Hardened in the crucible of the 1990’s
Croatian – Serbian conflict, Tomislav Boksic graduates through the Croatian
Mafia to be a top contract killer – 66 professional hits and counting. And,
taking a pride in his work, he is counting. Unfortunately #66 turned out to be an
undercover FBI officer and the agency is turning New York upside down to find the
killer.
His cover blown and feds all over the
airport, he takes refuge in the gents and emerges with #67’s clothes (including
dog collar), passport and flight tickets to Iceland. His hopes of a low profile
arrival in Reykjavik are dashed by a welcoming committee of local Christians
expecting the Reverend David Friendly, the famous (in their circles) US evangelist
with his own TV show.
Cultural misunderstandings abound as the
peaceful Icelanders and the Christian do-gooders get to work on redeeming the soon
unmasked Croatian hitman, whose name has not been abridged to “Toxic” without
reason. More effective are the attentions of the young, sexy, “butter-blonde”
Gunnhildur, who is strangely attracted to the middle-aged, balding, overweight criminal;
(it must be the glamour of notoriety or else subconscious wish-fulfilment from
Helgason).
Can the leopard change his spots and become
a fluffy white polar bear? Can this Icelandic refuge indefinitely shelter him
from the FBI and his old Mafia bosses?
The Icelandic Helgason wrote the book in
English, and it bobs along easily enough. There is some black humour, some
farcical moments and much use of the F word. My interest flagged in the middle
as credibility stretched and empathy with Toxic evaporated. However the finale had
tension and pathos giving a glimpse of what the novel might have achieved.
In my view the book it suffers from a lack
of identity: not funny enough for a farce; too light–hearted for a thriller;
unbelievable as a romance; and lacking the weight to be redemptive. Other than
that it was OK.
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