Francis Carco (1886–1958)

vivid passages of the faubourgs in Paris during the années folles

Really enjoyed this story of guilt, poverty, shame and a touch of love set in lowlife Paris. It has the atmosphere of Simenon and seems to preempt Camus and L'etranger. The relationship of Lampier and Leontine is at the heart of the story and a murder. They find themselves isolated by their secret which should separate them but in fact brings them together.

Great cover design - man in hat, tie, suit smoking a cigarette, gallows and decadence all around.

Infamy (La Lumiere Noire) by Francis Carco.
Opium, cocaine, incest, lesbians, etc.. Racier bits are subtly suggested. Wild stories with minimal and unpredictable plots, mainly psychological portraits . Highly recommended, long out of print. Also recommended: Perversity, Only a Woman, Depravity.