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Liar Moon: Martin Bora Series, Book 2
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Review
Praise for 'Lumen' by Ben Pastor: "Pastor's plot is well crafted, her prose sharp - a disturbing mix of detection and reflection." Publisher's Weekly "And don't miss Lumen by Ben Pastor. When an abbess thought to have supernatural powers is murdered in Nazi-occupied Cracow, the Wehrmacht officer's investigation is complicated by his compatriots' cruelty and the Catholic Church's secrecy. An interesting, original and melancholy tale." Literary Review
Product Description
A well-crafted and spellbinding crime novel, Liar Moon is set in Italy, 1943. The country is now divided into a facist north and a liberated south. Amidst the backdrop of relentless anti-partisan warfare, an aristocratic German investigating the death of a prominent local facist must join forces with an Italian police chief hunting down an elusive serial killer. Yet Martin Bora soon finds that his hellish past serving on the Russian Front will always be with him. The second in a series of five, this gripping read will appeal to fans of Phillip Kerr and Alan Furst.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Having really enjoyed the first in the Major Martin Bora series, Lumen (Captain Martin Bora Mysteries), I couldn't wait to read this. When we first met Bora in "Lumen", the Germans had just invaded Poland. Much has passed since then and our Major has spent time in Russia before being sent to Italy to fight the partisans. It is 1943 and Italy is divided - the North is controlled by the Fascists and the South has been liberated by the Allied forces. Having survived Stalingrad, Bora has just been injured in Italy and has lost his left hand, as well as suffering other injuries. Added to the doubts he is still having about his marriage and it is fair to say that he is a much more battle weary soldier this time around.
Despite his injuries, he is asked to look into the murder of a local fascist, Vittorio Lisi. Unwilling and in pain, he is not keen to get involved, but eventually becomes involved in the investigation. Like "Lumen", Bora has a local confidante to aid him - in this novel it is Inspector Sandro Guidi. The problem is, that the chief suspect in Lisi's murder is his beautiful young wife, Clara, and Guidi is unable to be unbiased when he falls for her charms... There is a very chilling moment when the radio has an announcement that all Jews are to be "arrested and interned in concentration camps" and Guidi has a "glum lack of interest" while his mother does not react at all, suggesting that the actual reaction of apathy from the majority of people at that time was more damaging that those actually involved in the slaughter.
This is another wonderful mystery, with an exciting historical setting and sympathetic characters. Lisi, presented as a fine, upstanding man, turns out to have quite a few enemies and Ben Pastor recreates the time and place quite wonderfully. Bora is still having his usual battles with the SS, as well as his personal demons to deal with. If you like this, you may well enjoy the following series as well: Berlin Noir ('March Violets', 'The Pale Criminal' and 'A German Requiem') (Penguin Crime/Mystery) and Zoo Station.
Despite his injuries, he is asked to look into the murder of a local fascist, Vittorio Lisi. Unwilling and in pain, he is not keen to get involved, but eventually becomes involved in the investigation. Like "Lumen", Bora has a local confidante to aid him - in this novel it is Inspector Sandro Guidi. The problem is, that the chief suspect in Lisi's murder is his beautiful young wife, Clara, and Guidi is unable to be unbiased when he falls for her charms... There is a very chilling moment when the radio has an announcement that all Jews are to be "arrested and interned in concentration camps" and Guidi has a "glum lack of interest" while his mother does not react at all, suggesting that the actual reaction of apathy from the majority of people at that time was more damaging that those actually involved in the slaughter.
This is another wonderful mystery, with an exciting historical setting and sympathetic characters. Lisi, presented as a fine, upstanding man, turns out to have quite a few enemies and Ben Pastor recreates the time and place quite wonderfully. Bora is still having his usual battles with the SS, as well as his personal demons to deal with. If you like this, you may well enjoy the following series as well: Berlin Noir ('March Violets', 'The Pale Criminal' and 'A German Requiem') (Penguin Crime/Mystery) and Zoo Station.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Set about four years after the events in Lumen, this second book in the Martin Bora series finds the aristocratic German Army officer stationed near Verona in northern Italy. The intervening years, including two on the Russian front, have taken their toll, and the sober officer is now even more cool and detached than before. The format of the story hews fairly closely to that of the first book: there's a main mystery, a secondary one, and a sidekick. Here, the main plotline follows the murder of a high-ranking civilian in the Fascist regime, and the Italians have asked for German help in investigating the murder. Meanwhile, there's an escaped convict roaming the countryside with a sniper rifle. Aiding him on the first matter, and asking for his help with the latter, is Italian police inspector Guidi.
