man discovers that he was abducted and then adopted., eventually learns abduction arranged by father convinced he was bastard and adoptive grandfather in Mafia

After the death of his adoptive mother Kit Philipson decides to contact his birth mother to see what she can tell him about how he came to be adopted. By the time he meets her Kit knows that he was abducted while on holiday with his family at the age of 3. His welcome by his birth mother is effusive but that by her children is very guarded.

Kit comes to suspect that he was abducted to order, and that his adoptive father possibly knew more than he ever told. His search for the truth takes him to Leeds, to Vienna, and to Sicily.

An interesting if not particularly believable plot, with some quite nasty characters.

An author I should read more by. ( )

When I see a new Robert Barnard book on the library shelf, I can't
resist it. Not that I've read all his books yet -- I'm actually
considering going back to read some of the ones I read 30 years ago,
and then filling in the gaps. I've never been disappointed in a
Barnard book yet.

Like his recent LAST POST, A STRANGER IN THE FAMILY follows a young
person who, after a parent's death, discovers some long-hidden family
secrets and is compelled to investigate further. Protagonist Kit
Philipson is an eminently sane young man who finds himself among some
pretty dysfunctional relatives he hadn't known he had. His
investigations into his and his family's past take him to Vienna to
learn about the dangerous pre-war years, and then...but I don't want
to put in any spoilers. I generally try not to delve too deeply into
why mystery writers choose the plots they do, but I am just a bit
curious why Barnard has chosen a similar plot beginning for two quite
different books within a few years. I'd definitely recommend this or
any Barnard book; he writes both series and stand-alones, equally good
in different ways. ( )

Robert Barnard has written more than 40 mysteries in his distinguished career, and has never once failed to turn out a beautifully written novel that tells an engaging story. Much like Jane Austen’s works, Barnard’s stories can be likened to ivory miniatures: precise, lovely, detailed. And like Austen, Barnard has a sly wit and a quiet irony that makes his tales all the more engaging.

A Stranger in the Family is not a murder mystery; you will find no dead bodies in these pages, except for those who have died a natural death. But there is still plenty of suspense, as Kit Philipson tries to discover the truth behind his abduction at the age of three. It’s a tangled story that takes Kit from his home in Glasgow following the deaths of his adoptive parents to the home of his birth mother in Leeds and ultimately to Sicily to unravel all the threads. In the process, Kit must examine his heritage as the adopted son of a Jewish refugee from World War II, deal with his natural siblings who fear that he will take away “their” share of his birth mother’s estate upon her eventual death, and ultimately speak with a Mafioso who made huge profits from the suffering of others.

Barnard can communicate such a great deal with such an economy of words that one marvels. A train journey is made vivid in a single sentence: “Four people in his compartment were talking into their mobiles – conversations of the most indescribable banality, which made one wonder what God’s purpose in creating language had been.” A character is described out in a phrase:
“[T]he old man sat up in the bed, royally genial and welcoming, wearing a dressing gown and a woolen hat that made him look like a Dickens illustration.” Barnard’s talent is such that he can tell us just enough to let our imaginations finish the job perfectly well.

There’s a reason Barnard was awarded the Cartier Diamond Dagger Award for excellence in mystery writing. Pick up A Stranger in the Family and find out for yourself just what a wonderful writer he is. ( )

Nazis AND the Mafia -- well, you don't get that every day. ( )