Deception…

Deception On His Mind, by Elizabeth George sends one of her regular characters, Barbara Havers, on a solo job. She rushes off to the fictional sea-side town of Balford-le-Nez, where a recently arrived Pakistani has been found dead, apparently murdered. Havers soon gets the job of interfacing with the local Pakistani community, which is inflamed by racial tensions thanks to actors on both sides of the divide. As would be expected, there is a list of potential suspects ranging from ex-employees to fellow immigrants, all of which have motives and means.

George tells the whole story in the course of nearly five hundred pages. While some of it is repetitive, it’s a pleasure to read a thoroughly written book as opposed to the more slender, sparsely populated ones of late. There is the backdrop of a town on the skids with renewal on the way. There is the coming marriage of the deceased into a wealthy family looking to maintain their religious traditions amidst a more secular society. There is the dynamics between Havers and her temporary boss, a relationship that teeters on the brink now and then. Not to mention the friendship between two young women whose common history is now unraveling. George leaves nothing out, building a narrative of these and many more elements, all of which spin together in a world that is highly believable.

Deception On His Mind can be read without knowing all of Havers’ background through George’s other mysteries featuring her and Inspector Lynley. Therefore, those looking for a taste of this series will find it enjoyable.

Published in: on June 13, 2011 at 12:33 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Inside the Horror Show

While perusing my bookshelf the other day, I came across Gomorrah by Roberto Saviano. Quickly, I realized I was remiss in not reviewing this book here and in my other venues. Gomorrah is a view from inside the horrow show that is organized crime in Naples Italy. Flipping through the book, the stories of heartbreak, violence, and extortion came back to mind. Too often, crime becomes mythology. Bosses are wise men, underlings are doing the best the can, morality twists in moronic convulsions. Saviano shows there is nothing glamorous or likable about organized criminals. They cheat, steal, and kill with wanton vigor, always on the lookout for the next opportunity to abuse the innocent.

Where Mr. Saviano excels most is in the intimate accounts of individuals caught up in the mayhem caused by organized crime. The tailors, the shop keepers, the truck drivers, regular people are the most frequent victims. However, these are more than tales of woe. They are explanations of exactly how things go wrong, how difficult they are to fix, how there are too few good guys doing the right thing.

The author ventured into this world himself; he did not simply read other reports or talk to a few retired policemen. For his trouble, Mr. Saviano lives under constant threat from the subject he eloquently exposes. Good luck to him. He’s going to need it.

Published in: on May 24, 2011 at 6:01 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Hard Boiled and Hard Core

Box 21, by Anders Roslund and Borge Hellstrom, is a hard ball police work novel with a harsh look at the hard core of prostitution in Sweden. This novel begins in pieces, which over time are put together in ways one suspects but follows into the darkness. The reader meets two Lithuanian prostitutes sold as sex slaves, ostensibly to a pimp named Dimitri. Then there is an enforcer/killer for hire named Lang who is just out of prison. Inspector Ewert Grens and his partner Sven pivot between these characters as the action soon heats up. When one of the girls goes beserk and the police are called, the threads wind up tightly, in ways Grens would prefer the rest of the world never finds out. But Sven has more of a consience and pursues leads on his own initiative. In the mean time, there are a few dead end plot lines that could have been left out but do lend a bit of authentic confusion to the police work aspect of the story. This is the world of scum and their victims, hunters and hunted, the innocent and abused all writ intimately and without the gloss other stories use to polish over the depravity.

All in all, this is a bleak story, one with few redeeming messages. Right to the end, the reader will be looking for some light at the end of the tunnel. Warning: there isn’t much. Such is life as created by this team of authors. However, those readers who want a glimpse into the savage ways of human traficking will want to peer through this lense, if only to see how bad it can be and what happens when a person can’t take it anymore.

Published in: on May 14, 2011 at 1:33 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Intrigue in Iceland

Jar City, by Arnaldur Indridason, introduces Inspector Erlendur in this meandering tale of murder, cold cases, and dreary weather. Things start off with the murder of an old man, found in his apartment by the upstairs neighbors. Could be nothing but a break-in by a petty criminal thought to be looking for small money. Turns out the dead man is connected to a rape case many years ago. Inspector Erlendur starts down the trail and never looks back despite the misgivings of his team, the foul weather, and troubles in his own family (a daughter mixed up with dope).

Erlendur is not a brilliant man, but he is methodical and relentless. He has no life but his work and the regrets he carries about his children. Thus, he’s able to stay on point, chasing leads that sometimes dead end and other times hit paydirt. In the process, he makes the right connections in this case, which are not so surprising as they are satisfying.

I look forward to another installment with Inspector Erlendur, hoping the character grows in several dimentions as he works out his own demons and catches those committing crimes.

Published in: on May 9, 2011 at 11:49 pm  Leave a Comment  
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