October Reviews
October Reviews
This month's reviews: Clean Cut (Lynda La Plante), The
Uncommon Reader (Alan Bennett),
The Chameleon's Shadow (Minette
Walters), The Bone Garden (Tess Gerritsen), Isabella Moon (Laura
Benedict), Kennedy's Brain (Henning Mankell), Gods Behaving
Badly (Marie Phillips), Murder M ost Fab (Julian Clary), The
Messenger of Athens (Anne Zouroudi), Making Money (Terry Pratchett),
Natural
History (Neil Cross), The Quiet Girl (Peter Høeg), The
Ghost (Robert Harris), Not In The Flesh (Ruth Rendell),
CLEAN CUT
by Lynda La Plante
ISBN 9780743295734
503 pages
SIMON & SCHUSTER
October 1 2007
$29.95
reviewed by Denise Pickles
October 1 2007
CLEAN CUT opens on a sour note, with Anna Travis fulminating because her one time boss and current lover, James Langton, is late home for another ruined dinner. Her feelings set the tone for the remainder of the book, in which La Plante gives rein to her own reactions to the state of Great Britain today. Travis quickly overcomes her resentments when she learns that James has been gravely injured, with machete slashes to the chest and thigh. Despite ominous predictions, Langton survives and, almost miraculously, even recovers to the extent of being able to stand and then walk again. Anna takes him home with her to recuperate but, inevitably, the two strong characters clash and eventually Langton walks out, determined to work on his own case and make sure that justice is visited on the man who did his best to kill him. There are even faint resonances with one of Ian Rankin's earlier works in matters of corpse disposal -- but hey, everyone knows pigs are virtually omnivorous
There are some nasty murders going down. Library worker Irene Phelps is murdered and her body found by her own young daughter. Anna is assigned to the case. A young, very beautiful prostitute, Carly Ann North, has also been murdered and her murderer, an illegal immigrant named Idris Krasinque, is in custody, apparently terrified of retribution through voodoo.
This is a very disturbing novel, on more than one level. The author uses the work to rail against the disintegration of the British system. Because of overcrowded prisons, dangerous offenders are allowed out into the community on parole. Illegal immigrants are controlling a hefty slice of criminal activity and the police are virtually hamstrung in their attempts to overcome crime. .
The introduction of voodoo into this work reflects the real life case of the young boy whose dismembered body was found in the Thames. The two people called into the case as consultants about voodoo, Dr Salaam and his wife Esme, are interesting constructs and are very useful to Langton and his team.
Almost everything that is going wrong with British society is held up for criticism in this work, from the overcrowded prison system to the NHS. Given the combination of the author's television work and her literary efforts, one can hope that she may be able to stir the collective conscience of the powers that be to try to remedy the more egregious transgressions against society.
The relationship Anna Travis has with James Langton in this outing reflects the state of British society in that it develops deep cracks. Langton is not the man to whom readers have become accustomed but displays tendencies that I, for one, hope are quashed before La Plante resurrects him for the next adventure.
THE UNCOMMON READER
by Alan Bennett
ISBN 9781846680496
124 pages
faber and faber
Profile Books
October 5 2007
$24.95
reviewed by Denise Pickles
September 26 2005
Here's a delightful little fable for our times. Unlike the stories in the popular (?) press, perhaps it won't get the collective knickers of the Palace in a knot, either -- unless they resent the way Her Majesty is portrayed as being possibly somewhat below normal intelligence.
The Queen's corgis occasionally make her the subject of criticism. The adventure, into which they plunge Queen Elizabeth at the outset of this miniature diamond of a tale, would make them more loathed than their reputation would attribute to them. Instead of running out of the garden and up the front stairs of the palace, as is their habit, they take an unaccustomed detour and lead their majestic mistress toward a mobile library. Apologetically, Queen Elizabeth follows them and feels that she must, in the interest of good manners, borrow a book. She also encounters a skivvy, Norman, from the royal kitchens and strikes up a conversation with him, something that has a great effect on the two lives directly involved, and, in the way of a ripple effect, on the whole nation.
