Chourmo - Winner of the Deutscher Krimi-Preis, Kategorie International 2001

Book two in the Marseilles trilogy

"In Marseilles, you weren't just from one neighborhood, one project. You were chourmo. In the same galley, rowing! Trying to get out. Together."

Fabio Montale has left a police force marred by corruption, racism and greed to follow the placid rhythms of his native town: the sea, fishing, and the local bar. But getting out is not going to be so easy. When his cousin's son goes missing, Montale is dragged back into the mean streets of a violent, crime-infested Marseilles. To discover the truth about the boy's disappearance, he infiltrates a dangerous underworld of mobsters, religious fanatics, crooked cops and ordinary people driven to extremes by desperation.

This second novel in Izzo's acclaimed Marseilles trilogy is a touching tribute to the author's beloved city, in all its color and complexity. Fabio Montale is an unwitting hero in this city of melancholy beauty.