Requiem for a Gypsy

Starred review from May 23, 2011
Genelin once again makes present-day Slovakia a compelling backdrop for murder in his superb fourth novel featuring Police Commander Jana Matinova (after 2010's The Magician's Accomplice). At a high-profile party hosted by Oto Bogan, a financier with political aspirations who fears assassination, a gunman opens fires, killing Bogan's wife, Klara. Since Matinova witnessed the attack, she's officially excluded from the investigation, but she finds a way to involve herself and explore the theory that Klara was the intended victim all along. The death of an elderly Bogan relative in France may be connected with the hit, and the disappearance of Bogan and his son complicates a knotty plot that ranks as one of the series' best. Martinova pursues the truth in Berlin and Paris to her peril. Genelin's no-nonsense lead will appeal to fans of strong female detectives such as Kinsey Millhone, V.I. Warshawski, and Jane Tennison.

Michael Genelin's Slovakian setting for this series is fascinating, and Commander Jana Matinova (Police Inspector to you) is an appealing character. Fourth in this series but the first to be recorded, the book is brought to life by the cool, somber voice of Suzanne Toren. When linked murders take Jana to Berlin and Paris, she is at a disadvantage both because she is female and because she is Slovakian; it's interesting to see Western Europe through her eyes. She must also snoop deep into Slovakia's dark Soviet past, which, given the politburo atmosphere of her police department, doesn't seem very long gone. If the plotting sometimes creaks, the novelty of the setting compensates, and Toren handles many different accents and personalities, both sprightly and lumpen, with skillful aplomb. B.G. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine