Simon Gillard

There was a time in history when Mother Russia was the centre of turmoil, secrets and extremely hard times in the world. Their history caused for many thrilling stories. I had read many books about this time and always enjoyed the picturesque landscapes through the eyes of the different authors, the tales of heartache and torture. How people made a living in the midst of poverty and tyranny, fascinated me. There was always an element of interest that captured my imagination.

When this book was recommended to me, I was looking forward to another tale of mystery and danger clouded with snowy plains, harsh realities of the communist reign and the romance that it ensued, etc. And was really disappointed when I did not find it.

The unusual relationship between Juraj Teralov and Edgar Rollenvart had me frowning. At times it felt Juraj was more the detective than Edgar. His interference unusual, especially for the role he played. Spoiler alert: When the head detective becomes part of the victim list things picked up a bit.

I find the repeats tiresome, I had no connection with either of the characters. Even the beautiful places did not flutter my heart with interest. I felt as if I am held at a distance. As a reader, I like to be part of the plot. My intelligence respected and not spoon-feed by things that are of no concern to the story while other descriptions neglected that would give me that Wow-factor. So, this book can really do with some line-editing. It will benefit the story tremendously and engage the reader more.

Thanks for the read.… (mais)

I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. This murder mystery is set in 1920s Czechoslovakia where the murder of an heir-apparent to a financial empire, sets thing abuzz. A Soviet investigator arrives to solve the mystery and is assisted by the victim's younger brother. This is a fast-paced mystery which had me turning the pages quickly. The plot is a roller-coaster ride with enough twists and turns to keep you glued. However, there is little character development and the sentences are choppy at times. This doesn't distract too much from the mystery which is pretty good and if the author turns this into a series, I'd like to read it.

More here:

https://ahotcupofpleasureagain.wordpress.com/2020/07/14/hot-off-the-press-the-af...… (mais)