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

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.

‘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

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.

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.