I: Operation Napoleon by Arnaldur INDRIDASON

Chosen because

Not many books in the “I” section, even including the crime and thriller section, where this caught my eye. The Scandinavian crime thriller is in vogue, thanks to Henning Markell’s Inspector Wallendar and Stieg Larsson’s Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Both good reads if not quite up to the hype. This is Icelandic, so appropriate for cold dark nights of January, and a quick dip in revealed a promising plot line of a buried secret emerging from the glacier …. 

The Review

US intelligence detects the re-emergence from an Icelandic glacier of an aeroplane that crashed there in 1945 and was immediately swallowed up by the snow and ice. It is vital that its very existence is kept secret so an under cover operation is launched to recover the plane and whisk it and its secrets back to the US.

Unfortunately an Icelandic rescue team are on a training exercise in the area. One of them stumbles over the operation and an inopportune phone call to his sister means they both know too much for their own good. The American agents, with access to every piece of data known to man, try frantically to get the genie back into the bottle. This makes for an action packed story, told in real time, with the narrative switching between the various protagonists. There is little time to reflect on the credibility of one phase of action before moving on to the next one. The secret at the heart of the plot is gradually revealed but kept tantalisingly uncertain until the very end.

It is well written and well translated, which makes reading easy on the eye. As well as action there is atmosphere and reflection, particularly on the ambivalent view of the native Icelanders on the presence of an the American airbase, which is both an unwelcome intrusion and an important source of national income. The Icelandic perspective on the US secret services and military is different from that usually absorbed from the American books & films, and is probably as for from the truth.

Read another?

No reason why not, although a second book may have less Icelandic impact?

H: Faith by Jennifer HAIGH

Chosen because

Need to recuperate from the violence of the last book and this seems a bit more reflective. A public scandal – did something really happen – whether it did or not the effect on relationships within the family could be profound. Opening the book and reading a page or two, and wanting to read more, is a good sign.

The Review

This is a very well written book which uses an allegation against a priest to unpick the relationships within a family. It is narrated by the accused’s half-sister who pieces together what she knows and what she’s told.

Set in the Irish-American community of modern day Boston, there are three main strands to the narrative: the family history; the build up to the recent allegation; and the unfolding consequences. Within these, time is taken to explore the back stories of each character, enhancing rather than detracting from the narrative flow.

As new facts and insights emerge, the book gathers pace and thankfully provides a resolution by the final pages. 

All is skilfully weaved into a tapestry to give a rounded picture of how a family interacts: what is said and what does not need to be said; how what happens in one generation can impact on another; how as we get older we shed new light and new understandings on the events of our childhood.

Read another?

I liked her writing style and will keep an eye out for Mrs Kimble, Baker Towers or The Condition

G: The Last King of Brighton by Peter GUTTRIDGE

Chosen because

Time for a bit of crime and detection, and this book purports to combine police procedural, film noir and multi-generational dark deeds. Although the second of the author’s “Brighton Mystery” series it seems to stand alone and may open out a new seam in the detective fiction genre.

The Review

The first half of the book is set in 1960s, with heavy handed references that seem more like name-dropping that scene setting. The initiation and development of the eponymous crime boss is related against a background of pop culture and gangland violence.

The second half moves to current day, but with nearly all the characters being offspring (one or two generations?) of the sixties crew, it can test the memory and stretch credibility. Following the convoluted motivations and familial relationships is not helped by a couple of errors that sent me scuttling back through the pages to check who did what and when.

The violence continues with the current generation using more modern weapons and globally inspired if less subtle means of disposing of business rivals. All this is graphically described and is equally worrying as a realistic representation of sixties gangland or a product of the author’s imagination.

None of the characters are attractive, most are positively unpleasant, which makes the read an intellectual rather than emotional journey. Morbid fascination took me to the conclusion, which managed to be both inevitable and unexpected.

Read another?

Unlikely to search out the earlier “City of Dreadful Night” or the yet to be published “God’s Lonely Man”.

F: Kamchatka by Marcelo FIGURAS

Chosen because

As a devotee (in my youth) of the board game “Risk!” the title immediately caught the eye, and a quick scout through the pages confirmed the reference. Set in the Argentina in the mid 1970s, at the time of the political disappearances, the story seems to be told from the perspective of a young boy uprooted from his settled environment by the political upheavals.

The Review

This is a really good book that gives an insight into Argentina in 1976, told by the young son of middle class parents, who being politically active are at serious risk of disappearing. The author has two voices; one is the ten year old whose innocent relation of the day to day changes to his life speaks volumes; the other is the now adult who reflects on wider themes of time, loss and survival. These voices are well managed and create an interlocking narrative and commentary.

Some of the inconsequential but important details of his childhood were surprisingly resonant to me. The game of Risk!, Superman comics, Nesquik, matchbox cars and The Invaders on TV, all opened up a well of nostalgia untapped for some time. A running metaphor involving toads and the derelict swimming pool provides food for thought for those seeking deep meanings.

The narrative does not try to excite, but has tension as the story unfolds to its pre-ordained conclusion. The musings on time, loss and survival gain relevance as the book progresses. By the end the impact of a single disappearance is felt hugely, how much greater must have been the impact on the nation.

Read another?

I doubt there is one – this seemed to be written from personal experience, producing a depth and quality that would be hard to repeat.

E: The 19th Wife by David EBERSHOFF

Chosen because

Seems to combine a murder mystery set in a modern day polygamous sect with a historical exploration of how the Mormon Church developed and how one of its founder’s wives rebelled and led a crusade against the oppression that was plural marriage. Who done it and history – what’s not to like?

The Review

There are two books here, salami sliced to alternate the reader between a biography of Ann Eliza the real life 19^th wife of Brigham Young (second leader of the Mormon Church) and a fictional tale of a modern day 19th wife accused of murdering her polygamous husband.

The biography hangs together well, told through carefully crafted but presumably made up documents including personal testimonies, letters & research papers that, while not being factual, purport to reveal the truth. How much is fact, how much is interpretation and how much is invention is difficult to tell, even after consulting the author’s notes at the end. But it doesn’t matter as the narrative is strong and engaging.

The whodunit element is less satisfying. The narrative is told by the estranged son, excluded from the religious community due to a misdemeanour when just a kid, but now obliged to return to try and clear his mom. Although he and those he meets outside the community are well enough drawn, those within the community seem to lack any characterisation; in particular it is difficult to remember which “sister-wife” is which and how they have contributed to the story so far. (This must be a problem encountered often by a polygamous husband!). There is mystery, clues, tension and excitement; but true aficionados of the whodunnit genre may find it tame.

The connection between the two stories is little more than they are both about a wife number 19; although the modern story does give an opportunity to bridge the historical gap from the apostasy of Ann Eliza to the development of the modern day Mormon faith. What is unclear, even after the author’s notes, is whether there really is still a vestige of polygamy tucked away in the backwaters of the Great Salt Lake.

In summary an engaging read to uncover a little-explored side channel of American social history.

Read another?

I could be tempted if it was a similarly research based story; less so if it was a straight novel relying on wholly fictional characters.

D: The Taxi Queue by Janet DAVEY

Chosen because

That always intriguing premise of two strangers whose paths cross; how will their lives change as a result of that chance encounter and a single, possibly unwise, decision made on impulse?

The Review

From a chance encounter in a taxi queue and its immediate aftermath the lives of a chain of characters emerge. Their stories don’t so much interlock as bump up against one another. We get a first hand account of their largely joyless existence as they struggle to resolve their personal demons.  Set in modern London the sense of place is strong and feels authentic, but the overall impression is of lives caught in the capital’s currents; either unable or unwilling to do anything other than follow the lines of least resistance.

The action is limited; the dramas are of the everyday sort; the lives and characters are therefore real, but a bit dull. Their thoughts, motives and relationships are reported without exaggeration. As the Guardian put it “it eludes the novelistic norms in favour of something more like life”.

Read another?

Unlikely – I think I prefer novelistic norms

C: The Other Hand by Chris CLEAVE

Chosen because

Unusual and persuasive introduction from the publisher’s editor, backed up by good review bites and a COSTA prize short listing.

The Review

This is a book with a strong narrative hook. We know something dramatic happened but it takes a while to uncover what and a bit longer to uncover why. Even then the question remains how will it all end? Importantly, by then we actually care.

The story unfolds with alternating contributions from the two strong lead female characters. Although from widely different cultures their relationship and mutual support develops almost into dependence and takes us through dramatic events towards their unknown destiny

It’s a good read for the story alone but also includes challenges to preconceptions, insights into unimaginable situations, and possibly (but I may not have quite grasped this) a plea for global peace and harmony.

Read another?

Will definitely look out for “Incendiary”