Deprived of literature her entire life (what? Could the Admirable Crawfie really have so deprived her young charges, the Little Princesses? Still, that was Real Life while this is a Fabulous Fiction) the Queen suddenly plunges herself into literary adventures to the detriment of her official duties. Instead of being a paragon of punctuality, she suddenly discovers the pleasures of making the rest of the world wait upon her pleasure. Just one more chapter?
Norman, despite having been elevated from the kitchens, falls foul of officialdom and is exiled to university until the night he is called upon to serve Her Highness at dinner-- but sulks at her in the process. Discovering that her resentful courtiers have disposed of the gay lad, she reinstates him, at the same time uninstating those who caused Norman's involuntary exile.
This truly is a gem of literature. While it may not be of the dimensions of a literary Koh-i-noor, it certainly exceeds its brilliance. Despite its relatively few pages, it manages to encompass a huge volume of societal barbs, literate observations and an Aladdin's Lamp of wishful thinking. Mind, as an humble but ignorant subject of the Queen, I would like to think her grasp of literature, prior to her encounter with Norman, is not as faint as is portrayed, but for the purposes of this little volume, it is adequately slight.
Of course, given the author of the tale, it could not be anything other than brilliant. His conclusion to the story is appropriate and makes one wonder if he could extend to a sequel.
For all the volume is so slim, that could also be seen as an advantage. It can easily be consumed in under two hours, so if it comes your way, grab it.
THE CHAMELEON'S SHADOW
by Minette Walters
ISBN 9781741752298
385 pages
ALLEN & UNWIN
October 5 2006
$32.95
reviewed by Denise Pickles
September 26 2007
It's a pleasure to see Minette Walters on booksellers' shelves once more, with a full length novel. She is, to my mind, one of the more competent and intriguing British authors of our time, elegant in both prose and person.
The novel opens in November 2006 with a newspaper clipping detailing the murder of a one time soldier, a murder for which the police are appealing to the gay community of London for help with its solution.
The action resumes in Iraq, with a Muslim cameraman capturing on camera an explosion which blows up part of a convoy of trucks, causing a British Scimitar to become airborne and all but one of its crew to be killed. The survivor is twenty-six year old Lieutenant Charles Acland but his injuries are horrific. He is repatriated to England but his recovery in hospital is slow. He has no memory of the events surrounding his wounding, he is intolerant (for good reason) of his parents' visits and seems especially inimical to women. Of course, the fact that his fiancée, Jen, has severed their relationship might provide some small reason for that although it would scarcely seem likely that he would take against the entire sex because of the actions of one of their number. Still, Jen doesn't seem to make a permanently good impression on anyone who meets her in the hospital environment.
Charles takes up life in London but discovers just how violent his post-injury self has become. He attacks a Pakistani in a London pub but is cared for by the part owner of the pub, a woman doctor named Jackson. He comes to the notice of the police who, despite his alibi for crucial times, seem to think there is a possibility he is the gay killer. For a short time he lives on the street, being befriended by an old soldier who also takes an interest in a teenaged boy recently diagnosed as a Type One diabetic, a lad who manages to go into a diabetic (as opposed to hypoglycaemic) coma.
There are, of course, further murders and naturally Charles seems an ideal suspect. He doesn't seem particularly interested in self preservation but then, he doesn't seem to resent Jackson overmuch, despite her gender.
The characterisation in this tale doesn't seem quite as strong as is Walters' usual wont. Jackson, the butch woman doctor, is very well done but other characters are not as vivid. The mystery, too , doesn't seem quite so well camouflaged. Undeniably, the author has done a competent job, one which would be admired in any other author, but she isn't any other author. Readers have come to expect spectacularly brilliant work from Walters and I fear this outing does not quite measure up to her usual standard. Nevertheless, I shall look forward with great enthusiasm to when her next title is released and hope wholeheartedly that she returns to her more usual form.
