For the Dignified Dead

September 28, 2015
In Genelin’s compelling fifth mystery to feature Slovakian police commander Jana Matinova (after 2011’s Requiem for a Gypsy), the authorities believe at first that an unidentified woman, whose body is pulled from the Danube on a cold December day, committed suicide by jumping in the ice-covered river. But when the autopsy uncovers a wound that looks like it was made by an ice pick, Matinova believes it might be the work of an old nemesis known to her only as Koba. After the woman is identified, evidence that the victim may be involved in an investment scheme comes to light, and the stakes get higher for Matinova when she realizes she’s now a target. The chilly European setting is the perfect backdrop to very dark deeds, and Matinova is a clever and capable heroine who’s not afraid to buck the system to solve her cases. Those who like strong female characters and meticulously plotted procedurals will be rewarded.

October 15, 2015
Jana Matinova, hardworking and ferociously intelligent commander in the Bratislava, Slovakia, police, has two messy matters to deal with. An accused child molester has been murdered, and the community is pressuring the police to let the killer go. Justified homicide, says the mob. Meanwhile, a woman's body has been pulled from a frozen lake, and Jana knows the mark of the killer. Routine procedural stuff, handled with skill, but the real appeal here is Jana, who steals the show. Watch her skill in interrogations as she manipulates liars into confessing. Cheer her on as she maneuvers her boss into letting her do whatever she wants. And discover that if you've been distracted from the narrative, Jana hasn't. She's been ahead of the killersand youall along. No stock cop stuff here, no routinely cynical worldviewjust this relentless little tank of a detective rolling over whatever's in her way. The subdued prose style, willfully anti-dramatic but with a crackling undercurrent, allows Jana to sneak up on everybody. The reversals at the end are jarring, and the creepy feeling won't go away soon.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)