Review: Ashes, Sergios Gakas (Greece)

Title: Ashes
Author: Sergios Gakas
Translator: Anne-Marie Stanton-Ife
Publication: 2011/MacLehose Press (Quercus), Great Britain
Original Publication: 2007/ Kastaniotis Editions S.A., Athens (“ Στάχτες”)
ISBN #: 978-0-85705-016-8
# of pages: 309
Discovered via a blog review….but my notes on which one are incomplete!
Read in paper format
Also available in e-book format

Chronis Halkidis is a joint-smoking, cocaine-snorting alcoholic police colonel in Athens who somehow manages to effectively head up the Internal Affairs department of the national Hellenic Police. His devoted team follows his lead when he takes on an arson investigation which is well outside his mandate.

An African refugee, her young daughter and an old actor died in the fire and a famous Greek actress was severely burned. Chronis was drawn to the case when he learned the actress is a former lover, Sonia Varika. The first complication in the case is another of the actress’s lovers, Simeon Piertzovanis, the landlord and early suspect.  Soon, Halkidis and Piertzonvanis are rather reluctantly working together to shift through the web of corruption and discover the truth. The action heats up when even Halkidis’s normally supportive boss tells him to drop the case.

The story is told alternately by Halkidis and Piertzonvanis, with some commentary from Sonia, a writing method that works surprisingly well. Both men are interesting characters, with major weaknesses they keep rising above. It is fascinating to watch the growing rapport between the rivals, one that doesn’t quite become a friendship. Hearing Sonia’s voice, remembered by the men and in her current state, reveals a siren who easily draws lovers to her and just as easily sheds them. Halkidis’s torment at being continually thwarted is mirrored by his growing reliance on cocaine.

The story is dark, revealing the seediest side of powerful people and the lengths to which one must go to have any chance of beating them at their own game. At a time when Greece is in crisis, this book sets the atmosphere of a struggling city and country, set adrift by self-interested power brokers. Despite the shortcomings of Halkidis and Piertzonvanis, you can’t help but admire their determination to continue to the bitter end.                     Rating: (^_°)  Intriguing

Notable sentence:  by Halkidis: “I stopped him, apologizing meekly, explaining away my outburst as a consequence of exhaustion. I did not think it wise to explain that coke sometimes made me oversensitive.”

The author is a Greek playwright and director. It was difficult to find any further information about him and there do not seem to be any other English translations of his books.

Review: The Walker on the Cape, Mike Martin (Canada, Newfoundland)

Title: The Walker on the Cape
Author: Mike Martin
Publication: 2012/Baico Publishing Inc, Ottawa Canada
ISBN #: 978-1-926945-97-2
# of pages: 252
Discovered by Crime Writers of Canada
Read in paper format
Also available in e-book format
Link to author’s website: http://walkeronthecape.com/

Old Elias Martin walks the nearby stretch of Newfoundland cape regularly every morning, so regularly the local Grand Bank residents set their clocks by him. So when Mavis Emberly’s soup pot boils dry, she knows something is wrong. Elias has been found dead on the path, an apparent heart attack victim.

RCMP Sergeant Winston Windflower and his Constable Eddie Tizzard hope the doctor will help them to wrap this up quickly but when it turns out Elias was poisoned, Windflower starts to wonder if he is in over his head. Usually, his police work involves getting drunken teenagers home without upsetting the Mayor and his friends. Soon he is uncovering long simmering disputes in this normally quiet little rural outpost while dodging his interfering Inspector.

This is a simply written book, more filled with descriptions of small village living than with high crime drama. Windflower’s work day is nicely offset with his personal life and budding romance with Sheila, owner of the local coffee shop. There are a few good twists and turns along the way. Windflower is an entertaining character and the author does not make him into a super hero but just a regular cop who calls in help when he needs it.    Rating: (°_°)  worth reading.

The author was born in St John’s, Newfoundland and although he now lives in Ottawa, he visits Grand Bank and other parts of Newfoundland every summer. He is a freelance writer and workplace wellness consultant. His second book in the Windflower series, “The Body on the T”, will be published May 2013.

