Note: Thank you to NetGalley, The Book Folks, and James Davidson for the advanced reader copy of the book. This review will also be posted on NetGalley. What follows is my unbiased review of the book.
The Other Detective is a hard book to review. Taking place in both 1939 Danzig just prior to World War II and in 1961 Gdansk as the city was named after the war and Communist takeover, the story follows two detectives as they track the same serial killer. Sounds great, right? However, it’s not the usual police procedural following the hunt for a killer, and at times I found it very confusing.
Johann Tal worked the nightshift in 1939. He’s a loner, and his coworkers shun him. The nightshift is perfect for him. When a German couple residing in the free city is murdered in what looks like a ritualistic killing, Tal is sure there’s something missing, while his superiors and coworkers just want to scapegoat the Polish citizens for the crime.
In 1961, Detective Anna Nowack was a beacon for the Communists, showcasing that they give their women more opportunities than the West does. She is dedicated to the Party, having read the writings of the Communist leaders and hosting book discussions and lectures. There’s a body found hanging in a tree with a symbol carved into a tree nearby. No one knows who the victim is, and her superiors seem to want to thwart any serious investigation.
The book weaves a tale back and forth between the two dates quite well. Tal is under pressure as the Germans are about to invade the free city, which everyone seems to know is coming. The prejudice against the Polish citizens is making the city into a tinderbox. Not much has changed, really, in 1961, only now the Polish have claimed the city as their own and hate everything German.
I had a hard time following what exactly was going on at times. There are many different storylines and many different characters and names thrown about which confused me about who the focus was on. Was I following a murder investigation? Was Tal (and later Anna) fighting police corruption? Was it all tied together? There are many red herrings as to who the murderer is, and there’s no way to really figure out what’s going on until the end.
Despite the confusion, I did enjoy the book. Both Tal and Anna are crafted well. They are complex people, both loners, living in a time and place that doesn’t appreciate their talents as investigators. Anna, especially, must grow and change from who she is and what she has believed most of her life. I was eager to see what happened to her and would have liked a bit of an epilogue that talked about her life after this. However, there could be a possible series here, so I’ll wait and see.
If you enjoy period mysteries, The Other Detective gives readers a great mystery with a glimpse of a city about to be invaded and explode. The history is well done and the crime is a bit confusing at times, but overall it works.
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Categories: Book Reviews
I’m glad you enjoyed this book. I must say, it certainly sounds like an ambitious idea for a mystery, considering the author’s choice to tell a tale set not just in one city that changes ownership (from the League of Nations to Nazi Germany in 1939, then to Poland after World War II), but in two distinct eras, and two protagonists. That’s not an easy trick to pull off.
Good review, Patti.
It is, and that’s what makes it hard to follow at times, but I still thought it was a great book.
It’s challenging to write a story that’s set in two different time periods. I’ve done it twice, but in both cases, I’ve focused on one character, interweaving episodes from his teen years with events in his “present day” life. I figured out how to do it, but it’s hard!