The Publisher:

His books are all action, unfolding with a laconic efficiency that would make his killers proud.-The Economist

Businessman Georges Gerfaut witnesses a murder-and is pursued by the killers. His conventional life knocked off the rails, Gerfaut turns the tables and sets out to track down his pursuers. Along the way, he learns a thing or two about himself. . . . Manchette-masterful stylist, ironist, and social critic-limns the cramped lives of professionals in a neoconservative world.

Manchette has appropriated and subverted the classic thriller with] descriptions of undiluted action, violence and suspense and] a perspective on evil, a disenchanted world of manipulation and fury. . . .-Times Literary Supplement

The petty exigencies of the classic thriller find themselves summarily reduced to cremains by the fiery blue jets of Jean-Patrick Manchette's concision, intelligence, tension, and style.-Jim Nisbet, author of Lethal Injection and Prelude to a Scream

Manchette is a must for the reading lists of all noir fans. . . . Manchette deserves a higher profile among noir fans.-Publishers Weekly

Manchette . . . performs miracles within this simple story. His style is very matter of fact, stark and almost cool like the jazz his hero or anti-hero Gerfaut devours at every opportunity. Yet in this short novel there is no lack of atmosphere, excitement, characters or descriptive writing, it is just the total lack of unnecessary material that makes the story seem so lean and mean.-Norman Price, EuroCrime

A social satire cum suspense equally interested in dissecting everyday banalities and manufacturing thrills. Writing with economy, deadpan irony, and an eye for the devastating detail, Manchette spins pulp fiction into literature.-Kirkus Reviews

While there isn't much that's obviously moral-in the good-versus-evil sense- this novel] demonstrate s] why Manchette is hailed as the man who kicked the French crime novel or 'polar' out of the apolitical torpor into which it had fallen by the time he started publishing his 'neo-polars' in the 1970s. . . . Grim and cerebral as they feel, it's remarkable how comic-in an absurdist, laugh-or-you'll-cry way-these books are, as if Manchette had decided that poking fun at the products of the capitalist system were the fittest way to attack the system itself.-Jennifer Howard, Boston Review

The pace is fast, the action sequences are superb, and the effect is just as striking as it must have been when the book was first published in 1976.-Laura Wilson, The Guardian

T]he novel is brilliantly written, replete with allusions to art, literature, and music, papered with the very texture and furniture of our lives. Manchette is Camus on overdrive, at one and the same time white-hot, ice-cold. He deserves much the same attention.-James Sallis, Review of Contemporary Fiction

Jean-Patrick Manchette (1942-1995) rescued the French crime novel from the grip of stodgy police procedurals-restoring the noir edge by virtue of his post-1968 leftism. Today, Manchette is a totem to the generation of French mystery writers who came in his wake. Jazz saxophonist, political activist, and screen writer, Manchette was influenced as much by Guy Debord as by Gustave Flaubert. City Lights has published more of his work, including The Gunman.

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Three to Kill

Jean-Patrick Manchette