Short reviews - part II

 Continuing with a few more short reviews on books read during the summer.

1794 - Niklas Dag och Natt

His first book, 1793, was a big hit in Sweden, and according to Goodreads, it is called The Wolf and the Watchmen in English.  It is a juicy piece of 18th century he gives us. You feel the dirt, the smell and the poverty of Stockholm at the time. It is a continuation of the first book but can be read independently. 

A young mother is mourning her daughter who was brutally killed on her wedding night. Nobody wants to investigate the murder so she turns to Mickel Cardell who is working for the authorities to investigate crimes committed.  A young nobleman is arrested for a hideous crime he is accused of. And then there is Anna Stina Knapp who thought she had arranged her poor life in a good manner. But times change and she has to enter out into the crowded, rotten world of Stockholm, to save herself and her child. 

The first book was very brutal, difficult to read. This one is not less brutal. At the same time, apart from the brutal crimes, I would say, it is a realistic description of the people and the times in which they lived. . Natt och Dag writes well, it is exciting and thrilling to the very end. There is a 1795 coming!

Ostende by Volker Weidermann

Volker Weidermann is a German writer and literary critic. He is the literary director and editor of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. 

"Ostend, 1936: the Belgian seaside town is playing host to a coterie of artists, intellectuals and madmen, who find themselves in limbo while Europe gazes into an abyss of fascism and war. Among them is Stefan Zweig, a man in crisis: his German publisher has shunned him, his marriage is collapsing, his house in Austria no longer feels like home. Along with his lover Lotte, he seeks refuge in this paradise of promenades and parasols, where he reunites with his estranged friend Joseph Roth. For a moment, they create a fragile haven; but as Europe begins to crumble around them, they find themselves trapped on an uncanny kind of holiday, watching the world burn."

An interesting account of the last summer among friends, before the coming of World War II. We meet Stefan Zweig and Joseph Roth, unequal friends that put strains to their friendship. Zweig is the person with money and Roth the person who is dependent on money from his friend. Frictions are unavoidable. 

They are meeting up at the Belgian coastal resort for a relaxing, cultural and hopefully productive summer among other exiled writers. There are troubled times ahead, and most troubled is Joseph Roth. After the summer they split for different parts of the world. The future is not good for all of them. 

Death in Delft by Graham Brack

I was recommended this historical thriller set in the 17th-century Dutch town, as I was visiting Delft at the end of August.  

"Three young girls have been abducted from their homes. The body of one has been found in a shallow grave. The other two are still missing. The murder has shocked everyone in the peaceful city of Delft and the mayor is desperate to catch the perpetrator before panic can spread any further. With the bitterly cold January weather intensifying it is doubtful that the other two girls are still alive. But whoever took them is still at large. The mayor requests the help of Master Mercurius, a gifted cleric from a nearby university, and local artist Vermeer, who uses his skills to sketch the crime scenes."

A pleasant murder mystery to read. Perfect when you are visiting Delft, because going around the town and learn about its history, you meet the people you read about. Johannes Vermeer, the painter is of course there, as well as several other prominent people. With a map, you can easily follow Master Mercurious around this gorgeous town.