THE BONE GARDEN
by Tess Gerritsen
ISBN 9780593057780
370 pages
BANTAM PRESS
October 1 2007
$32.95
reviewed by Denise Pickles
September 13 2007
Tess Gerritsen has always, since the first time I encountered her writing in THE SURGEON, seemed to me to be the very embodiment of a Goddess of Grue. Perhaps this is understandable since, as a medical doctor, she is more comfortable than the rest of us with innards and the sloshy red stuff we have circulating around our bodies. THE BONE GARDEN seems to have given her even more scope for paddling through the plasma and galumphing through the gore. Not only does she have a serial killer roaming through the streets of Boston but she has the barely describable horrors of all the possible ills attendant upon childbirth.
Julia Hamill is attempting to recover from her divorce. Having bought an old house, she is doing her best to begin making it presentable and welcoming. While trying to conquer a difficult part of the garden, Julia unearths a skeleton. It is an old skeleton, dating back to the nineteenth century, unlike the body of the previous owner, a woman in her nineties, whose corpse had also lain amongst the grass in Julia's garden.
The action of the novel alternates between the present day and the nineteenth century, where the history of Rose Connolly is related. Rose's sister dies after a difficult childbirth but Rose won't permit the babe, Meggie, to be placed as an orphan. Instead, Rose pays a woman to care for her whilst attempting to support herself.
At the same time, Norris Marshall is a medical student, together with friends including Oliver Wendell Holmes. To eke out a precarious living, Norris has taken up illegal employment as a resurrectionist, a man who digs up recently interred corpses, for the delectation and education of medical students such as himself. But then a killer begins working in the area and Norris falls under suspicion.
As previously indicated, the book contains its share of horrific descriptions but, to my mind, at least, does not have the customary strength of plotting one has come to expect of Tess Gerritsen. Perhaps what must have been a tremendous amount of research has tended to take the author's mind off the rest of the story for the tale seemed less gripping than Gerritsen's usual offerings.
Gerritsen's characterisations are done with her customary skill but I felt there were a few loose ends that might have been tied off with more panache.
While Maura Isles, one of Gerritsen's familiar characters, makes a brief
appearance, Detective Jane Rizzoli does not. I can't help but wonder if
the dauntless duo had featured in the story, it might not have had more
of a gripping quality than it does.
ISABELLA MOON
by Laura Benedict
ISBN 9780434017058
351 pages
WILLIAM HEINEMANN
October 1 2007
$32.95
reviewed by Denise Pickles
September 15 2007
The novel begins prosaically enough, with Kate Russell sitting in the Carystown Sheriff's Office. It quickly becomes apparent that Kate is not numbered amongst the boldest souls of the town, but what she has to report is certainly intimidating. She wishes to tell the Sheriff, Bill Delaney, where the body of Isabella Moon can be found, approximately two years after the girl's disappearance. Kate has been summoned from a dream by Isabella and led to a smelly area which she quickly realises is the location of the child's makeshift grave. Then, of course, Kate is faced with the long walk home again-- proving reality is indeed upon her.
Lillian and Francie Cayley are Kate's closest friends in Carystown. They are black women and there seems to be some colour bar that prevents Francie acknowledging that she and Paxton Birkenshaw, the area's richest man, are lovers. Neither Lillian, Francie's mother, nor Freida, Paxton's mother, would approve of the situation. The couple, however, has a hideaway where they can meet in secret to satisfy the appetites they must keep hidden.
Kate, or Mary Katie as she was known in her former life, has a lot to hide. She dribbles information to the reader about her reasons for moving to Carystown and, in the process, doesn't give a terribly good impression of her ability to choose men nor to run her own life.
Of course, there are other deaths and of course Kate is not restricted to the shade of Isabella Moon in her supernatural encounters.