Review: Murder in a Cold Climate, Scott Young (Canada, Northwest Terrorities)

Title: Murder in a Cold Climate
Author: Scott Young
Publication: 1988/Random House of Canada, Toronto
ISBN #: 0-449-21746-9
# of pages: 238
Discovered when cleaning out my bookshelves
Read in paper format

Canadian Mountie Matteesie “Matthew” Kitologitak is suddenly very busy. Seconded to the Department of Northern Affairs and currently in Inuvik, he is preparing for an exciting trip to Leningrad for a meeting of northern countries. The RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) commissioner is on the phone though, asking a favour. Before he leaves, would he please look into a missing plane piloted by the son of the finance minister? As an Inuk who has lived most of his life in the Northwest Territories, he knows the region well and figures this will only take him a few days.
He boards the next plane to Norman Wells. One of the other passengers is Morton Cavendish, notable local power broker, who has suffered a stroke and is being transported to Edmonton for treatment. The plane’s first stop an hour later is Norman Wells and before Kitologitak can disembark, a gunman has boarded and shot Cavendish three times before escaping on a waiting snowmobile. Kitologitak is more interested in solving this murder than finding the missing plane, and he just has to figure out how to do both while ignoring his boss’s order to leave the murder to the local detachment.

As a story about the Canadian Arctic, this is a very interesting book. The characters of the north, the outdoor survival tactics, the scenes of travelling by dog team and snowmobile all bring the North to life. However, for me, the voice of Kitologitak the Inuk did not ring true. It sounded more like what a white person would expect an Inuk to think.  I also did not find the mystery particularly engaging. If you are interested in the Canadian Arctic, add it to your reading pile.            Rating:    (-_°)  

Notable sentence: George No Legs discussing what animals he’s trapped: “You get out here with no legs and a 150-pound wolf stuck in a trap, you might just wish you was back in town, drawin’ welfare.”

Author Scott Young was a Canadian journalist and sportswriter for many years. He wrote a number of short stories, books of fiction (including a second book about Kitologitak, “The Shaman’s Knife”) and nonfiction. One of the latter was “Neil and Me”, about his famous musician son Neil Young. Scott Young died in 2005 at the age of 87.

For an alternate review, read Bill Selnes' at Mysteries and More from Saskatchewan

Scandinavian authors

Further to my earlier post about the Hunt for "New" Authors, here's a review of a great resource for Scandinavian authors.

Nordic Noir: The Pocket Essential Guide to Scandinavian Crime Fiction, Film & TV

Review: Outcast, Jose Latour (Cuba)

Title: Outcast
Author: José Latour
Publication: 2007/Toronto: McClelland& Stewart
Original Publication: 1999/USA: Akashic Books
eISBN #: 978-1-55199-198-6
# of pages: 246
Discovered at Mysteries in a Foreign Land Mysteries in a Foreign Land
Read in e-book format from the library

Also available in paper format

Link to author’s website:http://www.joselatourauthor.com/

 

In 1994, Elliot Steil - Elio to his friends - is a relatively satisfied 44 year old English teacher at the Polytechnic Institute in Havana. Having a Cuban mother and an American father has meant that life has not always been easy and in many ways, this has made him an outcast. So far though, he really hasn’t wanted to leave Cuba, he just wants his blacklisting to stop. He likes his homeland, he has friends like Sobeida who gets him cakes on the black market, an ex-wife with whom he is on satisfactory terms, and a girlfriend whose company he enjoys.

Everything changes the day an Americano called Dan Gastler comes looking for him. He says he is a private investigator and friend of Bob, his long departed father. Bob recently died and in his last days, begged his friend to find his wife and son and smuggle them out of Cuba.

Elio is about to become an outcast yet again and the events leading up to this will start him off on a year long search for answers and revenge.

This is a rather unusual mystery because it is not really about missing persons or dead bodies but about unanswered questions. The more Elio pursues the answers, the more questions arise. This approach was quite intriguing. The story also provides interesting insight into everyday Cuban life: city blackout timetables, using Coke cans as water glasses because the stores don’t have any, watching American television on a Russian TV set via pirated Cuban signals. Here is a 1990s adult who has never held a credit card in his hands. It also provides an interesting insight into the lives of Cuban rafters in Florida. Worth reading both for the mystery and the glimpse at Cuba.     (°_°)

The author has also led an interesting life. Originally a supporter of the Cuban Revolution, Latour began writing novels in the ‘80s, while working in the Ministry of Finance. He quit and became a full time writer in 1990 however, his 1994 book “The Fool”, based on a true corruption case, was branded counterrevolutionary, leading to his being classified as an enemy of the people. Believing his books would not be published in Cuba, he decided to write a book in English and “Outcast” was the result. Five more books have followed. He and his family finally decided to leave the repression in Cuba, moving first to Spain and finally settling in Canada.