Tag: crime

Throwback Thursday: The Pale House by Luke McCallin

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ThrowbackThursday

Throwback Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Renee at It’s Book Talk. It’s designed as an opportunity to share old favourites as well as books that we’ve finally got around to reading that were published over a year ago. If you decide to take part, please link back to It’s Book Talk.

This week I’m reviving a review from Goodreads of a book I read before I started my blog. It’s The Pale House by Luke McCallin, the second in a series of books featuring Gregor Reinhardt, a German Intelligence Officer.   I enjoyed the first book in the series, The Man From Berlin, but I think this one was better and the third, The Ashes of Berlin, even better again (you can read my review of that here).

It’s a great series for anyone who loves a good crime mystery or for those with a penchant for books set in and around WW2. I can’t wait to see if Luke writes a fourth book, or a fifth, or a sixth….

ThePaleHouseAbout the Book

It is 1944 and German intelligence officer Captain Gregor Reinhardt has just been reassigned to the Feldjaegerkorps – a new branch of the military police with far-reaching powers. While retreating through Yugoslavia with the rest of the army, Reinhardt witnesses a massacre of civilians by the dreaded Ustaše – only to discover there is more to the incident than anyone believes. When five mutilated bodies turn up, Reinhardt’s investigation begins to draw the attention of those in power and his friends and associates are made to suffer. The stakes rise as he desperately tries to uncover the truth while his own past with the Ustaše threatens his efforts. When it comes to death and betrayal, some people have long memories… and they remember Reinhardt all too well.

Format: ebook Publisher: No Exit Press Pages: 383
Publication: 15th May 2015 Genre: Historical Fiction    

Purchase Links*
Amazon.co.uk ǀ Amazon.com
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find The Man From Berlin, The Pale House and The Ashes of Berlin on Goodreads

My Review

In Gregor Reinhardt, the author has created a compelling character with realistic doubts and flaws. The fact Reinhardt is a German officer provides an unusual viewpoint and it is to the author’s credit that Reinhardt remains a sympathetic character. In this sequel to The Man From Berlin, the author creates a convincing picture of the horror and brutality visited upon the citizens of Sarajevo as competing factions fight for control amid the confusion of the German army’s retreat. As Reinhardt comments, ‘These were end times. There was nothing to lose, and all to gain, for those…who chose to go out and seize it for themselves’.

The extremes to which some are prepared to go to achieve this becomes evident as the book progresses. In navigating the “end times”, Reinhardt once again questions himself and his principles, battling his inner demons. As he says, ‘Full circle. Back to where I was two years ago. Alone. Surviving.’

I really enjoyed the first book and this sequel did not disappoint. Reinhardt is a great character and I can’t wait to find out how his story continues in the next book.

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In three words: Compelling, authentic, suspenseful

Try something similar: The Swiss Spy by Alex Gerlis

 

LukeMcCallinAbout the Author

Luke McCallin was born in Oxford, grew up around the world and has worked with the United Nations as a humanitarian relief worker and peacekeeper in the Caucasus, the Sahel, and the Balkans. His experiences have driven his writing, in which he explores what happens to normal people – those stricken by conflict, by disaster – when they are put under abnormal pressures.

Connect with Luke

Website ǀ Facebook ǀ Twitter ǀ Goodreads 

Blog Tour/Review: Wolves in the Dark by Gunnar Staalesen

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WolvesintheDarkBlogTourPoster

I’m thrilled to co-host today’s stop on the blog tour for Gunnar Staalesen’s latest crime novel featuring Private Investigator Varg Veum, Wolves in the Dark. Be sure to check out the post by my co-host David at Blue Book Balloon as well. Orenda Books are becoming known for publishing the most amazing Scandinavian crime fiction and Wolves in the Dark will only add to that reputation.

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WolvesintheDarkAbout the Book

Publisher’s description: Private investigator, Varg Veum, fights for his reputation, his freedom and his life…Reeling from the death of his great love, Karin, Varg’s life has descended into a self-destructive spiral of alcohol, lust, grief and blackouts. When traces of child pornography are found on his computer, he’s accused of being part of a paedophile ring and thrown into a prison cell. There, he struggles to sift through his past to work out who is responsible for planting the material… and who is seeking the ultimate revenge. When a chance to escape presents itself, Varg finds himself on the run in his hometown of Bergen. With the clock ticking and the police on his tail, Varg takes on his hardest – and most personal – case yet.

