This is another dual purpose post, as was Tuesday’s. It is a Recently Read post, reviewing a book I’ve read and I am also including it in the 2014 Global Reading Challenge I posted about Here where Kerrie at Mysteries in Paradise is running the challenge.
I’m doing the Easy Challenge
Read one novel from each of these continents in the course of 2014:
Africa, Asia, Australasia/Oceania, Europe, North America, South America (please include Central America where it is most convenient for you)
The Seventh Continent (here you can either choose Antarctica or your own ´seventh´ setting, eg the sea, the space, a supernatural/paranormal world, history, the future – you name it).
From your own continent: try to find a country, state or author that is new to you.
This is my European book.
Rain Girl by Gabi Kreslehner, translated by Lee Chadeayne
Veteran homicide detective Franza Oberwieser prefers her job in the winter. Summer is for growing, not for dying. So when the body of a beautiful young woman is found on the autobahn, dressed in a glittering party dress and bathed in June rain, Franza is determined to give her justice.
Revealing victims’ hidden lives is part of the job, but as Franza and her partner, Felix, peel back the layers shrouding the girl’s disturbing past, darker mysteries emerge. Everyone has something to hide—even Franza, who must face her own secrets to reveal the truth.
My Thoughts:
Rain Girl starts with a young girl in a sparkling dress staggering along the autobahn in the pouring rain, before being hit and her life ending. It does rely on the word rain quite a lot in the first few chapters…
It’s a book that shows you the scenes it is moving through very descriptively by senses, predominately smell, touch and taste. This was refreshing and made for a different tone of reading which I enjoyed as it effectively transported you into the scene.
I enjoyed the tone of the main protagonist as well, Female detective Franza Oberweiser. She was a direct woman and though she had quite a lot of life baggage, it didn’t feel emotional and this detachment along with the sensory input of the story itself worked well together.
It’s a quick and enjoyable read, though the tone of the book seemed to change at the end. It became a bit more frantic as we had chapters from the killer’s point of view (who was frantic) and for me this didn’t gel with the sensory descriptive and detached tone of the rest of the book.
I did like Oberweiser though so I would probably give her another read should this be a series detective.
With thanks to the author and publisher for my copy via Netgalley.
Prashant C. Trikannad says
Rebecca, crime fiction writers seem to be fond of writing about female detectives with past baggage. Their own little dark secrets probably inspires them to become law enforcers, like Detective Beckett in CASTLE. I think, that personal touch makes a story more interesting.
Rebecca Bradley says
I think you’re right there Prashant, about the baggage driving the females into law enforcement. I love Castle! A great series. I haven’t read the books though.
Margot Kinberg says
Rebecca – Tone change or no, this does sound like an interesting read. And I think Prashant’s spot on about female law enforcers. I like that ‘food for thought!’
Jacqui Murray says
I like when detectives get emotionally involved, which it sounds like Franza does. Thanks for the summary.