The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo

The Redbreast (2006 English translation) is by Norwegian author Jo Nesbo, and it is a cracker.  This is the third in the Harry Hole series.  I have not read the first two in the series and it did not seem to matter in terms of my enjoyment or understanding.

The novel opens in 2000 with police officer Harry being assigned to security duty when the US president is visiting Oslo.  At first I thought okay, this is pretty typical thriller fare.  Events take a very dramatic turn when Harry accidentally shoots a Secret Service agent, mistaking him for an assassin.  The political fallout has the unexpected consequence of Harry being promoted to Inspector but he is forced to leave his old unit, and given an out-of-way post.  Harry finds himself tracking down an unusual rifle, that he suspects of being imported into the country to kill a high ranking target.  The investigation has Harry trying to piece together a mystery that involves modern day Neo-Nazis, but originated in WWII and the Nazi occupation of Norway.

The action switches between Harry and a group of Norwegian soldiers fighting on the German side in WWII.  We learn of the relationships between these men and a mysterious death that divides them.  One of the highlights of the novel, and a fantastic counterbalance for all of the action, is a romance between one of the Norwegian solders and a nurse he meets while recuperating from a shrapnel wound.  This might sound cheesy but it is completely convincing,  and very poignant.  The echoes of this doomed love story reverberate strongly in the modern day investigation.

There is a lot of interesting information about Norway during WWII, all of which was new to me, and I love fiction with a WWII theme.   The plot is very intricate, in the war years, and in 2000 with Harry, with characters intersecting all over the place.  I think the reason Nesbo is able to make this work, is by playing up the human factor as well.  There is subtlety in the characters responses and interactions, and the action and mystery have a solid emotional foundation, which for me, made the convoluted plot seem worthwhile.  I found myself really involved with these characters.  And I think that is the point where a thriller, or crime novel, is elevated to something else entirely.  Nesbo had me eating out of the palm of his hand.

Readers of this blog may be aware that I am a bit partial to the Scandinavian crime writers.  And for me, at least for now, Nesbo is king.

Snowdrops by A.D. Miller

Snowdrops is the debut novel by British journalist A.D. Miller and it has been long listed for this year's Man Booker prize.  It is an absorbing read about modern Moscow, told from the point of view of a British lawyer who made Moscow his home for four years.

I can see why this novel has received acclaim.  It is very well written, with an economical sharp style, and the narrative is exquisitely structured.  The story is told in the first person by Nick, the lawyer, as a written confession, to his, soon to be bride, about his time in Moscow.  He begins the account by describing his reaction to coming across a human corpse that has been revealed with the spring/summer thaw.  The title of the novel "snowdrops" is the Russian slang for such a body that has been hidden by the winter freeze only to be discovered, much later in the year, when the temperature rises.

This is the sort of novel that is deceptively simple, but reveals more and more on later reflection.  I felt that Miller captured well the free fall, and cast adrift feeling that often accompanies living away from your home country for extended periods of time.   Like many, I have been in that situation myself, but certainly did not live anywhere quite so, apparently hedonistic and corrupt, as Moscow.  Miller paints an alarmingly disturbing and depressing portrait of life in modern Russia.  The most frightening element is that Nick who is in his late thirties during his time in Moscow, and initially seems no more apathetic or self centred than the next person, becomes involved in a sequence of tawdry and ultimately murderous events.

The novel is about moral free fall, and it is very cleverly done, so that like Nick, the reader is seduced, step by step, into thinking that each new slip or dodgy element is really not so bad, or, it is at the very least, understandable.  It is not until the conclusion of the novel, once you have put it down, that the full implications of Nick's complicity and self delusion is made horrifically clear. 

I can't wholeheartedly say I enjoyed the novel although I admire it greatly.  There is no, even tiny, glimmer of hope in this story.  It is a tale of moral bankruptcy, with the associated economic and societal elements.  I found it shocking and depressing.  Don't get me wrong either, the novel is not off putting in a violent or gratuitous way, it is more subtle and unusual than that.  I will be sure to read any future novels by Miller, as I appreciate his writing style.  He really knows how to craft a story, leaving all but the necessary out. No doubt his journalism background helps with that.

