private investigator

The Darkness Knows by Arnaldur Indridason – Book Review

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The Darkness Knows by Arnaldur Indridason – Book Cover

After wrapping up the internationally acclaimed Erlendur series, Arnaldur Indridason launched a new crime series starring a fresh protagonist. Enter Konrád, a retired detective who first appears in The Darkness Knows—just as determined and conscientious as his famously grumpy predecessor.

Wake up! There’s a case to solve!

Inspector Erlendur might just be one of the most unconventional leading men in the history of crime fiction. A miserably moody, monosyllabic, and pathologically aloof Icelandic cop, he’s such a crashing bore that readers of his cases might find themselves turning steadily grayer and more featureless with each page—possibly even slipping into a light coma…

Well, Konrád from The Darkness Knows is only about a gram more exciting than him. I don’t know if most Icelanders are like this, or just the ones in Arnaldur Indridason’s social circle, but honestly—if Inspector Konrád ever invited you over, within twenty minutes you’d find yourself thinking that even methodically slitting your own wrists might be a more engaging way to pass the time than trying to hold a conversation with him…

The Erlendur series has 11 volumes. Nine of them have been published in Hungarian. Strangely enough, I’ve read them all. And no, no one held a gun to my head.

The reason, of course, is that Indridason more than makes up for his utterly unbearable protagonist with the actual investigative process. Just like he does with his new lead character…

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The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith – Book Review

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The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith – Book Cover

Cormoran Strike and his partner, Robin Ellacott, are up against a ruthless religious cult. In The Running Grave, the seventh installment of the Cormoran Strike series, the private detective duo is on a mission to rescue a young man from the clutches of fanatics. But the stakes are higher than ever, especially for Robin, who’s thrust into more danger than she’s ever faced before.

The Running Grave is Bursting with Skeletons

Charismatic conman Jonathan Wace—aka “J Papa”—and his exceptionally diabolical wife, Mazu, hit the jackpot when they founded the Universal Humanitarian Church. Their brainwashed followers are completely devoted, eager to fulfill even the most twisted desires of their beloved leaders.

Once this pair sinks their claws into someone, they don’t let go until they’ve wrung them dry. Saving the well-meaning but easily influenced Will Edensor is no small task for Cormoran Strike and his small but dedicated team.

Robin’s Up for This Too!

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Before She Disappeared by Lisa Gardner – Book Review

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Before She Disappeared by Lisa Gardner – Book Cover

Frankie Elkin is a skinny, petite white woman—with a complicated relationship with alcohol and a massive savior complex. In Boston’s immigrant-populated Mattapan neighborhood, she stands out like a lighthouse on a dark sea. So what the hell is she doing there?!

Well, Frankie specializes in missing persons—specifically, cold cases where the police have already failed. So far, she’s found fourteen people. Every single one of them dead. But with Angelique Badeau, a Haitian teenager who disappeared eleven months ago, maybe—just maybe—things will be different this time…

Before She Disappeared is the first book in Lisa Gardner’s Frankie Elkin series.

The Power of Personality

If you’re not a towering, unstoppable muscle-bound force like, say, Major Jack Reacher (see: Lee Child’s Die Trying), who typically extracts information from reluctant witnesses and suspects with a well-placed, bone-rattling punch, then you’ve got no choice—you’ll have to rely solely on the power of your personality.

And that’s exactly what Frankie Elkin does.

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The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons by Karin Smirnoff – Book Review

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The Girl in the Eagle's Talons by Karin Smirnoff – Book Cover

Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy—better known as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series—put Scandinavian crime fiction on the global map in the mid-2000s. The books, which were later adapted into film and television, became so wildly popular that even after Larsson’s death, the adventures of the eccentric yet unstoppable hacker and her loyal (though occasionally unfaithful) collaborator, Mikael Blomkvist, continued. Karin Smirnoff’s The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons is now the seventh installment in the series.

