Member Reviews

4.5 ~ 5★
“‘‘What urgent business do we have here, sir?’

‘The Minister told us to redouble our efforts, Navrátil. So we’re going for two beers and two sausages.’

What an absolute delight! Josef Slonský is as astute as the old Colombo was, as rumpled as Jackson Lamb, from Mick Herron’s wonderful British "Slough House" detective/spy series, with as deep a distrust of the law and a belief in true justice as any reader could want. He’s an old codger who’s fighting off a rear-guard action from his boss to retire him early, so he treads a careful line between insubordination and actual usefulness. We meet him here.

“After about twenty minutes a battered old police car pulled up behind them, and a battered old policeman climbed out, stretched himself, and turned his collar up against the sharp wind. Josef Slonský had been a policeman in Prague for nearly forty years, working his way up from the lowest of the low to a position of almost no influence whatsoever.”

I contend that his lack of influence was misinterpreted. He kept what influence he had out of sight, but he does let his new, young offsider, Navrátil, in on several of his secrets as he goes along. Poor Navrátil, isn’t sure what he’s in for.

“Lots of people told Navrátil that Slonský was a good cop. None of them actually wanted to work with him, but they were all agreed that he was a good cop.”

I had postponed reading this, thinking from the cover, the setting and the title that it was going to be a dark, grim, Eastern European story. (I had already forgotten the humorous publicity blurb, so I should have known better). I guess it is dark (it opens with a murder), and it certainly takes place in the Czech Republic, but it is not grim. Slonský knows what grim is, and it was pretty much before Navrátil’s time. More about that later.

A young woman’s body is discovered dumped at the side of the road, and it’s up to the seasoned veteran and the new boy to figure out who, what, why, where and when. Speaking of which, there’s a sozzled old journalist who features as a contact who’s desperate for a scoop but who has contacts of his own. They always meet over a drink or three.

Slonský never misses a chance for a coffee, beer or sausage. You can’t work on an empty stomach, he says, something he’s probably never been accused of. Navrátil asks why he drinks so much beer.

“‘To forget, then?’

‘On the contrary, Navrátil, I drink for a religious reason. I’m a beer Buddhist.’

‘I didn’t think Buddhists drank beer.’

‘Don’t they? Poor devils. No, I drink to achieve enlightenment, which is a religious state much desired by Buddhists.’

‘Enlightenment?’

‘Exactly. There is a point, Navrátil, at which the brain ceases to maintain its tenuous hold on reality and allows itself to be carried along in the flood of ideas. It casts itself free of all earthly shackles and enters a meta-existence of cause and effect beyond reasoning.’”

Sounds good to me, except my drug of choice would be wine. But rather than free my cognitive abilities, it would put me to sleep. But I digress.

The plot weaves back and forth around a couple of government ministers (from opposing parties) who’ve been caught in compromising photographs, but also around a wad of money that was in a plastic bag found inside the victim’s “doodah”, as Slonský so charmingly puts it.

Here I will add a bit of history, as explained to young Navrátil by the older Slonský. In January 1969, student Jan Palach self-immolated in Wenceslas Square to protest the Prague Spring – when the Soviet Union invaded to crush the government. Or, technically, they were “invited” in to restore law and order.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Palach

“‘There were workmen scrubbing the ground to remove the charring.

. . . Alive, he was just a student, but dead, he spoke for all of us. I stood where he had burned and then — I don’t know what came over me — I saluted.’

I stood where he had burned and then — I don’t know what came over me — I saluted.’
Slonský swilled his glass around and inspected the eddies in his drink.

‘Policemen weren’t too popular in Prague just then. You’d get barged in the trams and people would accidentally stamp on your feet. Someone spat on my back when I was on the beat. But when I brought my arm down to my side one of the workmen clapped his hand on my shoulder and muttered “You’re all right, son”. No praise I’ve ever had has meant as much to me as that.’”

This is where Slonský learned to tell the difference between what is legal and what is just.

The investigation gets more complicated towards the end, as we’re introduced to some financial wheeling and dealing, but they pull it all together, resulting in a most satisfying ending, so now it’s on to #2 in the series!

Thanks to NetGalley and Sapere books for this marvellous preview! Loved it!

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This book was such a joy to read and came from nowhere really. I had never read any of the authors books previously so requesting from Netgalley was purely down to the brief plot summary. The book is based in Czechoslovakia but it could have been set in a number of countries without changing the plot too much. The main character Detective Josef Slonský is a bit of a hybrid of Detectives Frost and Columbo. He blubbers around as if with no focus but is very shrewd and plays on people thinking he is dim. The sarcastic remarks will have you laughing out load. He leads his assistant, Navratil a bit of a dance but you can see he cares about him. Definitely will be reading any more books in the series.

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Unfortunately I read this book and found it hard to follow at times. It could just be me but I struggled to understand the characters, some of the plot and what was happening in the book.

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This is a good read by Graham Brack. A bit slow to start out but worth persevering. The book begins with the body of a woman found at a train station.I loved the quirky character of Slonsky, the seasoned detective, and his sense of humour. This is tempered by the young Navratil, eager to please and seeking promotion. Set in Prague, it was easy to imagine being there in winter. A well written book, with good characters and an interesting plot. Thanks to Net Galley for my copy. As for that ending! reviewed on Amazon, Goodreads and Facebook.

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‘We always disregard the obvious and assume that things are not what they seem.

The body of a young woman is found strangled, by the side of a road in Prague. Who has killed her and why? The only clue seems to be a large amount of money concealed on her person.

