Synopsis (from
the publisher):
Jana Matinova entered the Czechoslovak police force as a young woman,
married an actor, and became a mother. The regime destroyed her
husband, their love for one another, and her daughter's respect for
her. But she has never stopped being a seeker of justice.
Now, as a commander in the Slovak police force, she liaises with
colleagues across Europe as they track the mastermind of an
international criminal operation involved in, among other crimes, human
trafficking. Her investigation takes her from Ukraine to Strasbourg,
from Vienna to Nice, in a hunt for a ruthless killer and the beautiful
young Russian woman he is determined either to capture or destroy.
— ◊ —
— ◊ —
Siren of the Waters
A
Commander Jana Matinova Mystery
Michael
Genelin
Soho Crime (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-56947-484-2 (1569474842)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-484-6 (9781569474846)
Publication Date: July 2008
List Price: $24.00
— ◊ —
Review: We first
meet Jana Matinova, the protagonist in Siren of the Waters -- the first
book in Michael Genelin’s new series -- as she examines the site
of a car crash that killed seven. Her investigation takes her all over
Europe, twisting and turning like a coiled snake, and Genelin gives us
just enough clues to keep the pages turning. Matinova has great depth
to her character, and we get to know her better through interwoven
flashes into her past. A few of these slow the plot down a bit, but
they’re valuable in our understanding of who she is and how she
ticks. She has suffered a great deal at the hands of the prior regime
that destroyed her family but even that hasn’t totally damaged
her inner core of determination and a need for justice. She tries her
best to separate her personal feelings from her work, but possesses too
much humanity for her to always succeed.
Genelin has created well-rounded background characters as well. I
particularly like the relationship between Matinova and her boss,
Trokan. Their banter speaks to a long and caring relationship, and he
helped her as much as she could while she suffered the state’s
scrutiny into the lives of her husband, herself and their child.
It’s clear that Genelin knows Europe well. His vivid descriptions
of the locations in the story make one feel as if one is there with
Matinova and her fellow investigators. He’s also done his
research on how different police forces work. While Slovakia calls
itself capitalist, the country hasn’t fully shed its communist
tendencies as we see in the careful way Matinova treads while doing her
work. Overall, this is a wonderful story, and I look forward to the
next Matinova book.
Special thanks to Katherine Petersen for contributing her review of Siren of the Waters and to Soho Press for providing an ARC of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2008 — Katherine Petersen — All Rights Reserved — Reprinted with Permission
Have you read Siren of the Waters? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series …
Siren
of the Waters
Soho Crime (Hardcover), July 2008
ISBN-10: 1-56947-484-2 (1569474842)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-484-6 (9781569474846)
Dark
Dreams
Soho Crime (Hardcover), July 2009
ISBN-10: 1-56947-557-1 (1569475571)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-557-7 (9781569475577)
The
Magician's Accomplice
Soho Crime (Hardcover), July 2010
ISBN-10: 1-56947-626-8 (1569476268)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-626-0 (9781569476260)
Omnimystery keywords for Siren of the Waters ...
Location(s) referenced: Slovakia.
