God's Spy by Juan Gomez-Jurado

Pope John Paul II has died and the Cardinals have gathered in Vatican for the funeral and the conclave that follows where the new Pope would be elected. In the meantime a serial killer is killing the Cardinals. Paola a psychological profiler, Dante who works for the Vatican, and Pontiero are asked to handle the case discreetly, to catch the killer and stop further killings. Father Anthony Fowler of former CIA also assists them. The investigators start off as a trio, with Pontiero and Dante constantly bickering, and Paola acts as a foil between them defusing tension. And then Pontiero is pulled off the equation and Fowler becomes part of the trio and again there is tension between Dante and Fowler making me wonder if Paola is the only women in Vatican.

From the outset we know who the killer is, they just have to catch him. How difficult would be to catch somebody in Vatican with just a few million paying respects to the dead Pope? Why is a psychological profiler in charge of the investigation as we already know who the killer is? There is a reason which comes out in the end.

The first half the story moves between the investigation in the present and the past of the serial killer. The story of the serial killer is narrated through transcripts of psychiatric sessions that slowly reveal the trauma and abuse both the killer suffered and he meted out to others which are very disturbing to read.

Some of the twists and turns are quite predictable. Why doesn't anybody ask even the obvious questions? If there is only one way to get inside a building and that way is heavily guarded, how could the killer have gone out? There is nice little twist in the end that I didn't see coming.

The story is based around real events and issues that the Catholic Church faces like the death of the Pope, the issue of sexual abuse meted out by Catholic priests and the Church's efforts to suppress the issue and struggle over modernisation of the Church giving it an authentic feel. If one wondered what happened to the Priests who abused children, did they face a trial, did they go to prison? It is shocking (even though we have read about it in newspapers) to learn that such Priests were generally shifted around to different Regions and when they become more dangerous they were sent to an institution that probably made them worse.

The author provides interesting details about the Vatican in the beginning like how the Petrol is cheaper than in Rome and the long queues at Petrol stations even when only few are given permits to buy in Vatican. The only reason I picked up the book from library because I wanted to read a Crime Fiction book based in Vatican for the European Reading Challenge 2013 hosted by Rose City Reader. Overall a little disturbing but an interesting thriller!

Orginally written in Spanish and this book is translated in English by James Graham.

European Reading Challenge Wrap-Up

I signed up to read books based in Europe for the European Reading Challenge. Here are the books I read:

The Vault by Ruth Rendell (UK)

Notes from the Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky(Russia)

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak(Germany)

Water-Blue Eyes by Domingo Villar(Spain)


DeKok and Murder on Blood Mountain by A.C. Baantjer(Netherlands)

The Leopard by Jo Nesbo(Norway)

Candide by Voltaire(Portugal)

The Holcroft Covenant by Robert Ludlum(Switzerland)

Journey into Fear by Eric Ambler1948(Turkey)

Zone Defence by Petros Markaris (Greece)

The Question of Belief by Donna Leon(Italy)

The Marais Assassin by Claude Izner(France)

Dracula by Bram Stoker(Romania)

Hypothermia by Arnaldur Indridason(Iceland)

The man who went up in smoke by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo (Hungary)

The Black Path by Asa Larsson (Sweden)

Snow Angels by James Thompson (Finland)

The Dogs of Riga by Henning Mankell (Latvia)

Joe Muller Detective by Auguste Groner (Austria)

The Expats by Chris Pavone (Luxembourg)



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Snow Angels by James Thompson

It is Kaamos, two weeks of endless dark night with no sun or light before Christmas. In Kittila in northern Finland it is minus forty degree Celsius outside and too cold that people start drinking in the early afternoons.

Inspector Kari Vaara is called to investigate the death of a beautiful Somali Immigrant actress, Sufia Elmi who was brutally murdered and mutilated in what looks like a sex and race crime. Kittila is a small town. So small that the murder takes place where Kari met his American wife, Kate for the first time. And Kari has to scout the street his parents live for possible witnesses. And suspects are too close to home for the investigative officers. No it is not a cosy. It is as hard-boiled as it comes violent with sexual content.

When Kari gets an early break in the case, we know that there is more to the case than what appears. The scenarios Kari build on what could have happened are ugly, and what Kate suggests gives it a nightmare quality. As the body count piles up, can't help wondering if I accidentally stepped into a Zombie movie. I didn't guess the ending or the murderer. If it hadn't been a series, I would definitely have suspected Inspector Kari Vaara for the murders.

James Thompson gives details on weather, history, attitudes, local communities, and how the weather affects people. He gives interesting information about various aspects of Finland. With so many stories featuring crime, especially the Scandinavian noir, if you wonder what is the statistics of serial killers, that there are no known serial killers walking free in Europe, says Kari Vaara. Other bits of information that caught my attention is that in the previous decades, teenagers were gifted dentures as confirmation gift because by puberty their teeth were rotten.

I did get a feel of Finland and it is sad that when Kari sees Aurora Borealis he is not able to enjoy it or get fascinated by it. He is burdened with these murders and its impact. The sexual content was explicit and disturbing. Yes, the endless night can drive one to insanity.