The characterisations are not particularly strong in this outing. If I met Kate in real life, I would, at the risk of being subject to an assault charge, be tempted to give Kate a good shaking. Her friend Francie is not the boldest soul in the catalogue either -- in this day and age would a young, strong minded woman really consent to keeping a long standing relationship under wraps because of her colour?
Of the people who partake of the action of the book, the characters who made the strongest impressions on me (apart from the violent baddies) were Francie's mother Lillian and Kate's boss Janet. Even so, I had reservations about Lillian.
One of the more attractive characters in the novel is the sheriff, Bill Delaney. Perhaps it was because of him that it became necessary to introduce a theme that seems inescapable in this day and age: drugs.
The plot tended to stutter along rather slowly although the "I see dead people" theme, for all it has been done to death of recent years, is still enough to be interesting, if well handled.
Despite my criticisms of the book, I think the author shows promise. One must bear in mind that it is, after all, a first novel so allowances should be made. Perhaps Laura Benedict might consider introducing a little levity into her next effort to make the narrative a trifle more attractive.
If the author has already written a successor to ISABELLA MOON,
one hopes she is not too proud to take a good look at it and, if necessary
do some judicious editing, with particular attention being paid to characterisation
before the final draft.
KENNEDY'S BRAIN
by Henning Mankell
translated by Laurie Thompson
ISBN 9781846550317
328 pages
Harvill Secker
October 1 2007
$32.95
reviewed by Denise Pickles
September 20 2007
No prizes for guessing that Henning Mankell feels very strongly about the AIDS crisis in Africa and the way the drug companies are using and abusing the African people. Mankell, in fact, postulates that said companies are deliberately infecting people with the virus. No doubt if the companies were charged with the crimes, they would plead that it was in the interests of the greater good and the individuals doing the infecting would be doing so only to follow orders. Mankell's hatred and anger fair seethe through the text of this excellently written work.
Louise Cantor is an archaeologist on a dig in Greece. She must deliver a paper in Sweden and makes sporadic attempts to contact her son, Henrik, after leaving Greece. She lets herself into his flat in Stockholm and is horrified to discover Henrik's corpse.
The police are certain Henrik committed suicide but Louise, who is convinced she knows her son better than anyone alive, knows that would be impossible. She has, in fact, good reason to believe this from various clues in Henrik's flat but she determines to examine his papers and track down his killers. Surprisingly, the police have diagnosed the cause of death as being barbiturates. Given that they are rather difficult to come by in this modern age, it's somewhat strange he didn't avail himself of the more readily obtainable benzodiazepines but perhaps Mr. Mankell is not quite au fait with the modern hypnotics of choice.
Louise travels to Australia, specifically to Victoria's Apollo Bay, in order to locate Henrik's father Aron and apprise him of their son's death. Aron, the man who seizes on any and every opportunity to run away from things, accompanies Louise back to Sweden but it is not long before he once again vanishes. Louise, still on the trail of whomever was responsible for her son's demise, travels to Africa in search of further scraps of Henrik's life. She needs, too, to discover how Henrik became HIV positive.
The main theme is, of course, the perfidy of the developed world in the exploitation of third world cultures and peoples. In portraying this, the author does a sparklingly good job. His depiction of a bereaved mother too, is excellently done. The character of Henrik never comes clear, but, after all, his is an enigmatic face. His girlfriend, Lucinda, however, is portrayed vividly and she comes to life as intensely as Louise.
The African landscape itself is also well drawn. No doubt, if the reader were to visit Maputo, he would experience a sense of deja vu when regarding the landscape.
Laurie Thompson has translated the text and while I have no means of comparing the translation with the original, not being a Swedish speaker, at least I can appreciate the way the prose flows with no hint of hesitation in the stream.
I must say that of all Mankell's works that I have read, KENNEDY'
BRAIN seems to be the one into which the author has poured most of
his passion but, despite this, there areplaces where the action drags.
