Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

‘It ought not be thought that Slonský was a curmudgeon who disliked human interaction.’

No, Josef Slonský is a man on a mission. He must pass a medical in order to take up his promotion as Captain in the Prague police force, and a strict diet and exercise regime is making him just a little more grumpy than usual. But then an explosion in a field captures his attention.

It’s reported that four men with metal detectors managed to discover and then to detonate a World War II bomb. But Novák the pathologist has some doubts about this explanation, and Slonský starts investigating. Was it an accident, or is it murder?

‘Has either of you heard of the Ghost Battery?’

This is the fourth brilliant entry into the Josef Slonský series, and I think it is the best yet. It has a delightfully eccentric plot (no spoilers here) and includes his two offsiders Jan Navrátil and Kristýna Peiperová. Peiperová is about to undertake a one-year assignment for the Director of Criminal Police, and Slonský is plotting to make sure that she returns to his division afterwards. And Navrátil ends up with his own critical assignment as Slonský works to solve the case. There’s plenty of action towards the end, and more than a few twists.

As I’ve come to expect, Slonský finds some unusual albeit pragmatic solutions to problems and it’s an entertaining read. While this novel could be read as a standalone, I’d recommend reading the novels in order because the character development (and related backstory) is as important as the case being solved.

And now I will wait patiently for another instalment. Highly recommended.

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

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Slonský is back … and on a diet…
Josef Slonský is preparing to take up his promotion as Captain when a spanner is thrown in the works.
He has to pass a medical, and a lifetime’s supply of beer and sausage is not helping his chances of passing. Faced with a strict diet and exercise regime, Slonský is even less amenable than usual.
But, his attention is caught when reports come in of a Second World War bomb detonating in a nearby field.
It seems four metal detectorists were killed in the blast upon discovering it. But the pathologist Slonský works with suspects foul play…
Could this be a murder investigation? Was the bomb planted?
Slonský must solve the mystery surrounding this Field of Death…
I thoroughly enjoyed Field of Death, book number four in the series - it had me laughing from start to finish and I really like Slonsky’s sense of humour and attitude to life. Although the book can be read as a stand alone, I would definitely urge the reader to invest time in the first three books which are just as good.

“‘I’ve been talking to our experts on militant nationalist groups.’
‘We have some then?’
‘Militant nationalist groups? Plenty.’
‘I meant experts on them.’
‘A few. But the ones who know a lot do nothing and the ones who do a lot know nothing.’
‘I thought that was true of all branches of government?’”

Field of Death is the fourth book in the Josef Slonský Investigations series by British author, Graham Brack. Slonský hears about the explosion of an old World War Two bomb that kills four men with metal detectors, and assumes he won’t need to get involved. But when pathologist Dr Novak is on the scene in a field near the little town of Holice, he summons Slonský: both he and his blast injuries expert believe this is murder. And a brutal one at that.

One of the victims is Sedlák, a local police lieutenant, yet his colleagues don’t seem to be doing much to solve the case. And when Slonský and Peiperová inspect the scene, they see unusual heavy vehicle tracks in the vicinity. A military expert shares the (apocryphal?) story of the Ghost Battery: Slonský and Lukas worry about who might have access to this military hardware if it is indeed true. Given the ruthless nature of the crimes, Navrátil is none too pleased to be going undercover.

Holice needs replacement staff so Slonský (rather sneakily) sends their own Lieutenant Doležal to stand in for the victim; Doležal, struck by the strange attitude at the police station, is leery of trusting any of them and reports back to Slonský his suspicions about a huge shopping mall development. The Fraud Squad’s Major Klinger gets interested: are the Russians involved? Perhaps the cases are unconnected, but Slonský’s contact in the Security Information Service doesn’t believe in coincidence.

All this against a backdrop of upheaval: Slonský is about to lose Kristýna Peiperová to a role as Personal Assistant for the Director of Criminal Police, just weeks before he himself takes over from Josef Lukas as Captain. This necessitates further, less-than-ideal, staff changes when Jan Navrátil is already miserable to be separated from Peiperová. Slonský struggles with his compulsory Human Resources refresher. And of course, he has to pass his medical…

There may have been readers worried about Slonský’s diet in the first three books; are they now cheering him on as he tries to comply with dietary recommendations, even as they feel a little sorry for him? Surely he won’t keep this torture up once the necessary hurdles have been vaulted! After all, what (or who) could possible induce him to persist with a strict regime of healthy food and exercise?

Brack brings his extensive therapeutic knowledge into play when Slonský accepts some pharmaceutical help with weight loss, but this scene is best not read with a full bladder if readers have continence issues. And, of course, there are plenty more laugh-out-loud moments in the slightly Keystone-cops-esque ride to the climax. The case, of course, is intriguing and Slonský’s team excels in their detective work, their initiative, and their dedication. The cassock, in particular, was an excellent idea.

With the ever-changing dynamics of the work situation for Prague’s finest police, it will be interesting to see what (now Captain!) Slonský and his colleagues are faced with next. Addictive and entertaining Czech-flavoured crime fiction.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Sapere Books.

Every so often you drop on a series which leaves you eagerly looking forward to the next instalment and the Josef Slonsky crime series by Graham Brack is one of those.

Field of Death is the 4th book in the series and like its predecessors it is an enjoyable and excellently paced crime novel that has some great bits of humour in it.

This time Slonsky is on a diet - that's 2 sausages instead of 4 and beer had no calories - but his problem solving is thankfully not diminished nor are the skills of his 2 protégés.

The book can be read as a standalone but you will definitely want to dig out the previous three books after you have read this one.

A definite highly recommended from me

I would like to thank Netgalley and Sapere Books for a review copy of Field of Death, the fourth novel to feature Lieutenant Josef Slonsky of the Prague police.

An obligatory medical for his promotion to captain advises Slonsky to lose weight or potentially lose his promotion so dieting is the order of the day. To distract himself he obeys Novák the pathologist’s summons to examine a bomb site where four metal detectorists have been blown up by an old bomb. Novák has doubts about this explanation and soon Slonsky is investigating on several fronts.

I thoroughly enjoyed Field of Death which had me laughing from start to finish. The absurdity of the plot and Slonsky’s attitude really appeal to my sense of humour. I’m unsure, however, if this is a generational thing as I am much the same age as Slonsky or if it will appeal to all pragmatic slackers looking for an easy life. His solutions to his problems are, at times, pure genius and obviously have a lot of thought behind them so he’s not as daft or indolent as he wishes to appear. He is one of my favourite fictional characters so I always bump him to the top of my reading list when his new cases are published.

The novel is not only the doings and sayings of Josef Slonsky it also has an interesting and well conceived, if slightly anarchic and absurd plot. It revolves around a rumoured and conceivably true story from the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. I’m not saying more than that about it to avoid spoilers but, needless to say, it’s a tale of fanaticism and ineptitude from that starting point.

For sheer entertainment Field of Death is one of the best novels I have read in 2019 and would urge anyone thinking about it to take the plunge and get ready to laugh.