Manchette, Jean-Patrick (1942-95). Author of several works of crime fiction (many of them filmed) in the new-style polar manner [see Detective Fiction], of which he is one of the principal exponents. His work blends the strands of American hard-boiled detective fiction with a post- May 1968 vision of an entirely corrupt bourgeois world. Echoes of contemporary political events, such as the affaire Ben Barka, can be found in his books, of which L'affaire N'Gustro (1971), Nada (1972), Morgue pleine (1973, also published as Polar), Fatale (1977), and La Position du tireur couché (1981) are among the best known. He is also a critic, screen-writer, and author of bandes dessinées.
— Ian Revie