GODS BEHAVING BADLY
by Marie Phillips
ISBN 9780224081320
277 pages
JONATHAN CAPE
LONDON
October 1 2007
$32.95
reviewed by Denise Pickles
October 2 2007
Where would the old Greek gods take up residence, were they run off Mount Olympus? Certainly not at the base of it but perhaps North London? Mind, if they lived within sound of Bow Bells it might do something for their Greek accents but at least they are living (if the jacket illustration can be believed) within sight of the London Eye. Come to think of it, though, where, in all London, is out of sight of that gigantic ferris wheel?
Apollo is really not a nice fellow, god or no god. Why go around pressing unwanted attentions on reluctant mortals unless your ulterior motive is to increase the arboreal population of the earth? Still, we shouldn't forget Trees For Life, I suppose. He isn't much on keeping his dwelling place clean, either, but then, neither are his siblings. Thus it comes to pass that the divine presences find themselves in need of a cleaner. They really can't afford one but perhaps they can go without luxuries, such as food, in order to pay for it.
Neil and Alice are two mortals who watch the taping of Apollo's debut as a television psychic. Unfortunately, they are caught on camera and recognised. Alice works as a cleaner on the channel and is fired for her transgression. She decides to go freelance and, coincidentally, applies at the house of the gods where she is snapped up (no, not snapped at by Cerberus -- that comes later) to begin work in that utterly unsalubrious atmospehre.
This is yet another retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice story, one that would no doubt have Jacques Offenbach rolling around in the aisles. After all, how WOULD the deities behave in close proximity to modern mortals? Even Jupiter has a cameo appearance, though he doesn't thereby cover himself in glory. He is, in fact, dementing, the pitiable divine progenitor -- well, he must needs be older than the other gods, mustn't he, in order to be their sire?
This is a good fun romp for anyone who doesn't take their theology too
seriously (Eros has converted to Christianity and is tending toward the
evangelical.) I intend keeping an eye out for this debutante in case
she has other deities set for demolition in the future.
MURDER MOST FAB
by Julian Clary
ISBN 9780091922474
345 pages
EBURY PRESS
October 1 2007
$32.95
reviewed by Denise Pickles
October 8 2007
Anyone who has ever seen Julian Clary on television is not likely to expect restraint. Just as well, since they are unlikely to find it in his debut novel MURDER MOST FAB. From its Erythrocin pink and lemon yellow cover, through all the high camp adventures of Johnny Debonair to its inevitable ending, Julian Clary is unlikely to banish impressions gleaned by his admirers -- and others.
In Chapter One, Johnny Debonair discloses what is, to me, the most surprising dollop of knowledge of the book. The prostitute has a business card! I wonder how much use such advertising would be. He enrolls in the Lewisham School of Musical Theatre, expecting to be the next Michael Crawford, but his life wanders into unexpected by-ways after he meets nurse Catherine in the place where he boards. It turns out that Catherine, in her off hours, supplements her nursing award as a bawd. An invitation from her to give her some help in dealing with a lustful duo sees Johnny's launch into an unexpected but profitable career.
Part time prostitution seems an unlikely platform from which to launch a television presenter but so it happens. It takes only minimal time, too, to begin Johnny's career as a serial killer. Strangely, it's not so much because he's bad that Johnny becomes a murderer, it's all because he is kind hearted and obliging. After that, it becomes a matter of self preservation.
This is an entertaining and amusing piece that paints an illuminating picture of a professional of various careers. I was quite impressed with Clary's ability, both in plotting and use of language. The deepest characterisation was, naturally enough, bestowed upon the extroverted Johnny but I felt Clary made a pretty good fist, so to speak, of Catherine, as well. She seemed, to me, to project a subtle air of evil. Johnny's fate may have been far more innocuous had he not met her. For that matter, so might his victims'.
Julian Clary has proven himself an accomplished (from the
point of view of some) entertainer in one medium. It will be interesting
to see if he can continue entertaining as an author.
