"What makes Izzo's work haunting is his extraordinary ability to convey the tastes and smells of Marseilles." --The New Yorker "Our last true romantic, Jean-Claude Izzo transmits warmth to his readers, as if granting them a mouthful of pure love." --Le Point (France) "Just as Raymond Chandler and James Ellroy made Los Angeles their very own, so Mr. Izzo has made Marseilles so much more than just another geographical setting." --The Economist

Jean-Claude Izzo was born in Marseilles, France, in 1945. He achieved astounding success with his Marseilles Trilogy ("Total Chaos," "Chourmo," "Solea"). In addition to the books in this trilogy, his two novels ("The Lost Saliors," and "A Sun for the Dying") and one collection of short stories ("Vivre fatigue") also enjoy great success with both critics and the public. Izzo died in 2000 at the age of fifty-five.