The Controversial Past of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

What started as a crime series quickly evolved into something more. Something bigger. The protagonist, Lisbeth Salander—a woman who, even with the bed included, barely weighs 40 kilos—soon became an action hero. More than that, she transformed into a vengeful angel, a strong, independent woman who made life a living hell for the men who deserved it.

Then came the sequels by David Lagercrantz, and… well, I have no idea. In my humble opinion, Lagercrantz is one of the weakest among the ever-brooding Nordic crime authors. I haven’t been able to finish a single book of his that I picked up. Naturally, that includes the three Millennium installments he cobbled together.

But let’s see how Karin Smirnoff approaches the iron-willed, tattooed girl—who, after two decades, is undoubtedly a tattooed woman by now.

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The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman – Book Review

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The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman – Book Cover

In the charming retirement community of Cooper Chase in southern England, there are numerous clubs designed to keep the residents entertained. There’s a crossword club, French conversation classes, Zumba sessions, and for those seeking a bit more excitement than puzzle-solving, there’s also the Thursday Murder Club. The Last Devil to Die is the fourth collaboration between the retired amateur detectives and the well-known English TV host, Richard Osman. This time, the club members are investigating a missing shipment of heroin, all while seeking revenge for the murder of a friend.

Investigation in a Laid-Back Atmosphere

One might think that the club members, all nearly eighty years old, would have a bit of a handicap when it comes to chasing down criminals, simply due to their age. But that’s not the case. (Of course, they always have hip replacements, walking sticks, and Cavinton on hand if needed!)

You might also expect that various deranged villains would quickly neutralize of the club members with a well-placed elbow to the jaw, and while the amateur detectives recover from concussions in the hospital or lie comatose, the criminals would easily wipe away all evidence.

But the criminals in The Last Devil to Die are as mild as lambs! And remarkably patient and respectful toward the seniors!

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The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith – Book Review

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The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith - Book Cover

Joanne K. Rowling, writing under the pen name Robert Galbraith for the Cormoran Strike novels, has recently found herself in the spotlight over several hot-button issues. She’s no stranger to the internet’s relentless storm of public backlash, so it’s not entirely surprising that the fifth installment, The Ink Black Heart, dives into this territory. Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott find themselves investigating an online harassment case that soon takes a deadly turn, immersing them in the darkest corners of the internet.

Incidentally, Rowling may have also set her sights on breaking the Guinness World Record for the thickest crime novel of all time…

The Ink Black Heart Makes Its Way to Netflix

The title, The Ink Black Heart, seems fitting for an exceptionally twisted villain. But instead, it refers to a surreal, bizarre, yet somehow endearing animated series that quickly achieves cult status. One of its creators, Edie Ledwell, becomes the target of an internet troll. But Anomie, as it turns out, is no ordinary troll; they’re the creator of an online game based on a character from this cult YouTube series, and a master manipulator with a massive fanbase. Strike and Robin are certainly in for a challenging case…

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Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie – Book Review

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Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie – Book Cover

The last time I read an Agatha Christie book was around 35-40 years ago. I’d worked my way through most of her collection, thanks to my Aunt Maggie, who spent decades amassing mystery novels, so naturally, the works of the Queen of Crime were included. Then, suddenly, I had enough. I got tired of the Belgian with the big mustache, just as I did with the nosy Mrs. Marple. But a book review blog offers a good opportunity to give this classic British author another chance. And, of course, it’s wise to start with one of her most famous works. Like Murder on the Orient Express.

The Mystery of the Sealed Express Train

The Orient Express, spanning the width of continental Europe from Istanbul to Paris, seems like the perfect setting for a murder. You board, do what you must— preferably at night, when everyone’s peacefully snoozing in their sleeping compartments – then get off at the next stop and sayonara, leaving the rest to those left on the train.

