Abir Mukherjee: A Rising Man, Vintage (Penguin Random House) Paperback, 9781784701345 /

German edition:  Ein angesehener Mann, Heyne
 

I cannot remember how I discovered “A Rising Man” by Abir Mukherjee but I am very glad I did, he is a true find. I really fell for this captivating historical thriller set in 1915 Calcutta which had me turning the pages rapidly making it very hard to tear myself away from the book.  The novel was shortlisted for the CWA Gold and Endeavour historical daggers and was selected Book of the Year of the Daily Telegraph in 2016. A German translation is out already and the sequel “A Necessary Evil” was published this year cannot wait to read it, the second one in a new series.  The atmosphere of the book reminds me a great deal of M.J. Carter’s “A Stranglers Vine” but Mukherjee’s novel has a more realistic feel to it, painting a vivid portrait of the British Raj.

 

This highly atmospheric novel opens  in Calcutta of 1919 were the British Raj is affording many British a life they would never be able to dream of in England, all at the expense of  India’s treasures  and its citizens. Captain Sam Wyndham is thankful for his new Calcutta posting hoping to leave his nightmares of WWI behind.  Travelling with him is the ghost of his wife Sarah who died during an influenza epidemic and his addiction to morphium and painkillers, consequences of the war. Previously employed at Scotland Yard he comes with high recommendations but has barely time to settle in when he is called to his first murder victim in the darker parts of Calcutta. 
 

A senior British Official, Alexander MacAuley, aid to the Lieutenant Governor and problem fixer par excellence, was found brutally murdered with a note stuffed in his mouth signaling the British to leave India to the Indians. The murder is first attributed to rebel movements but Sam has his doubts once he starts digging.  Arrogant English Inspector Digby and a very smart but disadvantaged Indian Sergeant Banerjee, also known as “Surrender-Not”, are part of his investigative team.  I am not going to go into much more detail as it would spoil the fun, but from the opium dens of Calcutta to the Lord Governor of Bengal, a cast of very colorful characters paint a rich portrait of the early 20^th Century Calcutta and the first uprisings of the Indian independent movement. 

William Boyd: The Dreams of Bethany Mellmoth, 9780241295878 hardback and outside the UK 9780241295885, C format paperback / publication date: November 2, 2017, Viking (Penguin Random House)

Those who have been following my blog know that William Boyd is one of my absolute favorite contemporary authors.  “Any Human Heart” (Eines Menschen Herz) and “Sweet caress” (Die Fotografin: Die vielen Leben der Amory Clay) sit on my shelf of beloved books.  I was very happy indeed to get my hands on his upcoming book of short stories “The Dreams of Bethany Mellmoth) pre-publication date and what a treat it was.  Boyd is simply a master story teller.  

“The Dreams of Bethany Mellmoth” is by far the longest short story in the book, a small novella in itself, a story of how chance encounters with different man shape the direction of Bethany Mellmoth’s life repeatedly.  I loved the one of the frustrated film director/screen play writer whose life situation is revealed bit by bit through the letters he writes to his girlfriend, brother, banker, producer and his leading actor, really had me laughing at times. The book begins with the story of the philandering husband who has resorted to kissing only which he doesn’t consider cheating . Then there is the story of the couple whose relationship starts with the end and ends with how they met.

Almost a small thriller in itself is the last story.  A mediocre actor is offered 1.000 pounds during an audition by a stranger if he drives a small glass container of liquid, supposedly holy water for a baptism, to a remote church in Scotland.  All these stories are William Boyd at his best, he describes human weaknesses so very brilliantly, you just keep turning the pages furiously. I cannot wait for his next book, he is said to be working on a novel due next year. 

Daniel Silva: House of Spies, 9780062669049, large format paperback (C-Format), Harper Collins US, available

I am a huge fan of Daniel Silva who in my opinion is one of the best thriller writers at the moment. What really blows me away is the clairvoyant foresight he seems to have about looming terrorist attacks and how well connected Silva must be to the world of spies and counter intelligence. 

When another horrible terrorist attack shakes the world, I occasionally find myself wishing for men like Gabriel Allon and his team hoping they truly exist to protect us and our democracy from religious zealots who are threatening freedom as we know it.

In “Black Widow” he wrote about ISIS terrorist attacks in Paris before they actually happened, by publication date they had much to our horror become reality.  As is the case with his latest novel, “House of Spies”, centering on terrorist attacks in London. Silva writes in his always very informative afterword that he turned in the draft of this book on March 15 and on March 22 ISIS struck down many innocent tourists on Westminster Bridge. Although fiction, it is apparent his books are very much based on research and facts. 

Gabriel Allon, now the head of Israeli intelligence, is still hunting down Saladin, one of the most dangerous ISIS masterminds.  A primary source of funding ISIS’s deadly missions comes from profit made through the drug business which leads Allon and his team to wealthy French multi billionaire Jean- Luc Martel who owns many businesses, all rumored to be screens for laundering drug money. One such business is a famous art gallery run by Martel’s model partner Olivia Watson. I am not going to spill the beans about what is happening next in this page turning thriller but you are in for 526 pages of guaranteed fast paced plotting and action of the best kind.

Elizabeth Strout:  Anything is possible, 9780241287972, Viking (Penguin Random House UK) Hardback

Elizabeth Strout’s “My name is Lucy Burton” became an instant New York Times Bestseller with the success continuing across the Atlantic landing on several  European bestseller lists.   In May 2017 her short story collection “Anything is possible” was published, all stories are connected to Amgash/Illinois, the home town of Lucy Barton.

 I love Elizabeth Strouts subtle, precise description of the lives of ordinary people, the horrors and hurts hidden behind the most ordinary small town facade.  Most stories start very innocently until wham, a real twist in the story shakes you.  As most of Amgash’s inhabitants are well known to each other or even related, the stories reveal interesting angles of previous characters in other stories. “Dottie’s Bed and Breakfast” for example is one of them as is “Sister” where Lucy Barton makes an appearance.

 

I greatly enjoyed each and every one of the short stories; Elizabeth Strout is a fantastic short story writer, go out and buy a copy. The German edition is not available yet.