THE MESSENGER OF ATHENS
by Anne Zouroudi
ISBN 9780747583516
BLOOMSBURY
October 5 2007
$29.95
reviewed by Denise Pickles
October 9 2007
Here's a pleasant little tale redolent of fish, forbidden love, human frailty and the Greek Islands, with a dash of the supernatural thrown in for good measure. Well, it's pleasant if you concentrate only on the nice characters and on the surroundings and simple village life.
The prologue is gruesome enough, with a corpse, somewhat the worse for wear and birds, being winched from its temporary resting place. Despite the obvious tragedy, somehow, the occasion gives rise to much hilarity and mirth amongst those performing the "rescue" mission.
The death is not treated as murder until a fat man, calling himself Hermes Diakteros lands on the island of Thiminos and announces to the Chief of Police that he has been sent from Athens to help with the investigation into the death of Irini Asimakopoulos. So lax is the policeman that he had not even ordered an autopsy, a lack of action that severely displeases the fat man.
The story alternates between the investigator's actions in uncovering the truth (and besides, aiding the health of a sick man) and exactly what happened to the woman who lost her life in the time leading up to her death.
The tale carries overtones of the supernatural as well as the classical -- the Greek authors of old would have had a fine time with the murder scene. Just who is the mysterious fat man who bears the name of a god and by what authority does he investigate the death of the unhappy and reviled woman?
The characterisation of Irini is well done, of her lover, perhaps somewhat less so. I thoroughly enjoyed the character of Hermes the investigator, whatever his origin, The police chief was depicted as being suitably sinister as was, indeed, the reason for Irini's death.
I trust this won't be a one hit wonder.
MAKING MONEY
by Terry Pratchett
ISBN 9780385611015
349 pages
Doubleday
October 1 2007
$49.95
reviewed by Denise Pickles
October 16 2007
It's a long time since THE COLOUR OF MAGIC and THE LIGHT FANTASTIC took the reading public and satire by the heels and gave them a good shake. Discworld's evolution has not, perhaps, strictly followed along the lines of that laid down by Darwin but has, on the whole, been good fun and captivated the reading public.
Thoughts of money, no doubt, have a very depressing effect on most people. Perhaps the contemplation of it for months on end might stunt the humour arising from one's creative juices, but there has to be a reason for Terry Pratchett not making me laugh, quite as much as usual, in this outing. It's not as though, in the face of his enormous success over the years, that the author could be wondering if he should take out a mortgage on a seaside holiday shack.
Moist von Lipvig first appeared in GOING POSTAL and made a big impression on the reading public and Discworld alike. It's a shame that Mr. Pratchett couldn't keep the same impetus going in an examination of Discworld's Mint, but that's money for you.
Von Lipvig made an enormous success of the postal system to the extent that he is now almost respectable. He can still add interest to his existence by going on climbing expeditions in the middle of the night but, with his girlfriend absent, life lacks a certain zing of pleasure. Still, he's not terribly well prepared when the bank's chairman, Mrs. Lavish, turns up her toes, appointing Mr. Fusspot the Chairman and giving him into the care of Moist. Mr. Fusspot is a dog.
Moist, of course, brings his massively criminal intellect to bear on the problems of the Mint and bank alike. If the gold has disappeared from the vaults of the Mint, what sort of standard should replace the Gold Standard? And can Vetinari find a use for all the golems that have recently been disinterred?
If this work had been produced by lesser hands than those of Terry Pratchett, I would, doubtless, have found no fault with it, but this is Terry Pratchett. Somehow, one expects a more distinct spark to his work. There are laughs -- Gladys the Golem, who, by rights, should be sexless, gives rise to some of them-- but they are not as belly-quivering as is customary for those arising from a Discworld novel. Perhaps it's because of the absence of the Witches, or even Rincewind, from this opus that left it a bit flat, but much flatter than is usual with work from this author, is this outing.
I hope Terry Pratchett returns to his customary gold standard with the
next outing.