Three Seconds by Roslund and Hellstrom

Three seconds formed part of my holiday reading.  I could only get hold of it in hardcover, but it was well worth lugging around.  It is a publication from Swedish duo Roslund and Hellstrom.  The jacket cover reveals Anders Roslund to be an award winning journalist and Borge Hellstrom is tantalizingly described as an ex-criminal.

The novel is about Piet Hoffman who is an "infiltrator" that is, he is someone with a criminal pedigree who the Swedish government has unofficially, off the books, employed to infiltrate major criminal syndicates, provide intelligence and bring those criminal organisations down.  The novel is also about the man who "runs" Piet, the bureaucrats who manipulate him and the police murder investigator  who attempts to unravel the whole sordid mess.

Piet who has been run in this capacity for nine years is now required to enter one of Sweden's high security prisons, and take over the very lucrative amphetamine drug trade in the prison.  Piet's criminal and survival instincts are fascinating.  From the outset he knows that he can trust no one: not the criminal organisation he has successfully infiltrated for the past nine years, not his handler and certainly not the government who he feels certain will burn him the moment it becomes expedient to do so.  Piet has a parallel life as a husband and a father, that he stands to lose if things go wrong.  Things go very wrong.

Why did I enjoy this book so much?  In a world where the bookstore shelves are groaning with crime fiction and thrillers, Three Seconds offers something original.  The details provided in the book could only result from some exhaustive research and personal experience and so ring alarmingly true.  And while the pace is fabulous and frenetic, the authors successfully convey aspects of the human toll associated with law enforcement in all of its forms.  It's a ripping good yarn on the one hand but also left this reader with some lingering reflections on what might actually be going on behind the scenes in attempts to combat major crime.

Finally I would like to thank Zohar over at Man of la Book who recommended Three Seconds.

Ordinary Thunderstorms by William Boyd

You know what it is like, one week through a holiday and I had already read the two books I loaded into my suitcase and find myself, craving something to read, and standing in an enormous bookstore trying to make a decision.  Two things made me select Ordinary Thunderstorms by William Boyd, firstly I absolutely loved one of his earlier books, Restless, secondly there was a sticker on Ordinary Thunderstorms declaring it to be in Whitcoulls (the New Zealand store I found myself in) Top 100 books.  It must be good then right? 

I suspect the only reason I finished this book is because I paid top dollar for it and I had nothing else to read at the time. 

I have not come across a less plausible thriller opening, and lets face it some thrillers are pretty unlikely in their opening scenarios but this one absolutely takes the cake.  Main protagonist Adam is an English climatologist, who has been working as an academic in the US in recent years but after the breakdown of his marriage he returns to the UK and is applying for work in London.  The novel opens one afternoon as he has just attended a job interview for an academic post in London.  Craving some Italian food Adam stops by a little Italian restaurant in London where he starts up a conversation with a medical scientist.  The scientist leaves first and Adam notices that he has left a briefcase behind.  Adam having some time to kill that afternoon decides to return the briefcase personally.  When he enters the doctors apartment he finds the doctor stabbed.  The doctor, still alive, begs Adam to remove the knife protruding from his stomach.  Not knowing what else to do Adam complies and then flees the apartment.  Basically Adam returns to his own accommodation to find a thug waiting for him and so rather than go to the police he decides to run, change his identity and live as a homeless person on the streets of London.

The plot touches on noble themes such as research cover ups in the pharmaceutical industry, but honestly, I loathed it.  The plot barely sustains itself as the increasingly annoying and unlikeable Adam Kindred fights for survival and assumes a new identity, while being pursued both by the police and ex military heavies employed by the pharmaceutical company to shut him up.

Has anyone else read anything from William Boyd?  I can't believe the guy that penned the mesmerising spy thriller "Restless" came up with this.  More astonishing, I can't believe this book made the Top 100 books for a leading bookstore.

Mini Review "Siren" by Tara Moss

Okay Tara Moss is a Canadian-Australian author and former model.  She writes thrillers featuring the very beautiful Makkede Vanderwall who is a Canadian-Australian former model, psychologist and private investigator.  I have read one other of this series "Split" several years ago.

