A Russian Crime Novel

Book Review: The Case of the General's Thumb by Andey Kurkov

This was my first exposure to Andrey Kurkov, and my first exploration of modern Russian literature more recent than The Gulag Archipelago. [Note: although he writes in Russian, Andrey Kurkov is Ukrainian] It was interesting to see what I have been missing.

Everyone is more or less aware of the English and American crime and espionage genres (spies and crooks oft go hand in hand); they are well established and have their particular trademarks. The Case of the General's Thumb introduced me to a new cultural and literary milieu - and after some adjustment I have to say it was a pleasant surprise.

Some of the adjustment was cultural. Character dialog patterns were unfamiliar, and the settings unknown. It was truly foreign territory in many regards. An American reader of an American novel will understand often unspoken cues to events and cultural commonalities; I had to work sometimes to put pieces together.

The writing style and pacing of General's Thumb were also different than I was used to. Part of this may have been due to translation into English, but I believe it was mostly a stylistic difference, and it was simply that -- different.

Different can be good, and General's Thumb is a thoroughly enjoyable read. Kurkov gives us a story that is fast-paced, with enough plot intricacies to keep the reader on his/her toes. The characters may be foreign to American readers, but they live and die by the same human aspirations and failings we all do. If you want a new spin on crime novels, check this out.

A Labyrinthian Mystery

Book Review: Floors: Book 1 by Patrick Carman

Part fantasy, part mystery, part allegory, and part myth - author Patrick Carman covers all the bases in his young adult novel Floors. That's a high hurdle for any book to leap, and I think Floors clears it with room(s) to spare.

We join the young protagonist, Leo Fillmore in his quest to find out what happened to Merganzer Whippet, owner and builder of the Whippet Hotel. The hotel is a maze of hallways and stairwells, tunnels, hidden floors, and secret rooms. And in true labyrinth fashion, the only way out of the mystery of Mr. Whippets's disappearance is the way in - into the secret heart of the Whippet Hotel. Following cryptic clues, Leo follows the thread deeper into the unknown windings of the Whippet.

Every labyrinth needs a mythical monster, and in the case of the Whippet, that monster is the unnamed, unseen Mr. M. Or is it? There is a real monster inside the Hotel, and it is up to Leo to uncover it. In the process he discovers how the hotel and its builder are linked, and how Leo himself is part of the puzzle.

It's a journey of discovery for both Leo and the reader, "Floors" is a highly enjoyable story on many levels.

Too Much of a Good Thing

Book Review: The House at Sea's End by Elly Griffiths

In the third book of her "Ruth Galloway" mystery series, The House at Sea's End, author Elly Griffith presents us with a complex set of characters: half a dozen buried corpses, three new murder victims, and a host of potential suspects -- all being trailed by a team of law enforcers assisted by a score of secondary characters. It's enough to make your head spin:

"Nelson gets Judy to fax through the list of titles (Ruth is almost the last person in the world still to have a fax machine). Ruth reads through the names while Nelson plays peek-a-boo with Kate. Ruth wishes Clough could see him."

... three sentences reference five characters, two of whom aren't even in the room.

I enjoy character-driven fiction, and I appreciate that even fictional characters have friends, but sometimes less is more. As DCI Harry Nelson says, "Don't make things too complicated." I realize that I read an Advance Readers Copy (prone to typos), but at least one minor character changes names in the middle of the story, and it wasn't a plot device. Too many details can play heck with continuity. Locations and timelines in many cases were confusing or even contradictory.

I am a fan of the classic English mystery; Griffith has the setting, the characters, and the crime down pat, there is just too much and the story's readability suffers. The House at Sea's End sets the stage, but gets lost in the scenery changes.