NATURAL HISTORY
by Neil Cross
ISBN 9780743263757
279 pages
Simon & Schuster
October 1 2007
$32.95
reviewed by Denise Pickles
October 23 2007
I can't say that "lighthearted" or "uplifting" are descriptions that could be appropriately applied to NATURAL HISTORY by Neil Cross, but it's certainly an interesting work with the sort of conclusion that had me thinking about it for several days after I had read other books.
The narrative begins with the death of Rue, an old ape, once an abused performer in a travelling circus but, more latterly, an inhabitant of Monkeyland. Patrick, part proprietor of the enterprise, had anthropomorphised her to the extent of thinking of her as "wise." Rue had died as a result of eating poisoned food and Patrick attributes the death of the favourite to the activity of kids.
The tale jumps around in time from the present to the past (sometimes confusingly) to the time when Patrick was a journalist who interviews Ph. D. student Jane Campbell, the woman he later marries. It jumps around geographically, too. The couple's children, Charlie and Jo, are born in Africa.
The family returns to England and Jane, by now a television personality, thinks they can turn around the fortunes of the ailing Monkeyland.
While the murder of Rue opens the book, it is treated simply as an incident, rather than the excuse for an investigation and a framework for the entire narrative. Instead, the whole seems to be just an examination of the life of the family. The most intense of the drama and the resolution of the mystery doesn't come until the end of the novel. "Shock" is quite a good description of that revelation.
The characterisation in this book is very well done. Despite the surprises, it is possible to reread passages and find the seeds of later disclosures. John Nately, Jo's tutor, is an especially charming invention.
Interest is enhanced by the inclusion of the Hale Bopp comet and is certainly not lessened by Patrick's sighting of a big cat, possibly a panther, roaming the Devonshire landscape.
This is an intelligently written, very engaging work. I enjoyed the
calmness of the narrative, which tended to make the ultimate resolution
all the more dramatic.
THE QUIET GIRL
by Peter Høeg
translated by Nadia Christensen
ISBN 9781846550607
406 pages
Harvill Secker
October 1 2007
$32.95
reviewed by Denise Pickles
October 23 2007
Høeg ventures well into the territory of Fantasy in this outing.
The book begins with two adults and a child visiting Kasper Krone. The adults request that he give the child, a little girl, lessons. He notices that their key is D minor -- apparently not one of his favourites.
Kasper had an accident when he was a child. While he survived, the mishap left him with the ability to divine the musical keys to which all humans are individually attuned. Kasper is both a talented clown and a musician. He is also a gambler and is able, at times, to turn his talent to his advantage, but at the time the book commences, his luck has run out and he is destined to be deported from Denmark. He is guilty of tax evasion and this is to be his punishment.
When Kasper sees the girl, KlaraMaria, again, she tells him she has been kidnapped. The main theme of the book is his attempts to find KlaraMaria as well as a group of children like her, a group that has some kind of supernormal power.
To say Kasper is a flawed hero is far too mild. He is a devious conman, but his motivations are of the purest -- well, most of the time. His character is portrayed brilliantly and the reader is, at all times, caught up in his quest. He also seems to have a need for women which seems to stem from the loss of his mother when he was a child.
A strange order of nuns prove unlikely allies for Kasper in his search for KlaraMaria. His dying father, too, is, somehow, always able to help and enlighten.
It is always difficult to be sure of the quality of the prose through the filter of a translation but the atmosphere of eeriness is evoked beautifully in this novel. The translator has done a wonderful job. The prose flows as smoothly as silk, with never a hitch on words that seem to sit a trifle oddly, something which can't be said of many other translations currently extant in crime fiction.
For those readers who have waited eagerly for another work from the
popular author of MISS SMILLA'S FEELING FOR SNOW, this will be a
rare treat.
THE GHOST
by Robert Harris
ISBN 9780091796259
310 pages
Hutchinson
October 1 2007
$32.95
reviewed by Denise Pickles
October 29 2007
Apparently this novel has been seen as a roman a clef, given that the author was formerly close to an eminent politician and, certainly, there are lots of references to happenings that occurred during Blair's premiership. I felt a degree of frustration, whilst reading the book, that, despite my dual citizenship, I am not more au fait with British politics and the people who dabble in them. Regardless, the key to this particular lock does not seem to be terribly complex, certainly not on a par with, say, the key to a deadlock.