The first book suffered from a plodding pace, and while this one isn't exactly a page-turner, there is slightly little more action and interest to it. The mystery is convoluted and there's a lot of back and forth between various suspects and witnesses. But the brittle relationship between Guidi and Bora is what sustains it -- as Bora can't afford to become too familiar or close to his Italian assistant he also struggles with loneliness. As with the first book, there's a lot of psychological heaviness -- lots of staring out windows, lots of denial, and general gloominess. Which is obviously perfectly in keeping with not only a book set in World War II, but one whose protagonist is on the side that lost not only the war, but moral standing.
The main storyline involves a lot of traveling to and fro in search of witnesses, evidence, etc. in what is really a fairly basic mundane murder, and the secondary plot about the sniper also involves lots of travelling around, but never really unfolds in a dramatic way. As in the first book, one can't help but feel that the book could have been improved immeasurably by the guiding hand of a good editor. If the first book was plodding, this one trudges along with a little more sense of purpose, and the details of wartime life are very convincingly displayed. On the whole though, I'm not sure I'll continue with the series beyond these first two books.
The first book suffered from a plodding pace, and while this one isn't exactly a page-turner, there is slightly little more action and interest to it. The mystery is convoluted and there's a lot of back and forth between various suspects and witnesses. But the brittle relationship between Guidi and Bora is what sustains it -- as Bora can't afford to become too familiar or close to his Italian assistant he also struggles with loneliness. As with the first book, there's a lot of psychological heaviness -- lots of staring out windows, lots of denial, and general gloominess. Which is obviously perfectly in keeping with not only a book set in World War II, but one whose protagonist is on the side that lost not only the war, but moral standing.
The main storyline involves a lot of traveling to and fro in search of witnesses, evidence, etc. in what is really a fairly basic mundane murder, and the secondary plot about the sniper also involves lots of travelling around, but never really unfolds in a dramatic way. As in the first book, one can't help but feel that the book could have been improved immeasurably by the guiding hand of a good editor. If the first book was plodding, this one trudges along with a little more sense of purpose, and the details of wartime life are very convincingly displayed. On the whole though, I'm not sure I'll continue with the series beyond these first two books.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5 reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
BETWEEN HISTORY AND MYSTERY
28 July 2001
Format:Paperback
"Liar Moon" is a good sample of an happy marriage between crime fiction and historical novel. Written by a sensible story teller (miss Pastor's poetical style is very close to european elegance, with a strong sense of right word in right point), to read "Liar Moon" is like to take a dark journey in a recent past (northern Italy, 1943, during the Nazi-occupation). But this past - Pastor says to readers - is not dead, is still here, still lives, teaching many lessons. Humam justice, honor and compassion, the dark side of men in war. The themes of the story are blended in an intelligent mystery plot. The accidental hero of "Liar Moon", militar detective Martin Bora, is a real man, with a brain and a soul, not a cartoon character. I think "Liar Moon" is a beautiful mystery and a deep novel tout court. Higly recommendable!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Second in Series Still Has Pacing Problems
8 Mar 2012
Format:Paperback
Set about four years after the events in Lumen, this second book in the Martin Bora series finds the aristocratic German Army officer stationed near Verona in northern Italy. The intervening years, including two on the Russian front, have taken their toll, and the sober officer is now even more cool and detached than before. The format of the story hews fairly closely to that of the first book: there's a main mystery, a secondary one, and a sidekick. Here, the main plotline follows the murder of a high-ranking civilian in the Fascist regime, and the Italians have asked for German help in investigating the murder. Meanwhile, there's an escaped convict roaming the countryside with a sniper rifle. Aiding him on the first matter, and asking for his help with the latter, is Italian police inspector Guidi.
The first book suffered from a plodding pace, and while this one isn't exactly a page-turner, there is slightly little more action and interest to it. The mystery is convoluted and there's a lot of back and forth between various suspects and witnesses. But the brittle relationship between Guidi and Bora is what sustains it -- as Bora can't afford to become too familiar or close to his Italian assistant he also struggles with loneliness. As with the first book, there's a lot of psychological heaviness -- lots of staring out windows, lots of denial, and general gloominess. Which is obviously perfectly in keeping with not only a book set in World War II, but one whose protagonist is on the side that lost not only the war, but moral standing.
