Rating: 3/5
Review:
Good background, so-so story
I enjoyed Black Wolf, but perhaps not as much as its predecessor,
Motherland.
Set in contemporary
St. Petersburg, Natalya Ivanova is an honest investigator in a deeply
political and corrupt police force. As she investigates the death of
a woman who is involved in an anti-corruption protest movement, she
becomes embroiled in political intrigue and faces the determination
of Russia’s super-rich and their protectors within the state to
thwart what may be an embarrassment to them, with extreme
consequences for her and her family.
The great strength
of these books is the portrait of a corrupt society where political
and financial interests override any sense of law, justice or
fairness. G.D.Abson writes very well and creates an excellent
atmosphere of suppression and fear, along with the bone-chilling cold
of a Russian winter. The story, though, is a bit average with a lot
of familiar clichés among the superior background and the ending
became rather silly, with – you’ve guessed it – a stand-off
with the killer who explains everything to Ivanova before...etc. etc,
plus a bit of a with-one-bound-she-was-free solution to her political
problems.
This is a perfectly
decent read, but the powerful background isn’t such an original
feature second time around and as a police thriller it’s nothing
special. Recommended with reservations.
(My thanks to Mirror
Books for an ARC via NetGalley.)
No comments:
Post a Comment