Jean-Patrick Manchette revolutionized the French Polar. In a production totally uninteresting, except, of course, books of Léo Malet, he is suddenly appeared as a comet struck a resounding blow of thunder and then left the scene too quickly. Baudelaire said Poe "it came as beautiful as the Genius". Cuff was the "good spirit" (it should curl if he reads this) Polar French. These black novels are of the same caliber (38) in terms of impact than Mc Bain, Stark, Hammett, Himes, Petievich, Wambaugh and associates. As for me (very personal matter of taste), I really partial to "full Morgue." As for Tarpon is a kind of busted Marlowe, without scale or pride. This character, very successful, moves in a violence, a dark and dirty tricks particularly well arranged. Everything is read. Everything is managed. And if, one day, the Pleiades considering making one or two volumes to the glory of the Great Polar, major genre when those who run it are real "storytellers" (as were, in their time, Stevenson Doyle or Dumas), Cuff will his place.
