Hello, again!

Although I have never stopped reading and reviewing books, it's been a long time since I've posted anything to this blog. As much as I love just writing reviews, I've missed this blog and am finally getting back to it.

Recently, I've been fortunate enough to receive a few books from Sapere Books to read and review. I have been introduced to several writers I didn't know before. One of my favorite of the books I've received recently is "Lying and Dying" by Graham Brack. The Czech Republic was such a unique and interesting setting and the plot and characters were superb. I will probably never travel to this region in real life, but I liked "visting" through this well-written mystery.

4.5 stars

Detective Josef Slonsky has been a policeman in Prague for almost 40 years. He doesn't have further career ambitions past his current rank of Lieutenant, but he isn't ready to retire yet. Slonsky seems to take a liking to the newest rookie, Navratil, with whom he's partnered. The two are assigned to a case of an unidentified young woman found strangled in a railway station. When the woman is linked to a high-ranking government official, Slonsky and his new partner become involved in an investigation that is more complex and more dangerous than they could have ever guessed.

I was intrigued by the setting of this book because I've never read a book set in the Prague. The book includes information about the modern Czech Republic as well as the country's history. I learned a lot while being entertained by this gritty police procedural. Slonsky is witty, lazy, and says what's on his mind. He makes an unlikely but complementary match with the young, enthusiastic, and sometimes naive Navratil. I enjoyed the humor in the book and Slonsky reminded me of Inspector Morse. I found myself laughing out loud at many of Slonsky's one-liners.

The plot of the book gets more complicated as the story goes on and I sometimes couldn't see how things that seemed unrelated to the investigation fit into the story. However, everything comes together for a shocking ending I never saw coming. I'm happy to see a follow-up to this book is scheduled to come out this fall. I think fans of Colin Dexter or Peter Robinson will enjoy the layered characters and complex plot of "Lying and Dying" as much as I did.

I received this book through the courtesy of Sapere Books. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.