Zone Defence by Petros Markaris

When detectives go on vacation, either they end up detecting a case in the holiday destination or forced to come back home to investigate a pressing case. When Athens Detective Costas Haritos, takes a vacation even the earth rumbles and coughs up a body. Yes. First there is the earth quake and then a corpse. A detective is never off-duty, is he?

Back home, a night-club owner is shot dead near the entrance of his night-club. Haritos takes up the case and handles both the investigations. Who murdered the night-club owner and why?

The story is like an onion (yes, I saw Shrek the millionth time recently). You peel one layer of mystery, there is another layer, you solve one, there is one more to be solved. Markaris takes us into the world of night-clubs, football clubs, politics, opinion polls and corruption in Athens.

We have our crossword crazy detective, poetry writing detective and philosophy spouting detectives. Here, our Costas Haritos is a politically incorrect dictionary reading detective. I love Haritos' wife Adriani and the way she gets her way with Haritos. I love the humour and the twists and turns. I didn't expect the ending. I look forward to reading more books by Petros Markaris.

This book is originally written in Greek and translated in English by David Connolly.

Why are noirs so funny?

Here is some wisdom from Haritos on doctors.

I don't go to the doctor's, because once you start looking, they always find something worse.

But because happy marriages thrive on contrariety, Adriani is terrified of illnesses and I of doctors.

This is my post for Crime Fiction Alphabet Z.

A Question of Belief by Donna Leon

In Summer, when all the world heads to the Venice, what do you think the Venetians do? They move to cooler mountains to beat the heat. Commissario Guido Brunetti of Venice is looking forward to his summer holiday to the cooler mountains with his family to escape the heatwave and tourist onslaught. He has even boarded the train and almost near his destination. Do you think crime is going to take a break too as Brunetti hopes? No such luck. Even before he reaches his destination, he is back investigating a murder.

A court clerk Fontana was found murdered. Brunetti hears rumours about delays in court cases which may have been due to Fontana. Was Fontana corrupt? Was he killed because of his dealings in the court? Or is there more to his murder?

Vianello, Brunetti's assistant, approaches Brunetti with his family trouble. Vianello's elderly aunt, the brains behind a successful business and a very level headed woman seems to have lost her rational behaviour. She is spending her hard earned money on a fortune teller. Can Brunetti and Vianello find out what is happening and stop this? What made the level headed rational woman part with her hard earned money?

The Fontana mystery is quite straightforward and one can guess what really has happened and Brunetti solves because he sees somebody in the funeral. But the case of the soothsayer is a surprise, I didn't guess it but the case solves itself. As usual I took a plunge into middle of a series. I do like putting up the bits like a jigsaw puzzle. This is the 19th book featuring Commissario Guido Brunetti published in 2010. An interesting mystery giving glimpses into corruption in most sacred places (read Justice) in Venice and how ingenious Con Artists have become.

Oh! I do understand that Summer may not be a good time to visit Venice.

I picked it from the library for the European Reading Challenge and this is my post for Crime Fiction Alphabet Q.

Hypothermia by Arnaldur Indridason

A Murder mystery based in Reykjavik, Iceland, sounded interesting to me, so I picked it up from the library.

The story starts with Maria's mother's funeral and Maria's suicide two years later at her holiday home. Maria never recovered from her mother's death. She was depressed and was constantly contemplating on death and life after death. Her suicide seemed inevitable. But her friend Karen believes there is more to her suicide and urges detective Erlendur to investigate. It is the recording of Maria's seance that makes Erlendur to start an unofficial investigation. The death of Maria's father in her childhood, looms in the background. Was it an accident or murder? And was Maria involved in his death? Is this the main reason for Maria's obsession with death and afterlife? Erlendur's investigation takes him to probe the past, about experiments in after life. Indridason also explores these topics -is their life after death?

There are two narratives, one of Erlendur's investigation and the other on what led to Maria's death. We do know quite early on 'who'. But how and why are the questions? Some of it is quite chilling. Indridason plays with our fear for dark and shadows.

Erlendur is also investigating the case of disappearance of two young people thirty years ago. Erlendur seems to be at leisure to investigate these disappearances and suicide, no work pressure. He also has to come to terms with his experience and loss in a blizzard as a young boy. There is his personal story of his long estrangement with his wife and its impact on his grown up children. Will there be a friendly reunion? Will they at least forget the past and meet on friendly terms?

I found the story interesting but the ending repetitive. We already have the story of what happened to Maria side by side of Erlendur's investigation. Why was the need to sum it up again? Erlenur does seem naive in the end. A Chilling Mystery! I am planning to read other books by Arnaldur Indridason.

European Reading Challenge 2012

I am signing up for the Five Star (Deluxe Entourage) level that is Read at least five books by different European authors or books set in different European countries for the European Reading Challenge
I picked these books for European Reading Challenge
The Vault by Ruth Rendell (London)
DeKok and Murder on Blood Mountain by Baantjer (Belgium/Netherlands)
The Leopard by Jo Nesbo (Oslo)
The Girl of his dreams by Donna Leon (Venice)
The Marais Assasin by Claude Izner (Paris)
The Book Thief by Zusak (Nazi Germany)
The Prague Cemetry by Umbreto Eco (Europe)
All these authors are new to me except Rendell and Eco and all are mysteries except for The Book Thief.