The main storyline involves a lot of traveling to and fro in search of witnesses, evidence, etc. in what is really a fairly basic mundane murder, and the secondary plot about the sniper also involves lots of travelling around, but never really unfolds in a dramatic way. As in the first book, one can't help but feel that the book could have been improved immeasurably by the guiding hand of a good editor. If the first book was plodding, this one trudges along with a little more sense of purpose, and the details of wartime life are very convincingly displayed. On the whole though, I'm not sure I'll continue with the series beyond these first two books.
The first book suffered from a plodding pace, and while this one isn't exactly a page-turner, there is slightly little more action and interest to it. The mystery is convoluted and there's a lot of back and forth between various suspects and witnesses. But the brittle relationship between Guidi and Bora is what sustains it -- as Bora can't afford to become too familiar or close to his Italian assistant he also struggles with loneliness. As with the first book, there's a lot of psychological heaviness -- lots of staring out windows, lots of denial, and general gloominess. Which is obviously perfectly in keeping with not only a book set in World War II, but one whose protagonist is on the side that lost not only the war, but moral standing.
The main storyline involves a lot of traveling to and fro in search of witnesses, evidence, etc. in what is really a fairly basic mundane murder, and the secondary plot about the sniper also involves lots of travelling around, but never really unfolds in a dramatic way. As in the first book, one can't help but feel that the book could have been improved immeasurably by the guiding hand of a good editor. If the first book was plodding, this one trudges along with a little more sense of purpose, and the details of wartime life are very convincingly displayed. On the whole though, I'm not sure I'll continue with the series beyond these first two books.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Excellent WWII era mystery with a three-dimensional protagonist
26 Feb 2012
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
It's late December 1943 and southern Italy has been invaded by the Allies. The Germans are taking over the running of what remains of Mussolini's Fascist state. In Verona, in the north of the country, aristocratic German Army Major Martin Bora has been assigned to bring increasing partisan attacks against the Germans and Fascist forces under control. Bora's prior experience as a battlefield detective brings him the unwanted additional task of working with the local Italian police in resolving the murder of a high-ranking Italian politician/businessman. He partners with a local copper, Sandro Guidi, to investigate the killing and an interesting police procedural follows.
As good as the murder/investigation story line is, the great strength of this novel is the wonderful characters that author Ben Pastor has created and put into play. Major Bora himself, is a complex and conflicted figure who has seen far too much brutality and misery in Spain, Poland and Russia to pursue with much enthusiasm the killer of the clearly corrupt and criminal victim. He is tortured by his past roles as a Wehrmacht officer and foresees the eventual loss of the war by Germany. He also suffers greatly physically from wounds inflicted in a grenade attack when he first arrived in Italy and is hounded by the Nazi security forces who do not consider him politically reliable for acts of conscience he has shown in the past. The Italian characters are almost as good and multi-dimensional, as they struggle with a political situation that is rapidly changing and in which their lives are threatened daily.
This well written novel is intelligent and far from transparent as the storyline moves toward its conclusion. As Pastor's other novels transcend their genre niches, so does "Liar Moon". A really good read by a talented writer.
As good as the murder/investigation story line is, the great strength of this novel is the wonderful characters that author Ben Pastor has created and put into play. Major Bora himself, is a complex and conflicted figure who has seen far too much brutality and misery in Spain, Poland and Russia to pursue with much enthusiasm the killer of the clearly corrupt and criminal victim. He is tortured by his past roles as a Wehrmacht officer and foresees the eventual loss of the war by Germany. He also suffers greatly physically from wounds inflicted in a grenade attack when he first arrived in Italy and is hounded by the Nazi security forces who do not consider him politically reliable for acts of conscience he has shown in the past. The Italian characters are almost as good and multi-dimensional, as they struggle with a political situation that is rapidly changing and in which their lives are threatened daily.
This well written novel is intelligent and far from transparent as the storyline moves toward its conclusion. As Pastor's other novels transcend their genre niches, so does "Liar Moon". A really good read by a talented writer.
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