Appropriately, given the nature of his profession, the ghostwriter, who pens his work in the first person, is not given a name, being addressed only as "darling" by his girlfriend and "man" by the former Prime Minister, Adam Lang, whose memoirs he is writing.
The author is not the first choice for the work. That man, McAra, met a messy end whilst travelling on the ferry to Martha's Vineyard, where Lang is currently domiciled. McAra was a member of Lang's staff and, as such had unparalleled access to the man and any secrets. It is only when things start threatening the ghost that he begins to suspect that his predecessor might have been murdered.
The ghost travels to Martha's Vineyard and, initially, is lodged in public accommodation but that circumstance changes not too far into the narrative.
As a thriller, the book works well. The nameless horror that stalks the ghost is beautifully evoked before being more or less identified. The ghost himself is very well drawn and I couldn't help but wonder if he, too, was a mirror for someone in Real Life.
Harris doesn't seem to like the people who run the publishing scene any more than he appreciates conniving politicians or the CIA, given the way he portrays their Important People.
The author is a columnist who has had, over the years, privileged access to politicians. It's not astonishing, then, that the novel is both well written and intelligent. The author has certainly had every opportunity to familiarise himself with the underbelly of politics.
The plot is well constructed although, to be fair, a lot of it could be seen almost to have built itself.
Although Harris has been careful not to name the party to which Lang
belongs, I would think it reasonable to assume that if ever the author
becomes close to a member of a party in the future, the chosen politician
won't belong to Labour.
NOT IN THE FLESH
by Ruth Rendell
ISBN 9780091920609
266 pages
Hutchinson
October 1 2007
$32.95
reviewed by Denise Pickles
October 31 2007
Ruth Rendell's elegant prose narrates the years' old murders of two men, one murder committed a decade before the beginning of the tale and the other eight years prior to the detecting effort.
A truffle hunter, fully equipped with his late brother's dog, unearths the first corpse, or, rather, the hand of the first victim, at Flagford, in Kingsmarkham. Wexford, of course, investigates but he must call on his old Sergeant, now Inspector, Mike Burden, he of the local knowledge. Perhaps the purple sheet, used as a shroud, might prove useful in identifying the remains.
In the course of their investigations, Wexford and Burden have to investigate a derelict house. They happen to look into the cellar where they uncover a second corpse, this one in a woodpile.
Running in counterpoint to the murder investigation there is a topical sub-plot: the circumcision, or mutilation, of Somali women. A little girl is at risk and the Wexford team must attempt to save her. How is it possible that they will succeed, given the culture from which she is drawn, a culture which sees females who are uncut as being, somehow, socially less acceptable than their mutilated sisters?
Rendell's characterisations are quite well done, although, in the case of Wexford and Burden, the author seems to rely on readers' long familiarity with those policemen. The ultra PC policewoman Hannah, who made me wince in a previous novel, is a little less intrusive in this outing, despite her fondness for calling Wexford "Guv".
As is customary with Rendell, the plot is well constructed. I was taken by surprise, initially, by the baddies despite the feelings they had evinced when I read what Rendell depicted.
Wexford, unfortunately, has no time for modern technology. I found the fact that he gets away with this somewhat incredible, but if the author thinks he can bypass technological abilities, then so be it. It is, after all, her world.
To my mind, the strength of Rendell's writing, in this novel, is her
prose and her feel for the language. For whatever reason, I found Wexford
less appealing than in previous novels. Unfortunately, too, I didn't find
the entire book as enticing as I normally find with a Rendell book.
I don't know if the fault for that can be laid at my door or at that of
the author who is, after all, very far from a novice. Could age be extracting
its toll from the prolific writer?