If any of the At home with Faber group would like to try this book please let us know and we will get a copy for you when the crime lot have discussed it.
About the book:
Inspector Pekkala - known as the Emerald Eye - was once the most famous detective in all Russia, the favourite of the Tsar. Now he is the prisoner of the men he once hunted.
Like millions of others, he has been sent to the gulags in Siberia and, as far as the rest of the world is concerned, he is as good as dead. But a reprieve comes when he is summoned by Stalin himself to investigate a crime. His mission - to uncover the men who really killed the Tsar and his family, and to locate the Tsar's treasure. The reward for success will be his freedom and the chance to re-unite with the woman he would have married if the Revolution had not torn them apart. The price of failure - death.
Set against the backdrop of the paranoid and brutal country that Russia became under the rule of Stalin, Eye of the Red Tsar introduces a compelling new figure to readers of crime fiction
There is also a rather good website for the detective featured in the novel http://www.inspectorpekkala.com/
I started reading this last week, as a Monday Night Murders member, and so far it is the best book I have read via the group. Articulate and a born storyteller, I am certain this writer must be an established one writing under a pseudonym - all will be revealed I am sure. Will post more comments when I have finished it.
ReplyDeleteYours very enthusiastically, Catherine
I'm not too big a fan of books were the main character is some sort of 'superhero' as in this title. The story construction was interesting but the main villain of the piece was fairly obvious early on with no last ( or early) minute twist to add interest. My main problem with this book is that it just was not Russian enough...and totally unfeasible for the era and the history on which it was based. Unauthentic. Fortunately it is a relatively quick read otherwise it would have been given the heave-ho early on... Sorry folks...
ReplyDeleteI have my grubby little hands on this book and already I know Im going to enjoy it. It about a topic I find very interesting so lucky old me a big comfy chair awaits.Windwick Pebble.
ReplyDeleteI compliment Faber and Faber on introducing their crime catalogue with Sam Eastland’s debut novel. Reminiscent of the fable-like tales by the great Russian storytellers (Pushkin, Tolstoy, Gorky) this novel has a surreal quality. Based around actual historical incidents and people one must assume the author had access to a great number of the Russian royal family’s personal documents since the main events of the period he describes are by and large factually accurate. The characterization is generally strong, although portraying Stalin as a much more benign and patient figure than he really was, is perhaps taking the fictional element to extremes.
ReplyDeleteIt is clearly a reflection on Eastland’s skill as a writer that he is able to combine the two elements – the unbelievable with the actual – into a thrilling story without jarring the reader’s senses. The book tells two tales in alternate chapters. The first describes the protagonist’s early life and the nine years he spent as prisoner in the Siberian Gulag. The second forms the novel’s core and follows Pekkala, in his current position as detective, as he uncovers the circumstances surrounding the murder of the Romanov family.
Unfortunately, as in so much of modern crime fiction, the ending feels a little rushed or unsure as if the author struggled with how best to tie up the loose ends and lead his novel to a satisfying conclusion.
Sorry chaps. I rushed in a bit too enthusiastically when I was half way through this book. It remains a better read than the others we have felt obliged to wade through, but about two thirds of the way through I realised even this was rather flawed. There were several missed opportunities. The last few chapters were totally rushed, the villain was obvious, the love interest was written off in a couple of paragraphs and if the person claiming to have been a Romanov had been one, he surely would have been guarded, not left with one boy soldier.Very disappointed indeed.
ReplyDeleteCatherine Turnbull
Enjoyed this novel a lot. Interesting characters whom you cared for, well written, liked the structure of chapters revealing Pekkala's back-story alternating with chapters on the investiagtion in to what happened to the Romanovs. Some minor flaws let it down slightly, such as the unbelievably long time it took for the penny to drop about the pin pricks in the book. Also, the ending seemed a little too much like an exercise in setting up what is clearly destined to be a series of novels, but on the whole this was a good, entertaining read and I will definitely be reading the second book in the series.
ReplyDeleteHi Stewart
ReplyDeletePosted my comments yesterday re Eastland book but seems to have disappeared into the ether!
I would never have chosen this book but it was given to me to read as part of the book group and it makes me read more varied genres so that's a plus. It was quite a slow burner. I was in no rush to finish it to find out who, what, where and when. I did however like the character Pakkala enough to keep reading although I'm wondering if he's the 1920's answer to Jack Bauer as he seems pretty much faultless. I thought the love interest was rushed at the end and could almost have been left out altogether but that said I'm pleased it wasn't a predictable resolution there as I was pretty sure it would have been. All in all it can be summed up in the words of Simon Cowell. ''well look,it wasn't terrible''
ReplyDeletemuch to my surprise, as i'm a timid soul after rather too many unwanted excitements in my life so far, i found this book a compelling read right from the start: punchy dialogue, vivid short sentences, original characters, novel settings , a highly imaginative yet believable plot, not too much overt exposure of blood, guts and sexual organs, plenty left to the reader's imagination - AND, hooray, hoorah, not the compulsory 500+ pp long!;
ReplyDeleteseriously, for me this author has the increasingly rare talent of inviting the reader right into his imaginary world without too much strutting around pushing all the right buttons with an eye on the next fashionable literary prize; the only other equally compelling read i have had for a while was mathew kneale's 'the english passengers', largely for the same reasons
well stewart, i was about to return my copy to you...;
ReplyDeletei rather liked the occasional printing errors in this pre-pub proof, they softened the harsher episodes and contributed a heritage, handmade feel to my reading experience; but what to do with it now- i'm too old to actually throw a readable book away, and no doubt your neighbouring ever-friendly 2nd hand book shop won't want them; i think i'll just leave it in the taxi waiting room, following your earlier lead of scattering books around on the johnny appleseed principle?
Good idea Alison, it has the AHWF sticker on it, so we might get a new member as a result.
ReplyDeleteI loved the start of this book but I'm struggling a little with it now, however I'm taking it on holiday and seeing if reading it in the sun will restore my early enthusiasm.
ReplyDeleteInteresting book- got to say I actually really enjoyed it! The characters are well formed, and I found myself being drawn in to the world of Pekkala, the principal character, from the very start. The story does take quite a few twists and turns, and aside from a couple of 'blips' it comes together well, with a clever ending.
ReplyDeleteI personally also enjoyed the historical aspect of the book- I did begin to grasp a bit more of what life was like in that era, without there being too much overkill regarding the politics of it all.
I would be keen to read more by this author.
Finally read it all on holiday and really enjoyed it, bit far fetched but I wanted to be entertained and I was, my husband (usually very critical of my choices) says its OK (damned with faint praise)
ReplyDeleteWill most definitely read the anticipated follow on.
Not a book I would ever have chosen for myself but was plesantly surprised. I enjoyed this book from start to finish and could not put it down. This,for me, is a perfect example of why I should step outside my comfort zone with regards to books. A great read, will watch out for the next in the series.
ReplyDelete