Marek Krajewski: Death in Breslau
Puolankielinen alkuperäisteos Śmierć w Breslau
Päiväys 3.5.2012
Maclehose Press 2008

Kannen perusteella luulin eka et tää oli joku huumoridekkari, kun yläreunassa komeilee "An Eberhard Mock Investigation", mutta piakkoin selvisi, että Eberhard Mock onkin päähenkilön nimi. 1930-luvun Puolaan, silloin jo ilmeisesti de facto osa natsi-Saksaa, sijoittuva murhamysteeri lähtee käyntiin, kun nuori nainen ja tämän palvelijatar löydetään surmattuina ja skorpionit tungettuina auki viillettyihin vatsoihin. Kyseessä on mitä ilmeisemmin jonkin sortin rituaalimurha ja Mock apureineen ryhtyy selvittämään sitä tuossa synkässä ja korruptoituneessa maailmassa. Jonkin verran mukana oli melko veijarimaistakin sanailua, mutta itse juoni on kyllä hyvin kummallinen, joten jäin nyt hieman kylmäksi tälle teokselle, vaikka silläkin toki oli puolensa ja viihdyttävät hetkensä. Muitakin saman sarjan "noir"-trillereitä on, mut enpäs menis sanoo et niitä lukisin.

I can't fault the writing, the twisty surprising plotline, or the serious depth of the characters. But it was just so dark. A dark tale in a very dark period of history. A really good book, but I didn't enjoy the read. Just too dark for me. (and I like dark)

Listening to this in Polish in the car.

Cripes this is a dark book. The Poles certainly know how to write a bleak tale. If you're squeamish about graphic depictions of violence (albeit brief and certainly not gratuitous), this might be one to avoid.

Set in what is now Wroclaw, Poland, Death in Breslau takes place in 1934, when it was a German city near the border. Two women, a member of German nobility and her companion, are found on a train, eviscerated, scorpions found on and around the bodies. A conductor is found killed by three scorpion stings. Inspector Mock is sent to find the murderer. He quickly finds the obvious suspect, a Jewish epileptic pet store owner. Before he can bring the man in for questioning, the man is taken and tortured to death by the Gestapo, a group Mock has no control over. Still, the case is closed, until it becomes obvious that the pet store owner was not the murderer. Since Mock is now tainted by the incident, a police officer from Berlin, Herbert Anwaldt is sent to lead a new investigation.

Death in Breslau is one weird story. The odd murder weapons (scorpions) are the most straightforward part of this convoluted tale involving everything from the Crusades, to brothels, to the constant need to maneuver around the Gestapo and their allies. Mock may be a rotund, middle-aged man with a love of German cuisine, but he's far from simple, and his continuing survival in his position is largely due to how he manages to out-think and out-manipulate those around him. Anwaldt is an interesting character as well; an alcoholic being given one last chance to prove himself in the provinces, he's constantly haunted by his past as a fatherless boy making his way through orphanages and harsh Catholic schools. No one is entirely good, but there are plenty of people who are entirely evil. All in all, this was an odd, but rewarding book.

I enjoyed reading this book and give it 4.5 stars(rounded up to 5). Eberhard Mock is a Police Inspector in Breslau, Germany in 1933(present day Wroclaw,Poland). He is called to the scene of 2 horrific murders. Two women have been horribly mutilated and 1 of them is the daughter of very powerful man, Baron Von Malten. Mock is between a rock and a hard place, as solving the murders means antagonizing the Gestapo and not solving them means that the Baron will betray him to the Gestapo.
The plot moves along swiftly, move and counter move between Mock and the Gestapo. The torture scenes are very gruesome. There are vivid descriptions of the squalid corruption in the city.
The author bio identifies him as a former lecturer in Classical Studies at the University of Wroclaw. There are Latin and Greek phrases scattered throughout the book. I liked the ending. This book was originally written in Polish. The translation is very good.

DNF. I gave up at page 100.

I chose this book because it's set in Breslau, but you don't actually learn all too much about the city. It is interesting to get an idea of the atmosphere around the time when the Nazis rose to power.

I didn't care for the writing style. I lost track of all the characters involved, and the protagonist (policeman Mock) seemed a bit too flat with his visiting brothels, endorsing violence, and always having a way to blackmail his colleagues or opponents. I found myself not enjoying reading this story, so I stopped.