- Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: William Heinemann Ltd; New edition edition (3 July 2003)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0434011207
- ISBN-13: 978-0434011209
- Product Dimensions: 23 x 15.2 x 2.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 535,962 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Sunday Telegraph
'Bleak and uncompromising, this powerful novel grips from beginning to end.'
Review
Emil Brod is a young new homicide inspector in the era immediately after World War Two in a country which has been annexed by the Soviet Union. His colleagues seem to loathe him and won't speak to or help him, and his boss is equally unpleasant. Then he is given a murder case: that of Janos Crowdev, a wealthy songwriter. However there are complications to go with it, and Emil finds himself in a perilous position, added to which is the problem of a beautiful widow. It is a very well written first novel, full of chilling menace and overall a cracking good story.
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First Sentence
The greeting was in his desk, the center drawer: a piece of fish-stained cardboard with a clumsily drawn stick figure. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
The greeting was in his desk, the center drawer: a piece of fish-stained cardboard with a clumsily drawn stick figure. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The immediate aftermath of WWII-notably the dropping of the Iron Curtain-provides the mental landscape for this brooding mystery set in the unnamed capital of a fictional central European nation. The story commences with fresh-faced 22-year-old Emil Brod reporting for duty at the homicide squad of the people's militia. As a teenager he fled the war and worked as a fisherman in Finland only to return home to find his parents dead and his small country under Soviet occupation.
In this setting of scarcity and political opression, his first case is the murder of a prominent writer of patriotic songs. The motive is murky, as are some suspicious photos he finds hidden in the songwriter's apartment. As the investigation progresses and apparently leads toward powerful people, he has to decide whether or not his colleagues are trustworthy, and just how far he wants to pursue the case. Further complicating matters is his attraction to the songwriter's rich, estranged wife, who reminds him of the beauty and comforts he briefly glimpsed in the West.
The main plotline of "dark secrets at the highest levels" is not particularly original, nor is the inspector's affair with the wife, however Steinhauer does an excellent job of putting everything together in crisp prose and a compelling setting. The country's atmosphere of suspicion and tension are captured very effectively, and Brod is a convincing novice inspector, lurching across the landscape in his quest for the truth. He's a policeman with a lot of guilt, pain, and ambivalence, but without the world-weariness often prevalent in such characters. Those who like Alan Furst's work, or Philip Kerr's "Berlin Noir" trilogy, or Pavel Kohout's "The Widow Killer" should all enjoy this dark debut.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I broadly agree with the other reviewers ,as I found this book did everything it was supposed to in terms of plot, atmosphere and characterisation ,without descending into too obvious cliche.
The unusual setting was a distinct help and the pace did not lag,suggesting better plot planning and editing than is usual with this type of novel.
Very enjoyable and free from any noticeable defects.
The unusual setting was a distinct help and the pace did not lag,suggesting better plot planning and editing than is usual with this type of novel.
Very enjoyable and free from any noticeable defects.
Format:Hardcover
The only positive for me from reading The Bridge Of Sighs, Olen Steinhauer's first novel, was to learn how much he improved as a writer and storyteller in his latest books, The Tourist and The Nearest Exit; both of which I thought were very good.
In Steinhauer's attempt at a literary crime novel, the plot takes place in 1948, three years after the Russians liberated this small (not specified) Eastern European nation from German occupation. However, the Red Army still patrols the capital's rubble-strewn streets, and the ideals of the Revolution are but memories. In this environment, a young, inexperienced homicide detective, who spent the war years working on a fishing boat in Finland, finally gets his chance to serve his country working for the People's Militia by investigating the murder of a state songwriter.
Based on my strong enjoyment of Steinhauer's The Tourist and The Nearest Exit, I was anticipating liking this book as well. Unfortunately, although I forced myself to finish The Bridge Of Sighs, I disliked it a lot. Steinhauer did moderately well in creating a rich sense of atmosphere but the book was disappointing in all other elements I look for in a good novel. The plot was weak, unoriginal and boring for the most part, the characters were uninteresting, unlikable and lacked dimension, and the book lacked a sustainable level of action and excitement. Suffice it to say that I'm glad I read Steinhauer's last two books before reading The Bridge Of Sighs because I might not have ever read these two books if I read The Bridge Of Sighs first.
In Steinhauer's attempt at a literary crime novel, the plot takes place in 1948, three years after the Russians liberated this small (not specified) Eastern European nation from German occupation. However, the Red Army still patrols the capital's rubble-strewn streets, and the ideals of the Revolution are but memories. In this environment, a young, inexperienced homicide detective, who spent the war years working on a fishing boat in Finland, finally gets his chance to serve his country working for the People's Militia by investigating the murder of a state songwriter.
Based on my strong enjoyment of Steinhauer's The Tourist and The Nearest Exit, I was anticipating liking this book as well. Unfortunately, although I forced myself to finish The Bridge Of Sighs, I disliked it a lot. Steinhauer did moderately well in creating a rich sense of atmosphere but the book was disappointing in all other elements I look for in a good novel. The plot was weak, unoriginal and boring for the most part, the characters were uninteresting, unlikable and lacked dimension, and the book lacked a sustainable level of action and excitement. Suffice it to say that I'm glad I read Steinhauer's last two books before reading The Bridge Of Sighs because I might not have ever read these two books if I read The Bridge Of Sighs first.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Routine and simplistic
This is no more than an o.k. story. I thought the plot was weak, run-of-the-mill, and the writing at times was quite clunky. There was nothing original in this plot. Read more
Published on 27 April 2009 by D. J. Keyworth
Venality and corruption and crime in post-war Eastern Europe
This book deals with power plays: political corruption and idealism and venality in a newly Communist country. Read more
Published on 17 Mar 2009 by Feanor
Highly recommended
Despite occasional implausible plotting, this book is well worth reading. It's intelligent, well-written, and enjoys interesting and convincing characterisation. Read more
Published on 2 April 2005
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