This one was highly recommended by a colleague who also likes to read thrillers. The title was familiar, I'm sure I've seen it before. As I tried to remember, I attempted to pluck out the image of the cover that could reel the memory in. Alas, the attempt remained an attempt. Forget it. There's Google anyways. One click and I found out that it is the first book of a successful trilogy and it was already adapted into film starring Tom Hardy and Gary Oldman no less!! Where the hell was I?!!
With such a strong build up I decided to put this at the top notch of my shopping list for the week. I always need a good supply of thrillers. Irrationally thinking, there seems to be a good shortage in my shelf for self-imposed emergency situations. But I especially like it if I discover a good thriller coming from new and virtually unknown writers. Grisham, Cook, saver, Connelly, Child, Koontz would always be mainstream. They're in almost everyone's bookshelves and their titles are extensive. But to discover great, but minimal works of new authors, makes book reading so inspirational.
I loved this. I didn't put it down which is exactly what a good thriller book should do. Every time I had lull time, after dinner, between every task, I would always think of where I left off and when I could read a chapter or two. As soon as I got home, after catching up with my dogs and unless I need to meet up with someone, this occupied most of my time.
I loved how the story distinctly painted the profiles of lead characters like esteemed MGB agent Leo Demidov. The characterization, if that's the correct term, was superb. You would greatly connect a high ranking official with principles and unwavering loyalty to the state to becoming a fallen angel and enemy of the state. The scenarios, conflicts and twists support the complex development of the characters. Usually I find in thrillers characters just differ from victims and psychopaths. If character development is there, it's not as rich and compelling. In this book, you'll get to see the rise and fall, the weakness, choices and strengths the characters are faced in a setting of Communist Russia. There are tender (note: NOT CHEESY) moments to peek on a couple's relationship under the strain of societal pressure and pressure of each others' expectations. What's also interesting and profound compared to other thrillers I've read are the background and setting which vividly painted Russia during the heavy communist years. The writer effectively visualized what fictional Russia was like in Stalin's helm with all the fear, danger and restrictions that come with it. It opens up issues of forced justice, tortures in Lubyanka, national orphanages and homosexuality in a very masculine and strict army. These effective settings are essential to the protagonists story as they press on capturing a national psychotic killer before they are killed by the state. The writer brilliantly glued various conflicts together, the state and the killer, to develop the characters and at the same time produce a high grade thriller novel. Understandably, it's a tremendous feat.
As a reader, while you enjoy the chase, you also enjoy the lush setting, historical snippets and brilliant characters you really can't bother with in other thriller novels. Probably that's why it's so profound is that there are so many things to enjoy and appreciate beside the usual formula. I actually enjoyed the story of the protagonists more than catching the killer which turned out to like a subplot.
If you are a fan of good thrillers, this shouldn't be missed. And it's the type of thriller that is brilliantly poised for a sequel.
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| waterstones.com |
SEQUELS: The Silent Speech and Agent 6
**The Silent Speech is quite hard to find. Had mine reserved and acquired in Fully Booked Fort. Still have yet to read it.
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