November 2014 Round-Up and Raven’s Book of the Month

Another busy month of reading and reviewing by the Raven, not only here, but also in conjunction with the brilliant New Talent November feature that has run for a month over on Crime Fiction Lover . NTN November has revealed some great new talents and I’m sure you will all discover some debut crime novels to tickle your fancy!

Elsewhere, there was much talk of Iceland Noir 2014 and check out these sites for some fascinating and informative posts around the events that took place:

Mrs Peabody Investigates

Crimepieces

Euro But Not Trash

In sad news for crime fiction fans everywhere I was called upon to post a tribute to the wonderful P. D. James on her passing. She will be greatly missed amongst readers and fellow authors alike. P.D.James 1920-2014 A Retrospective

On a happier note I was pleased as punch to take part in David Baldacci’s UK Blog Tour with a specially written post on the roles of heroes and villains in his writing and reading- David Baldacci:Giveaway-The-Escape

I also need to pass on thanks again to Andrew James for his nomination for Raven as a Very Inspiring Blogger- much appreciated! Andrew James Writer

December beckons, and with it I will post a series of articles revealing my best reads of the year and new discoveries, as well as the usual reviews and crime news. Working in book retailing, December is a busy, busy month for me, but wearing this hat I would urge you to remember that there is no greater gift than a book! Unless you can afford that natty sports car, or a condo in Florida…

Have a good month 🙂

Books reviewed this month:

Matthew Pritchard- Werewolf

Elly Griffiths- The Zig Zag Girl

Chris Ewan- Dark Tides

Tammy Cohen- Dying For Christmas

J. G. Jurado- The Tipping Point

Nadia Dalbuono- The Few (www.crimefictionlover.com)

Sheila Bugler- The Waiting Game (www.crimefictionlover.com)

Paddy Magrane- Disorder (www.crimefictionlover.com)

Alexander Hartnung- Until The Debt Is Paid(www.crimefictionlover.com)

Raven’s Book of The Month

Read as part of the New Talent November feature at Crime Fiction Lover this debut novel really struck a chord with me, and I have now hand-sold all my copies at the bookstore where I work. Yes- it’s that good. Focusing on the less salubrious activities of a group of Italian politicians, and the disappearance of a young American girl on holiday in Italy with her parents, Dalbuono has constructed a compelling plot, that will keep you guessing until the end. Add to that her police protagonist, the charming and determined  Detective Leone Scamarcio, who has seemingly turned his back on his Mafia connections, and what Dalbuono has achieved is a thoroughly accomplished debut crime novel that will leave you itching for another in the series. A truly 5 star read and perfect for fans of top notch Euro crime thrillers.

Matthew Pritchard- Werewolf

Werewolf is the second book from Matthew Pritchard and quickly proved itself a bit of a hit with this reader. Set in Germany at the close of World War II, the story focusses on the discovery of two corpses, one of them a former Waffen SS soldier, in the basement of a house requisitioned by British troops. Detective Silas Payne of Scotland Yard has been seconded to Germany to assist with the Allied policy of denazification, and finds himself drawn into the investigation, which quickly spirals into a hunt for a ruthless serial killer.

A very simple analogy for this book would be Foyle’s War with added ‘grrr’, as Payne is quickly revealed as a determined, but curiously passive and empathetic character, who carries the weight of his role in the book with a wonderfully understated air, despite the horrors that await him. I found him a very enjoyable protagonist, with his sure and steady character beautifully juxtaposed with the more testosterone fuelled characters in evidence amongst the British Army protagonists. As the book progresses, Pritchard carefully interweaves the corruption of some soldiers as the Allied troops stake their claim on German properties and possessions, skilfully interwoven with truly heartfelt diversions into the mental state of some others as a result of their combat service and witnessing the death camps. As Payne’s investigation starts to jangle some nerves amongst the less than honest protagonists, Pritchard carefully uses this to bring into the story some fascinating historical detail of the period, and the behaviour- both good and bad- of the Allied forces in the context of denazification on the German citizenry, and the avid hunt for the worst perpetrators of war crimes amongst the German military echelons. This was genuinely eye-opening for me, as so much is written about the turning points, and major confrontations during the theatre of war itself, but I quickly realised how little I knew about the fate of Germany in peacetime, and Pritchard provides a balanced and truthful interpretation of the effects on the ordinary German populace, along with the more familiar hunt for Nazi war criminals. Pritchard also incorporates the story of a young German woman, Ilse, formerly married to a high ranking Nazi, who now finds herself living a life of subterfuge to conceal her former links with the enemy, and the way she uses her manipulative feminine wiles to evade punishment. With the arrival back into her life of her callous brother, with his plans for escape from Germany, all her resourcefulness is called on to save her own skin, but will she succeed? Thrown into the already gripping mix is Payne’s hunt for a serial killer, and Pritchard carefully inserts small vignettes from the killer’s point of view, which consistently beguile the reader as to his true identity, and instilling in us a grudging admiration for how he has remained undetected for so long, despite a few close calls. With the impetus of the book not solely focussed on this storyline, this worked really well, with the sense of danger slowly growing as the other storylines ebbed and flowed around this. I didn’t feel, as I usually do when this structure is employed, a bigger compunction to get from one storyline back to another, as all of them melded seamlessly together, with definite and cohesive points of interest in each.

I enjoyed the path of Payne’s investigation immensely, and the attendant barricades he faces, and with Pritchard’s control of the other multifarious storylines remaining constant throughout, there was no decrease in my overall engagement with the book. I learnt a few things I didn’t know along the way, as well as being shocked and entertained in equal measure. It’s always a delight to discover a new author, and having missed the first book from Matthew Pritchard, Scarecrow, I will be back-tracking to read this as well. Overall Werewolf proved itself an intelligent and well-conceived thriller, and a thoroughly good read.

(With thanks to Salt Publishing for the ARC)