Prone Gunman
Prone GunmanJean-Patrick Manchette
Buy on Amazon

Prone Gunman (1981)

Jean-Patrick Manchette

Others: Positive

Martin Terrier is a hired killer who wants out of the game — so he can settle down and marry his childhood sweetheart. After all, that's why he took up this profession! But "the company" won't let him go: they have other plans. Once again, the gunman must assume the prone firing position. A tour de force, this violent tale shatters as many illusions about life and politics as it does bodies. Jean-Patrick Manchette subjects his characters and the reader alike to a fierce exercise in style. This tightly plotted, corrosive parody of "the success story" is widely considered to be Manchette's masterpiece, and was named a New York Times "Notable Book" in 2002. The Prone Gunman is a classic of modern noir.

ISBN:
9781781253915
Length:
180 pages

Genres: mystery, thriller

Lists: …

Similar books

1 of 6
  • He died with his eyes open

    Derek Raymond

    1984 · 210 pages · 2 reviews

    Others: Positive

    When a middle-aged alcoholic is found brutally battered to death on a roadside in West London, the case is assigned to a tough-talking cynic from the Department of Unexplained Deaths. Our narrator must piece together the history of his blighted existence and discover the agents of its cruel end. What he doesn’t expect is that digging for the truth will demand plenty of lying.

    Why?

    What made the match, strongest first

    On the same reading list
    69%
    Also mystery
    23%
    Bookpilled loved both
    8%
    Personalize your recommendations
  • Gone Girl

    Gillian Flynn

    2011 · 427 pages · 13 reviews

    Others: Overwhelmingly positive

    Gone Girl is a 2012 crime thriller novel by American writer Gillian Flynn. It was published by Crown Publishing Group in June 2012. The novel became popular and made the New York Times Best Seller list. The sense of suspense in the novel comes from whether or not Nick Dunne is involved in the disappearance of his wife Amy.

    Why?

    What made the match, strongest first

    Also mystery and thriller
    79%
    On 2 of the same lists
    17%
    Similar descriptions
    4%
    Personalize your recommendations
  • Dark Places

    Gillian Flynn

    2009 · 349 pages · 5 reviews

    Others: Leaning positive

    Libby Day tinha apenas sete anos quando testemunhou o brutal assassinato da mãe e das duas irmãs na fazenda da família. O acusado do crime foi seu irmão mais velho, que acabou condenado à prisão perpétua. Desde aquele dia, Libby passou a viver sem rumo. Uma vida paralisada no tempo, sem amigos, família ou trabalho. Mas, vinte e quatro anos depois, quando é procurada por um grupo de pessoas convencidas da inocência de seu irmão, Libby começa a se fazer as perguntas que até então nunca ousara formular. Será que a voz que ouviu naquela noite era mesmo a do irmão? Ben era considerado um desajustado na pequena cidade em que viviam, mas ele seria mesmo capaz de matar? Existiria algum segredo por trás daqueles assassinatos? Gillian Flynn intercala a trajetória detetivesca de Libby com flashbacks dos acontecimentos do dia dos crimes com tanta habilidade que o leitor é levado a diferentes direções. Escrito com primor, Lugares escuros não só mostra como a memória é passível de falhas, mas também evidencia as mentiras que uma criança pode contar a si mesma para superar um trauma.

    Why?

    What made the match, strongest first

    Also mystery and thriller
    83%
    On the same reading list
    14%
    Similar descriptions
    3%
    Personalize your recommendations
  • The Quiet Tenant

    Clemence Michallon

    2023 · 320 pages · 3 reviews

    Others: Negative

    Aidan Thomas is a hard-working family man and a somewhat beloved figure in the small upstate New York town where he lives. He’s the kind of man who always lends a hand and has a good word for everyone. But Aidan has a dark secret he’s been keeping from everyone in town and those closest to him. He’s a kidnapper and serial killer. Aidan has murdered eight women and there’s a ninth he has earmarked for death: Rachel, imprisoned in a backyard shed, fearing for her life. When Aidan’s wife dies, he and his thirteen-year-old daughter Cecilia are forced to move. Aidan has no choice but to bring Rachel along, introducing her to Cecilia as a “family friend” who needs a place to stay. Aidan is betting on Rachel, after five years of captivity, being too brainwashed and fearful to attempt to escape. But Rachel is a fighter and survivor, and recognizes Cecilia might just be the lifeline she has waited for all these years. As Rachel tests the boundaries of her new living situation, she begins to form a tenuous connection with Cecilia. And when Emily, a local restaurant owner, develops a crush on the handsome widower, she finds herself drawn into Rachel and Cecilia’s orbit, coming dangerously close to discovering Aidan’s secret.

    Why?

    What made the match, strongest first

    Also mystery and thriller
    55%
    On the same reading list
    43%
    Similar descriptions
    2%
    Personalize your recommendations
  • And Then There Were None

    Agatha Christie

    1939 · 223 pages · 9 reviews

    Others: Overwhelmingly positive

    And Then There Were None is a mystery novel by the English writer Agatha Christie, described by her as the most difficult of her books to write. It was first published in the United Kingdom by the Collins Crime Club on 6 November 1939, as Ten Little Niggers, after the children's counting rhyme and minstrel song, which serves as a major element of the plot. A US edition was released in January 1940 with the title And Then There Were None, which is taken from the last five words of the song. All successive American reprints and adaptations use that title, except for the Pocket Books paperbacks published between 1964 and 1986, which appeared under the title Ten Little Indians. UK editions continued to use the original title until the current definitive title appeared with a reprint of the 1963 Fontana Paperback in 1985. In 1990 Crime Writers' Association ranked And Then There Were None 19th in their The Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time list. In 1995 in a similar list Mystery Writers of America ranked the novel 10th. In September 2015, to mark her 125th birthday, And Then There Were None was named the "World's Favourite Christie" in a vote sponsored by the author's estate. In the "Binge!" article of Entertainment Weekly Issue #1343-44 (26 December 2014–3 January 2015), the writers picked And Then There Were None as an "EW favorite" on the list of the "Nine Great Christie Novels".

    Why?

    What made the match, strongest first

    Also mystery and thriller
    89%
    On the same reading list
    10%
    Similar descriptions
    1%
    Personalize your recommendations
  • The Big Sleep

    Raymond Chandler

    1939 · 229 pages · 3 reviews

    Others: Overwhelmingly positive

    Philip Marlowe, a private eye who operates in Los Angeles's seamy underside during the 1930s, takes on his first case, which involves a paralyzed California millionaire, two psychotic daughters, blackmail, and murder

    Why?

    What made the match, strongest first

    Also mystery
    45%
    On 2 of the same lists
    40%
    Bookpilled loved both
    15%
    Personalize your recommendations

Reviews1