Praise for Gunnar Staalesen and the Varg Veum series:

‘Gunnar Staalesen is one of my very favourite Scandinavian authors. Operating out of Bergen in Norway, his private eye, Varg Veum, is a complex but engaging anti-hero. Varg means ‘wolf’ in Norwegian, and this is a series with very sharp teeth’ (Ian Rankin)

‘A Norwegian Chandler’ (Jo Nesbo)

‘Gunnar Staalesen was writing suspenseful and socially conscious Nordic Noir long before any of today’s Swedish crime writers had managed to put together a single book page… one of Norway’s most skilful storytellers’ (Johan Theorin)

‘With its exploration of family dynamics and the complex web of human behaviour, Staalesen’s novel echoes the great California author Ross MacDonald’s Lew Archer mysteries… mature and captivating’ (Herald Scotland)

‘Norwegian master Staalesen is an author who eschews police procedural narratives for noirish private eye pieces… with some abrasive social commentary’ (Financial Times)

Format: ebook Publisher: Orenda Books Pages: 276
Publication: 15th June 2017 Genre: Crime    

Purchase Links*
Amazon.co.uk ǀ Amazon.com ǀ Barnes & Noble
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find Wolves in the Dark on Goodreads

My Review

Wolves in the Dark is the latest outing for Varg Veum and, to be honest, things are not going well for him. He’s still recovering from the emotional aftermath of a tragic event in his personal life and the past few years have just about disappeared in a haze of booze. His bank account is all but empty, the new cases have dried up and it’s a struggle to keep off the bottle. Last, but definitely not least, he’s been arrested on a charge of participating in a child pornography ring on the basis of material found on his computer. Somehow you just know he wouldn’t be involved in anything as grotesque and evil as child pornography (not to mention that he and modern technology are pretty much strangers beyond the basics).

Varg knows he’s been set up and that the material found by the police has somehow been placed on his computer in order to discredit him as an act of revenge. The trouble is the number of people who believe him is small…and getting smaller.  Looking for the possible culprit means revisiting previous cases and confronting some shameful episodes from his alcohol-fuelled years. Forced to take proving his innocence into his own hands, Varg finds unexpected links and possible connections that throw up more questions than answers.  Eventually, the pieces of the jigsaw fall into place but a resolution?  Sometimes things in life don’t work out as neatly as that…

This was a great read containing everything you need for a satisfying crime mystery. I loved the character of Varg. He has many flaws but you have to admire his dogged determination and his relentless desire to search for the truth (not to mention a seemingly encyclopaedic knowledge of the back streets of Bergen and its one way systems). The book is full of twists and turns (not just in the streets of Bergen) and interrelated stories creating a complex web for Varg to untangle.  The author is clearly a master of his art because the story is set up perfectly for a next book (we hope!).

Despite being part of a long running series, Wolves in the Dark works perfectly well as a standalone read. I was intrigued by the hints of events in Varg’s past but not knowing didn’t affect my enjoyment, just added to the sense of mystery.  Having the opportunity to read Wolves in the Dark has made me keen to read the earlier books in the series that have been translated into English. Hopefully, the whole series will be translated eventually.

I received an advance reader copy courtesy of publishers, Orenda Books, in return for an honest review.

In three words: Gripping, compelling, atmospheric

Try something similar…Faithless by Kjell Ola Dahl

Granite Noir Fest 2017About the Author

Gunnar Staalesen was born in Bergen, Norway in 1947. He made his debut at the age of 22 with Seasons of Innocence and in 1977 he published the first book in the Varg Veum series. He is the author of over 20 titles, which have been published in 24 countries and sold over four million copies. Twelve film adaptations of his Varg Veum crime novels have appeared since 2007, starring the popular Norwegian actor Trond Epsen Seim. Staalesen, who has won three Golden Pistols (including the Prize of Honour), lives in Bergen with his wife. When Prince Charles visited Bergen, Staalesen was appointed his official tour guide. There is a life-sized statue of Varg Veum in the centre of Bergen, and a host of Varg Veum memorabilia for sale. We Shall Inherit the Wind and Where Roses Never Die were both international bestsellers.

About the Translator

Don Bartlett is the foremost translator of Norwegian, responsible for the multi-award winning, bestselling books by Jo Nesbo, Karl Ove Knausgaard and Per Pettersen. It is rare to have a translator who is as well-known and highly regarded as the author.

Connect with Gunnar

Website ǀ Goodreads

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