mandag den 19. juli 2010

Reading Report

I noticed this blog post yesterday about the Shiny Book Syndrome and must admit I felt slightly guilty.

But not today – I have just picked a book which has been gathering dust on my TBR for months, and I have no idea why I didn´t grab it before.

The story takes place in Brazil, and the writing and perspective are so captivating that it is exactly like being there myself. There are so many great paragraphs so which one should I choose?

Well, what about this one where we see the scene through the eyes of a professional photographer:

“He was on the church steps, almost in the vestibule, just below Gaspar Farias, the crow that ran the parish. (The black soutanes priests wore always reminded Walter of crows so that´s what he called them.) That put Walter seventy-five meters from the helicopter, maybe even a little more, but that was the beauty of it, the action of a man who knew his business. The punk kids always tried to get in close, instead of letting the lens do it for them. And now, while they were all down there in the crush elbowing each other out of the way, Walter had a spot all to himself, high above the heads of the crowd. There was nothing, nothing at all, between him and the Chief crow. He had an unimpeded view.

Exactly as he´d foreseen, Walter´s mediumlength telephoto, the 300mm, was the perfect lens for the job. His frame ran from slightly below the knees to the tip of the bishop´s miter.


Walter hit and released the shutter button. The Nikon clicked and whirred.

Ha! Gotcha sneaking a peek at your watch.”

What did I say? – like being there yourself. And the book? Leighton Gage´s first Mario Silva story, Blood of the Wicked.

11 kommentarer:

Elizabeth Spann Craig sagde ...

Wow. It sure is like being there. I wonder if he's going to see a murder through that lens?

Uriah Robinson sagde ...

I can highly recommend all the Mario Silva series. They all give the reader a sense of being there. The plots are exciting and apparently a bit too like reality for some Brazilian politicians.

Kerrie sagde ...

I really did enjoy that one Dorte. My review (when you are ready)
I have another one somewhere, and Leighton has yet another coming out at the end of the year.

Dorte H sagde ...

Elizabeth: oh, now I think you have been reading too much crime fiction! (But of course you are right) :D

Norman: I can understand why these politicians think it is a bit too real - I also have to read some of the scenes with my eyes closed ;D - this is certainly not cozy mystery.

Kerrie: I know there is a new one on the way - Leighton offered me an ARC which is why I made up my mind that now it was Mario Silva´s turn to leave the TBR :D

Anonym sagde ...

Dorte - I know what you mean about really being there, and that snippet you shared shows that. It's interesting how a book can be waiting there for a long time. Then, we pick it up, thoroughly enjoy it, and wonder why we waited so long to read it...

Anonym sagde ...

How interesting! I just a few minutes ago was wondering if I should find a book set in Brazil for a SoAmerica slot in my Global Challenge. :)

Leighton Gage sagde ...

ELIZABETH,
Who'd want to kill a bishop?
(Okay, okay, so somebody did.)

NORMAN (URIAH), KERRIE AND DORTE,
Thank you for the kind words. I truly appreciate them.

ALL WHO MIGHT BE READING THIS,
Should you be moved to read BOTW and then go on to my other books - which I sincerely hope you will - I recommend that you read BURIED STRANGERS before reading DYING GASP. I'd rather not tell you why - just do.
Also, can I take this opportunity to do a plug for our blog? We are six writers of crime fiction that set out books outside the United States, and we all post once a week and leave Saturdays open for guests. (This week, it was Martin Edwards.) You'll find us at:

http://murderiseverywhere.blogspot.com/

We don't write about our books, or even the craft, but rather about things of cultural/historical interest in those countries in which our novels are set.

Dorte H sagde ...

Leighton: I am very sorry if you wanted me to keep the murder of the bishop secret, but at least I have not revealed more than the blurb ;D

Thank you for all your comments; I have just come back home from a trip to Ikea - a strange and overpopulated place - but I will return to my computer tomorrow!

NB: Care, this book gives you a very strong sense of place, but as I don´t quite remember your taste in crime fiction, I´d just tell you that this one is very realistic, and not at all cozy.

Kerrie sagde ...

Leighton, thanks for the reminder about BURIED STRANGERS

BooksPlease sagde ...

You've grabbed my attention with this post. I've never read anything by Leighton Gage - I hope the library has some of his books when I next visit.

Dorte H sagde ...

Margaret: good idea. He writes really well. I will post a full review in a day or two.