Review: Hidden in Snow (Viveca Sten)

 

Snow. Cold. Mountains. Darkness.

You find these things a lot in Nordic Noir. And while Viveca Sten isn't usually included in lists of Swedish Nordic Noir writers, this book is probably one of her "noir-iest" yet. I had to sit with it for a few days after finishing it and let things process before I could put my thoughts down. Set in midwinter, in the leadup to Christmas, Hidden in Snow is the story of a young girl who disappears after a party and is later found dead on a ski lift in a mountain resort area. But it's so much more than that: this is about what happens to her family and town in the aftermath of that discovery.

Running the Books, by Avi Steinberg

I've been reading Avi Steinberg's 2010 memoir Running the Books: The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian for our mystery group. Today I finished it, which is good, since we meet tonight. I was really looking forward to this book for a couple of reasons. First, I'm an accidental librarian myself, although in a public library and medical library setting. I wanted to see how his experiences in the profession paralleled my own. To a certain extent, they did. There's that feeling of being out of your depth that you have in the beginning when you're not quite sure how things work. You do eventually get your bearings, though. Working in a prison library has very different dynamics than any other library, and it was fascinating to see how power and authority, and patron relationships play out in that environment. Very different from my experience, and I'm not sure I could have adapted as well as Steinberg did to such unique circumstances. The second thing that really interested my was why a "good Jewish boy" would go into such a line of work. Although Steinberg is nonpracticing and never comes right out and says it, by the end of the book it's clear that he feels a sense of duty imposed by his heritage, a feeling of tikkun olam (restoring the world). This comes through most clearly when he writes about prisoners he has gotten close to, only to lose them to violence. Those are probably some of the most moving parts of the book.

When Elves Attack, by Tim Dorsey

Serge and Coleman are back with all the gang in Tim Dorsey's new Christmas story When Elves Attack. Our favorite anti-hero decides it's time to celebrate the holidays in a big way and recruits City and Country to help out. With G-Unit along for the ride, you know there's going to be plenty of sparkle. Unfortunately, all these old characters make When Elves Attack a poor choice for newcomers to the Serge mythos. They'll be completely lost. Of course, there's lots of mayhem as Serge deals with bad guys, Grinches and naughty elves using his own special style. Along the way, he helps the Davenports (Jim and Martha) handle some family crises and defends them from thugs with pain in mind. He even guides their daughter Nicole through teenage angst and the pitfalls of young love.

Many people believe Serge is a psychotic serial killer, but in reality he's so much more. He's our collective id, doing battle with 21st century evil and stupidity. Serge is, dare I say it, a new Dark Knight with Coleman as his (literally) dopey Boy Wonder. He's also one of the great philosophers and commentators of our time:

"But why are we wearing elf suits?"
"To spread good cheer."
"What for?"
"Because of the War on Christmas."
"Who started the war?" asked Coleman.
"Ironically, the very people who coined the term and claim others started the war. They're upset that people of different faiths, along with the coexistence crowd who respect those faiths, are saying 'Seasons Greetings' and 'Happy Holidays.' But nobody's stopping anyone from saying 'Merry Christmas.'"
"And they're still mad?"
Serge shrugged. "It's the new holiness: Tolerance can't be tolerated."

Forget what I said earlier. Read the book even if you've never read any of the others. Sure, you'll be confused, but that's a common state in Dorseyland. Despite your confusion, you'll discover a great series with quirky, enjoyable characters and wonderful plots and you'll love the ride.

Seasons greetings, merry Christmas, and happy holidays!

Sworn to Silence, by Linda Castillo (originally posted to GRothenberger.com, 1 July 2011)

Sworn to Silence is the first book in Linda Castillo's Amish Thriller series. It features Kate Burkholder, Chief of Police of the small Ohio Amish Country town of Painter's Mill. I'll admit I had started this book with pretty low expectations. I had tried unsuccessfully to read another Amish-themed mystery about a year ago. It didn't help that the reviews for this book that I read on Amazon weren't encouraging, either. In fact, some of them were quite brutal. If I hadn't needed to read the book for an upcoming book club meeting, I likely wouldn't have bothered. That would have been a shame, because it would mean I had missed one of the best contemporary mysteries I've read in some time.

Castillo is a very good writer, and she clearly knows her stuff. Whether it's modern-day police procedures or life among the Amish, she has a depth of knowledge that I found refreshingly unexpected. Her portrayal of Amish life is particularly well done, showing the complexity behind the stereotypical simplicity. Castillo manages to be both sympathetic toward and realistic about the Plain people, thus avoiding the idolization I've seen in some other authors. This was one of the characteristics that drew me to the book.

As for the story itself, I simply couldn't put it down. The two main characters, Burkholder and BCI field agent John Tomasetti, have both been badly damaged by events in their lives and so are always on the edge of despair. Nevertheless, they remain likable characters. We want them to succeed at their task, as well as in their lives. And what a task they've got! A series of horrific (and I don't use that word lightly) murders are happening in this small country town that exactly mimic murders from 16 years previously. Is it a copycat or the same killer? If a copycat, then how does the killer know details of the killings that were never made public? If the same killer, then why the 16 year break between murders? The investigation is confusing, and is further complicated by local politics and long-held secrets from Burkholder's past. The author puts a great amount of detail into telling the story of both the investigation and the murders. Sometimes a truly disturbing amount of detail. Much of the book reads less like fiction and more like true crime reporting. After finishing the book you'll want a long, hot shower to try to wash yourself clean. But you'll want to put Linda Castillo on your list of must-read authors, too. I know I have.

The Unscratchables, by Cornelius Kane (originally posted to GRothenberger.com, 24 July 2009)

This was a surprisingly good book. The author, Australian Cornelius Kane, has an impressive understanding of the noir genre. He has the ability to write a noir story with cats and dogs as the main characters, and write it as well as Dashiell Hammett or Raymond Chandler.

The Unscratchables is the story of a dog (a former POW and veteran of the Siamese war) who has to team up with a Siamese cat in order to capture a feral cat on a murderous rampage in the Kennels of Kathattan island. I don't want to give away the ending, so I won't say more than that. If you enjoy a good story filled with plot twists, you'll like The Unscratchables. If you like your books a little deeper, then you'll really enjoy the ongoing political, social and media commentary Mr. Kane weaves into the book.

I read it in less than twelve hours. It's that good.

Grand Theft Jesus: The Hijacking of Religion in America, by Robert S. McElvaine (posted to GRothenberger.com 24 July 2009)

Not a whole lot of new material in this book, although it is nice to have it all in one place. Since it's a pretty new book, it's also tied more into recent current events, such as the 2008 election. My only complaint is that the author tries too hard for "fun" in his word play. It was somewhat distracting at times. Still, overall it's a very good book.