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Rating: Summary: This is an engrossing, intelligent historical thriller. Review: Combining historical accuracy and vivid storytelling through the eyes of three disparate characters, THE WIDOW KILLER is an extraordinary read. Set during the final months of the Nazi occupation of Prague, THE WIDOW KILLER follows a naive Czech detective who must partner with an experienced Gestapo agent. Together, they track a serial killer as he butchers widows throughout the city. But as the Nazi regime crumbles and the Prague uprising begins in May 1945, the power hierarchy crumbles and both men are forced to carefully examine their own patriotism and courage ... and, in the case of the Gestapo agent, his willingness to accept moral responsibility for the actions of his fatherland, and for the Nazi Reich to which he once proudly pledged allegiance. Author Pavel Kohout has written a suspenseful mystery, an intriguing exploration of wartime morality, and a compelling historical account of Prague during the last months of the Second World War. Both main characters are flawed and complicated; they suffer not only for their own decisions but for the larger historical context in which they find themselves. The story's elements of nationalism, sexual passion, accountability and professional ambition remain universal and important. The translation, despite a clumsy word choice here and there, serves the story well; I was moved by Kohout's obvious passion for this era in Czechoslovakia's history, and by his skill in evoking both its widely-known events and the nuanced conflicts of the occupiers and the occupied. Highly recommended.
Rating: Summary: Convincing and very satisfying...A Wonderful book! Review: Endearing, suspenseful and very romantic....wonderful characters, a vivid pictorial of wartime Czechoslovakia and very suspenseful detective action. Had me guessing until the very shocking end. I could not put it down. I kept wanting to re-visit the action and characters. Simply a terrific read. Expect to stay with this one until the wee hours of the morning. Cris
Rating: Summary: This Novel Is Not Well-Known But It Should Be Review: I bought this book based on the description on the jacket and I liked the cover. I had heard of neither the author nor the book, but sometimes I just grab a book and hope for the best. This was one of the times where it paid off, because this is a really fine book. The writing is crisp and the story flows well. It is the story of two men, one a Czech detective and the other a Gestapo "mole"/detective. The interaction between the two is wonderful, and the moral choices each face are far more interesting than the detective story that moves the plot forward. This is, at its core, not a detective story, but an examination of loyalty. It is great. The ending will stay with you, and the characters (even the killer) will stick in your mind long after you've read the book. I recommend this one to everyone! You will like it.
Rating: Summary: Historical, gripping, spine-chilling Review: I bought this book to get away from the normal stuff that I read. Good choice, as it is both historical gives one a glimpse of the days of German-occupied city of Prague during the twilight of World War II. The story opens with the gruesome murder of Baroness of Pomerania, the widow of a German Wehrmacht general, by a serial killer. The coroner's report determines that the victim did not resist and was not raped. Mysteriously, her heart was removed and vanished with the killer. The mismatched pair of Jan Morava, a Czech detective, and Erwin Buback, a Gestapo agent who is questioning his loyalty to the Nazis, set out to track down the killer before he can strike again. But as Morava and Buback follow the killer's bloody trail through Prague, it becomes clear that he is not a political radical or a wartime dissident but a tormented psychopath. In the final days of the Third Reich, as the war proceeds to its gruesome end, the narrative sinuously shifts perspectives, taking us deep into the emotional maelstrom of each of the characters: young Morava, struggling to find love and approval in a war-torn city; the disillusioned Buback, haunted by the ghosts of his beloved wife and daughter; and the tormented killer, sent on a bloody rampage to please "her whom he obeys." As the story comes to the end, it grips you yearning the know what will happen next. A gripping tale of human struggle under a thrilling murder, Pavel Kohout creation of a memorable work of fiction, as one of the last important novels from one the war's direct eyewitnesses. Highly recommeded, text refers to hardcover edition.
Rating: Summary: Disturbing and compelling Review: I have read this novel twice. Both times I was disturbed and fascinated. The interplay between the German "mole" and the Czech policeman is dynamic, especially since they have their eyes on the same girl. I also enjoyed the descriptions of Prague. I must confess the ending of the novel left me with a sick feeling, both for the horrendous murder and the political disaster which was to come. Overall, a compelling read.