The murder case is assigned to Lieutenant Joseph Slonský and his new partner Navrátil. Slonský who is edging close to retirement, is regarded as something of a maverick by his colleagues. He’s clever but seen as lazy. He does just enough work to ensure that his superior, Captain Lukas, has no grounds to retire him early. Slonský likes to conserve energy but needs frequent refuelling in the form of coffee and food. Navrátil is a recent graduate from the police academy: eager to learn as much as he can. While Slonský doesn’t really want a partner, he’s happy to have a gofer:

‘In return for small domestic services like making coffee, he was prepared to dispense occasional pearls of wisdom that might benefit Navrátil’s career.’

Investigation into the murder seems to indicate that the woman was involved with a member of the Czech government. And when the government minister lies about his involvement with the woman, it all looks very suspicious. But Slonský isn’t convinced. So he keeps digging.

‘Everyone is guilty, sir,’ offered Slonský. ‘They may not be guilty of what they’re charged with, but everyone has done something.’
‘Cynical, and hardly reassuring,’ Lukas observed.
‘But true, sir.’

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, with its twists and turns. Granted, some of those twists are extremely convoluted but Slonský is determined to find the truth. His methods may not be conventional (and his solutions certainly are not) but sometimes (at least in fiction) the ends justify the means. Perhaps. Slonský and Navrátil are great characters: Slonský, the crusty old cop, a flawed character with great knowledge and experience while Navrátil is smart and keen to learn.

I understand this book is the first in a series: I’ll certainly be looking to read the second!

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Sapere for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

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I really like this book. The fact that it is set in Prague made it more interesting to me. The humour throughout makes this an enjoyable easy read. The only thing that I did not like about it was the ending.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

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Lying and Dying is the first book in the Josef Slonsky series by Graham Brack and it is a very promising start.

Slonsky is so experienced detective based in Prague who likes the odd snack and drink but gets results.

He has been assigned a new junior sidekick and a high profile murder with links to the Government.

The author's storytelling is good with a number of twists and turns along with an undercurrent of humour.

Recommended

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I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

Police detective Josef Slonsky investigates the murder of a young woman, while at the same time mentoring (or is it corrupting?) new recruit Navratil. The first two thirds of this story are excellent; the tone is light, there are lots of funny lines, and the plot moves along swiftly. Slonsky's methods are reprehensible, but achieve results, and he cleverly gets away with things and manipulates his superiors. There are passages touching on Prague's recent history which were interesting.

However, I was less enamoured of the last third of the narrative, which was filled with lengthy speeches and argument. Both the motive and method of the murderer seemed dubious to me. Would his plan really have achieved what he sought? (I don't think so). I was very disappointed indeed with how the story ended.

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3 and 1 / 2 stars

I read the Kindle edition.

A man on his way to work the early shift discovered the body of a woman on the sidewalk. He waited while the police came, for he really did not want to go to work. The irreverent, hungry and somewhat lazy Josef Slonsky and his partner new police academy graduate Navratil responded to the call. The woman is later identified as Irina Gruberova and had a large amount of cash secreted about her person.

The evidence begins to move in an unwanted direction as Sloksky and Navratil investigate the case.

Slonsky and Navratil are a very interesting pair. Slonsky has been in the job for years and he gets assigned Navratil as a trainee. Navaritl is a quick learner and asks very good questions. Slonsky is very patients and teaches him his own way of policing and investigating a crime. Slonsky has a great sense of humor which I appreciate.

I liked the way Slonsky’s life is seen in flashbacks. His long career as a police officer is highlighted as are his adventures as he rose through the ranks to his present level as a Lieutenant. Navratil, on the other hand, is just starting out and eager to learn from Slonsky. He absorbs information from his superior like a sponge. This is a fairly well written novel, but a little slow to start out.

I want to thank NetGalley and Sapere Books for forwarding to me a copy of this good book to read and review.

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Thank you NetGalley and Sapere Books for this arc.

What's not to love in a book featuring a crusty curmudgeon? Who's both smart and a real smart-a** too?
And he can eat anything, any time and every where!

Slonsky is breaking in a new detective Navratil. If Navratil doesn't suffer whiplash from keeping up with Slonsky's thought processes, he's bound to suffer from the diet. Slonsky is smart, crafty, manilipulative and logical. The characters make this book. The story was pretty good, too.

I kept being reminded of Andrea Camilleri's Montanlbano books. and will keep my eye out for additional books by the author.

4.5 stars rounded up

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Interesting read. Juandiced old detective educating a keen eager detective. Has been done before but an okay read

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This detective mystery was as enjoyable due to the relationship between Detective Slonsky and the rookie he has to train, as it was due to the actual story. Great writing and I loved the details about Prague.

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Lt. Josef Slonsky .. possibly the laziest policeman in Prague, probably in Central Europe. He rarely sees the need to rush and is frequently found conserving his energy with his feet on his desk. He meets with his protege and other members of law enforcement to discuss business over beer and sausages ..sometimes a biscuit. Detecting for 40 years, he is due to retire soon.

He has a wry sense of humor that not everyone understands and a strong stubborn streak that does him well. He doesn't exactly cross that line, but comes close enough to cause all kinds of problems.

A young woman is found strangled and investigation shows that she was last seen in the company of a very prominent person in law enforcement ... Slonsky's immediate boss. This puts Slonsky and Navratil, his rookie partner, between a rock and a hard place.

Is the whole police department corrupt? There is only circumstantial evidence and not near enough to convict anyone. Are they willing to risk their careers in their pursuit of the truth?

People always lie and in this case ...some also die.

This is the beginning of what I expect to be an exciting series. Navratil is learning just how brilliant Slonsky really is underneath all the dark humor. I love how these two characters interact with each other. There's plenty to hold the reader's attention... all the way to the surprising ending.

Many thanks to the author / Sapere Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this international crime thriller. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

4.5 Stars

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