The prone gunman - Jean-Patrick Manchette

A deadly professional assassin prized for his aim and reflexes, Martin Terrier returns to Paris after his latest job determined to get out of the game. Ten years ago he made a promise to return to his childhood sweetheart in the south of France, and he wants to get married and settle down. But his employers have other plans. A key target - an Arab oil magnate - is flying in to Paris, and there is only one man fit for the task of eliminating him. As Martin is tailed southwards, it appears his employers will stop at nothing to regain his service.
In a style ruthlessly stripped of all sentiment, Jean-Patrick Manchette delivers a masterclass in lean, muscular storytelling. Each moment in the suspense plot is described in forensic detail, and violent shocks are executed with unflinching accuracy. Perhaps most compelling are the tantalising glimpses ? betrayed by the barest physical ticks ? that Manchette offers us into the otherwise inscrutable inner life of his protagonist, the prone gunman.