Of course, accidents can always happen. Like a snowstorm that leaves you stuck on the train in the middle of nowhere in Yugoslavia. And then, even worse, the famous Belgian private detective, Hercule Poirot, is also on board and is immediately asked to investigate. But let’s be real, even if they hadn’t asked, I’d bet my rusty pocketknife he’d look into it anyway.

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The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – Book Review

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The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – Book Cover

I first read the most famous of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s four Sherlock Holmes novels during my elementary school years. Admittedly, It’s been quite a while since then, but I can tell you that the wretched beast scared me so much that I could hardly sleep. I vividly imagined its fire-breathing snout and its eyes blazing in the flames as it roamed the moors, hunting for prey and howling at the moon, so fiercely that it sent shivers down my spine. However, it’s been 120 years since the writing of The Hound of the Baskervilles, so it wouldn’t be too surprising if the notorious hound’s fur had thinned out a bit by now. And most of its teeth might have fallen out as well…

The Hound of the Baskervilles is a Terrifying Monster

It’s easy to understand why the tale of the bloodhound, which has been haunting the Baskerville family for centuries, is the Scottish writer’s most popular work. It’s self-evident, due to its supernatural aspects. The otherworldly creature that haunts the family as a vengeful spirit has become a local legend. The crime scene is an abandoned, dangerous moor populated by eccentric characters. All these elements serve to heighten the reader’s sense of dread.

Moreover, considering the impact of the story at the time of its release, it’s not hard to imagine the reaction it must have provoked. Doyle, who revitalized and pioneered the crime fiction genre, had an influence on his field comparable to, that of The Beatles on the music of the 1960s.

The unsuspecting Victorian-era readers, accustomed to a more leisurely pace of life, probably reacted the same way I did as a child: they were so excited that they ended up filling their pants.

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Holly by Stephen King – Book Review

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Holly by Stephen King – Book Cover

Stephen King read a newspaper article about an elderly couple who had committed murder. Everyone considered them to be kind and decent people—until the buried bodies were found in their backyard. “Perfect material for a novel,” thought King. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic was raging worldwide. All that was needed was Holly Gibney, the beloved character from the Mr. Mercedes books who had since become a private detective, and the result is the thrilling and chilling crime novel titled Holly.

Ultra-conservatives, beware!

Why?

Because you’ll get angry right at the beginning of this book.

One of the main threads in Stephen King’s Holly is the coronavirus. Interestingly, and almost inexplicably, anti-vaxxers primarily come from the staunchly right-wing voting demographic worldwide. I’m not entirely sure, but many believe these people are also the ones more susceptible to conspiracy theories.

(For example: The Earth is flat and is carried on the backs of four bristly armadillos.; or the Moon is made entirely of Emmental cheese. Watch out! These theories might seem entirely plausible at first glance, but they are not true!)

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Tripwire by Lee Child – Book Review

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Tripwire by Lee Child – Book Cover

Major Reacher in Top Form!

Attention Reacher fans! This installment of the series stands out in two key ways from the major’s usual (though hardly ordinary) adventures.

First: Our protagonist is in the best shape of his life in Tripwire. He’s packing in 10,000 calories a day and has gained a whopping 20 kilos of muscle. (He’s digging like a machine, after all.) So, woe to any villains who cross his path! Except, of course, if nature calls while he’s dealing with one. Along with all those calories, he’s downing a full ten liters of mineral water every day. (By the 23rd book in the series, Past Tense, there’s still no sign of overworked kidneys, so we can assume the major kicked this harmful habit.)

But does it bother me one bit if he might have a few, let’s say, accidents now and then? Not in the slightest! I’ve made it clear before that Major Reacher is my ultimate role model (see: Die Trying).

Major Reacher in Love!

Second: Our favourite detective is in love! And this isn’t some fleeting infatuation that anyone might experience over a pretty face or a shapely leg. It’s a long-standing emotion reawakened. It’s certainly unusual to see the major, who’s used to women falling at his feet, intoxicated by his rugged charm (which, let’s face it, is totally understandable), showing such vulnerability.

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