The writing itself is good.  I mean this is not fancy literary fare by any means but Moss's style is clear, smooth and enjoyable to read.  The plot however is ridiculously over the top.  I know I know, what did I expect?  Well I guess I expected something a bit less far fetched.   But hey these Tara Moss books are big sellers and they are fun.

If you like your thrillers with a seriously kick-ass and gorgeous heroine, who can escape from all sorts of improbable scenarios; dark and dramatic settings such as the redlight district of  Paris; odd characters such as an incestuous cabaret troupe and a giant, disfigured,  tortured-soul  assassin who trails around after Mak for most of the book, then this one might be for you.

As a last word I couldn't help but compare Mak to one of my all time favourite literary characters, Sue Grafton's female PI Kinsey Millhone.  If you like the private investigator crime genre, you really must check out the Alphabet Series by Sue Grafton.

The Eiger Sanction by Trevanian (audiobook)

The Eiger Sanction was first published in 1972 by US author Rodney Whitaker who wrote under the pseudonym Trevanian.  It is an action packed spy thriller romp told very much in spoofish tongue in cheek style.  In its day it was a world wide best seller, and as a self confessed fan of the spy novel genre, I was curious to check it out. 

Our hero is Dr Jonathan Hemlock who is an art professor, art collector and mountaineer.  He lives in an old renovated church and has an extensive art collection. To keep himself in the style to which he has become accustomed he carriers out assassinations, also referred to as "sanctions" for the a US intelligence agency.

His final sanction, for he has decided to leave this particular line of work on its completion, takes him to the treacherous Eiger mountain in the Swiss Alps.  A complication in this particular sanction is that Jonathan does not know ahead of time which of his three fellow climbers is the sanction target.  The action sequences on the treacherous face of the Eiger are very well written and as I was listening I found myself totally absorbed.

The Eiger Sanction is a cleverly written spoof of the spy novel.  I found myself smiling or laughing out loud at times as I listened.   However it does strike me as a bit dated.   Unfortunately there is the occasional reference or joke that is frankly not acceptable anymore and I found myself wincing at times also.  It is a shame, and it got me thinking about the difference between novels that are timeless and able to be fully enjoyed by generations of readers, and those which may be well plotted and well written,  as The Eiger Sanction surely is, but seem a bit crass and dated when read, or listened to, in the light of our present day.

Dead Spy Running by Jon Stock

I have been away and picked this one up to read on the plane.  I am very particular when it comes to reading while travelling on planes.  The book needs to be easy and gripping so as to distract me from the bumping around, slight claustrophobia and noise of plane travel.  I usually end up with a spy novel or other thriller.  Dead Spy Running by British author and journalist Jon Stock is no literary masterpiece nor does it set out to be.  It is however a taut modern espionage drama and I really enjoyed it.

The story opens with disgraced and suspended MI6 agent Daniel Marchant running the London Marathon with his girlfriend, Leila who is also a British secret agent. Marchant spies (sorry I couldn't help myself) a runner who appears to be wearing a belt laden with explosives.  In his efforts to save the US Ambassador who is also participating in the marathon and countless others from being killed, Marchant manages to further discredit himself, and finds himself hunted by intelligence agencies from both sides of the Atlantic.

As with most books of this ilk, the characters are paper thin.  But it doesn't really matter.  The sense of place is good.  The story mostly takes place in London and Delhi.  Stock captures the essence of both places well, especially the dirty heat and bustle of Delhi.   Stock uses clever plot devices to keep the pace up and the readers interest piqued.  The action switches between the spies on the ground to the spy chiefs of the various international agencies wrestling for dominance.  Many of the chapters end in a breathless cliffhanger.

The story is set post London underground bombings and so features modern tensions and "enemies."  The plot does all of the spy stuff well: disguises, tailing and counter surveillance, and answered any questions I might have had about water boarding and what it entails.

I do not know why spy novels continue to captivate me.  The first I remember reading and loving was Ken Follett's The Man From St Petersburg.  The best I have read in recent times is William Boyd's Restless.   I can only speculate that there is something about maintaining a dual identity that is universally appealing and thrilling at some level.  Dead Spy Running is not exceptional or life changing, but it delivers what it intends: a fast paced, cleverly plotted story that is pretty much guaranteed to keep the pages turning during even the most tedious flight.