Rating: Summary: One Step Beyond Chaos Review: It would be hard for an Author to have more sterling credentials than Mr. Pavel Kohout. He was born in Prague in 1928, he was a leader in, "The Prague Spring", in 1968, and finally with Vaclav Havel he helped create the freedom document, "Charta 77", in 1977. As his book is set in Prague it resonates with the level of detail that only a native could know and share. I used the idea of beyond chaos as a reference to the time he chose to set his tale. I cannot imagine a more frenzied period than the closing months of a war when competing, "Allies", are intent on taking over your city. Mr. Kohout added to this frenetic environment a particularly brutal serial killer with multiple demons that drive him. There is yet a third layer of conflict on an individual level as several of the characters are trying to resolve their actions during the war with their respective nationalities. Prague was unique in that it was a protectorate, so while occupied it still maintained an indigenous Police Force however closely monitored by the Nazi Invaders. These opposing forces and their members must work in concert to solve a crime just as the relationships and power structures that have governed their lives for 6 years are crumbling by the day, and eventually from moment to moment. For me the book worked very well for much of the beginning and the end. In fact these two portions make up the majority of the book. There were some decisions made about who would participate in the capture of the killer, and I found them hard to take as credible, and very predictable in their outcome. Taken as a whole the work is well above most contributions to the genre, and additionally brings the first hand life experiences of the Author. Another aspect that deserves mention is one female player he singles out that seems to embody so much of what the occupying Germans fear they will face as a result of how Germany will be perceived after the war. This woman can be exasperating, as she seems to be enigmatic at best, and to speak in riddles at worst. However as the tale unwinds she becomes a reflection of the more complicated of the wars conundrums. This is a special book that could stand alone simply on the quality it is imbued with. When the Author is a man who has been in the midst of his Country's History, his words and the experiences he relates raise the work to another level of credibility. It may indeed be fiction, but if you were to walk the streets with this book in hand, you would probably be left with a feeling that it would serve as a guide for your trip through Prague. A very well done work definitely deserving of your time.
Rating: Summary: Riveting Review: Kohout's novel begins with a German baroness realizing she has just let her murderer in. This is not just a murder mystery set in history, but a shuddering allegorical tale about how we all unknowingly open our doors to evil. All of us are vulnerable to consummate evil-- call it Hitler, inexplicable acts of inhumanity-- and often all our best efforts to overcome it are met with defeat. The novel's plot grows increasingly complex and darker as the serial killer's trail of blood deepens and stains the lives of those involved. Everyone is involved, in fact. When Germany's defeat becomes imminent, the serial killer's butchery becomes indistinguishable from the mass inhumanity of ordinary individuals swept up in political unrest. The murders are no less savage, but they become all-too-common, a haunting trail of bodies perpetrated by a vast, unstoppable death machine. I would give it 5 stars if not for the translation, which is sometimes clunky, with odd colloquialisms interlaced throughout, making the characters sound like neer-do-wells out of cheap Hollywood movie. There is great poetry in the romantic relationships, particularly between the Gestapo agent Buback and his mistress, and the language occasionally falls short in capturing the complexity of the characters' emotions. Still, this is an engrossing, chilling story, a panoramic scope of Czech history during the Nazi occupation, the kind of book that keeps you up reading late at night.
Rating: Summary: A very good read, with excitement and intelligence Review: Kohout's novel works on two levels. First, it's an excellent, gripping, historical murder mystery. The characters are well-rounded and interesting, the killer mysterious and frigtening, and the plot taught and fast-moving. Second, it's a thoughtful examination of issues of loyalty and personal morality, revolving primarily around the efforts of a Gestapo officer and a local, partisan Czech police detective to cooperate in capturing a sociopath while balancing their respective commitments to their own consciences, and their loyalties to their own countries, as the Reich falls around them. A very good read.
Rating: Summary: Great Book on Many Levels... Review: This novel is one of exceptional power and sadness. In the midst of the chaos that marked the end of the Reich in eastern Europe, two detectives, a young Czech and a seasoned SS operative, struggle not only to find a serial killer, but some sense and meaning in their worlds. In this way it is not simply a story about one mystery but about THE mystery. Even in translation, the writing is lucid and powerful without being obtrusive. Readers who want only action and a neatly resolved story, may want to avoid this book. However, those interested in the human condition should buy it.
Rating: Summary: Electrifying--and completely satisfying on every level! Review: This stimulating and thought-provoking murder mystery provides a unique insight into the waning days of the Nazi occupation of Prague. A vicious killer is stalking, torturing, and butchering women, and both the Gestapo and the local Prague police are searching for the killer. Both groups are also concerned with saving themselves, their country's interests, and as many supporters as they can in the confusing days at the end of the war. The psychological astuteness with which Kohout depicts both the killer and his searchers gives a credibility to this frenetic period rarely seen in fiction. Though it is, of course, easy to identify with the underdog Prague police, Kohout goes beyond mere surface characterization here to create in Morava a fully rounded character, filled with self-doubt but dreaming of a future. And with remarkable even-handedness, he also creates in Buback a Gestapo agent who is more than a caricature or an unthinking Nazi automaton. As the killer's actions become increasingly lurid in the frenzy of the final days, the reader recognizes numerous parallels with the Nazis' scorched earth policy and with the behavior of Czech partisans bent on wreaking vengeance. This insightful, carefully wrought, and fast-paced action novel with its unique glimpses of a turbulent time and place will keep you reading well into the night!
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