How do you electrocute someone on a frozen lake, in front of dozens of witnesses? Equally significant, perhaps, is why. Why choose such a complicated murder method? Why choose to risk carrying out such a dangerous act in front of such a large audience? The local police in sleepy Three Pines – a small, Quebecois […]
People’s Police murder squad leader Karin Muller has been through a lot. When I read Young’s stunning debut novel, ‘Stasi Child’, I delighted in the clever and absorbing story, but wondered what else Young could throw at his rather naïve, highly principled and dedicated detective. The answer has turned out to be, a heck of […]
If the cold doesn’t kill you, the truth will. As ever, the latest story in David Young’s Stasi series demands your attention with a chilling strapline, an intriguing cover and a tale of an impossible task. Karin Muller wants to know the truth about the murders she investigates, but in 1970s East Germany, the truth […]
This is story that deserves to be told. Although Young’s characters are fictional, the events depicted in 1945 during the death throes of Nazi Germany, are horrific facts. Though this is a primarily a detective story, it’s clear that ‘Stasi 77’ also functions as a disturbing reminder, not just of certain historical events, but of […]
I’ve always enjoyed fiction written in, about or around the Victorian period. This means I was delighted to discover Octavius Guy, known as ‘Octopus’ to his friends, developing his detective skills in a convincingly imagined Victorian London. Author Michael Gallagher has published two mysteries following Octopus’ adventures and the third instalment in the series, ‘Big […]
Espionage, murder, romance and humour; this novel has them all. Considered by many to be the inaugural detective novel, Wilkie Collins’ nineteenth century novel ‘The Moonstone’ is a classic. What’s it about? A precious gem is stolen, a curse follows the thief and three Hindus sacrifice their caste to retrieve it. This brief précis gives […]