Second Violin: An Inspector Troy Thriller
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Review
'As a writer, Lawton's work plays second fiddle to no one and his latest is not only seductively readable but downright cheeky in parts.' (BIRMINGHAM POST )
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
The sixth Troy novel. March 1938. The Germans take Vienna without a shot being fired. Covering Austria for the English press is a young journalist named Rod Troy. Back home his younger brother joins the CID as a detective-constable. November 1938. Kristallnacht. The Jews leave Vienna - Sigmund Freud with an American escort on a sleeper train, Josef Hummel tied to the underside of a boxcar. June 1940. Sergeant Troy is seconded to Special Branch to help in the round-up of 'enemy' aliens, among whom are Hummel and his brother Rod. Rod and Hummel are interned on the Isle of Man ... meanwhile a lunatic is killing rabbis in the East End of London. Troy asks for time off from Special Branch to return to his true calling ... Murder. London is now under siege, from German bombers, from its own prejudices and paranoias. Is London any better than Vienna?
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
What can I say, another stonkingly good novel from John Lawton. I have read all of the Troy novels a number of times and this is amongst the top tier of the stories. Fantastically vivid portrayals of life in Vienna following the Anschluss, life in a British internment camp and life during and after the phoney war. Mr Lawton effortlessly interweaves his fictional characters with the "bigwigs" of the period and with the ordinary people from a variety of backgrounds, skillfully introducing us to characters we know from his other Troy novels. He also manages a quick dig at another famous literary creation, who in this instance, although remaining nameless, meets his match in Izzy Borg, after meeting Troy in the Casino at the Chemin-de-fer table, although the casino in question is in Monte Carlo, not his usual haunt of Royale Les Eaux. No doubt he hobbled off to polish his Beretta and take another martini, shaken of course!
If you have not read any of the Troy novels then this is as good a place to start as any as it the first chronologically, read this then read the others - you will not be dissapointed.
Fantastic!
If you have not read any of the Troy novels then this is as good a place to start as any as it the first chronologically, read this then read the others - you will not be dissapointed.
Fantastic!
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Lawton returns with his Troy series and a brilliant evocation of Europe and the tensions across it as World War II simmers to a boiling point. If familiar with the series, don't expect a neat and tidy investigative case for London copper Freddie Troy here. This novel is much bigger and a sort of fable on a grand scale; what we may have failed to learn through studying history is brought to the reader in an entertaining and tense story that prompts us to think again about the `then' and the `now' when it comes to warfare.
The lead up to war is experienced through the lives of more than one member of the wonderfully eccentric Troy family, in this case mainly the father Alex and sons Rod and Freddie. The story takes us to Berlin and Vienna, the latter including the night of Kristallnacht. Rod is there and sees first hand what enfolds. The beauty of this novel lies where we are party to the experiences of other minor characters who become displaced and their determination to survive at all costs, as well their willingness to fit into new arenas and adapt.
We also have wonderful moments of lightness and humour: Freddie accompanies his father on a trip to Monte Carlo and comes across his first major challenge in the female form (lessons 2 and onwards come later in London); the internees on the Isle of Man manage to retain some quality of life through creative means such as using a school's store of musical instruments to assemble their own orchestra, buying in goods via the locals through use of continuing UK bank accounts and creating a bakery, sculpting with materials that might otherwise have fed the internees.
As with the other Troy novels, Lawton delivers tight prose - no word is wasted. His sense of time and place cuts the muster, with descriptions creating a keen visual image. Alex, Rod and Freddie are all compelling characters and the pages turn because you want to know what happens next in the lives of each of them. This is also true of the minor characters that Lawton introduces us to; their lives and impact are far more than minor. Where survival is possible, a reader only needs a beating heart to be ravenous to know what happens next in their lives. The tensions that existed in all places included in the novel are evoked with a keen eye on real life as it must have been then. There are so many threads to this novel's plot that it is hard to put the book down. As with all previous Troy novels, this is a dense and rich tapestry of writing. And, as is usual for readers of this series, Lawton mixes his fictional characters with real historical characters in his fiction; this time Freud, Churchill, Oswald Mosley and a selection of Nazis and others.
Second Violin is not a `Freddie Troy is sent out to the dead body and solves the case' scenario, with much added interest. Lawton's writing is always a richly dense tapestry to me, but this time he's moved his own posts higher. This novel is about character development in a time of forceful character development for the wrong or right reasons. In those circumstances, in the various situations that Lawton introduces, what would have been your reaction and actions? This novel will question you.
But above all, it's a superb read. Some might say `the icing on the cake', but for me that begs finality. Second Violin is a great read and has a depth that few authors can match; but I, for one, still want more of the `family Troy' as I call them.
Second Violin uses the Troy family for far more purposes than mere story-telling.
This is a biggie - catch it if you can!
The lead up to war is experienced through the lives of more than one member of the wonderfully eccentric Troy family, in this case mainly the father Alex and sons Rod and Freddie. The story takes us to Berlin and Vienna, the latter including the night of Kristallnacht. Rod is there and sees first hand what enfolds. The beauty of this novel lies where we are party to the experiences of other minor characters who become displaced and their determination to survive at all costs, as well their willingness to fit into new arenas and adapt.
We also have wonderful moments of lightness and humour: Freddie accompanies his father on a trip to Monte Carlo and comes across his first major challenge in the female form (lessons 2 and onwards come later in London); the internees on the Isle of Man manage to retain some quality of life through creative means such as using a school's store of musical instruments to assemble their own orchestra, buying in goods via the locals through use of continuing UK bank accounts and creating a bakery, sculpting with materials that might otherwise have fed the internees.
As with the other Troy novels, Lawton delivers tight prose - no word is wasted. His sense of time and place cuts the muster, with descriptions creating a keen visual image. Alex, Rod and Freddie are all compelling characters and the pages turn because you want to know what happens next in the lives of each of them. This is also true of the minor characters that Lawton introduces us to; their lives and impact are far more than minor. Where survival is possible, a reader only needs a beating heart to be ravenous to know what happens next in their lives. The tensions that existed in all places included in the novel are evoked with a keen eye on real life as it must have been then. There are so many threads to this novel's plot that it is hard to put the book down. As with all previous Troy novels, this is a dense and rich tapestry of writing. And, as is usual for readers of this series, Lawton mixes his fictional characters with real historical characters in his fiction; this time Freud, Churchill, Oswald Mosley and a selection of Nazis and others.
Second Violin is not a `Freddie Troy is sent out to the dead body and solves the case' scenario, with much added interest. Lawton's writing is always a richly dense tapestry to me, but this time he's moved his own posts higher. This novel is about character development in a time of forceful character development for the wrong or right reasons. In those circumstances, in the various situations that Lawton introduces, what would have been your reaction and actions? This novel will question you.
But above all, it's a superb read. Some might say `the icing on the cake', but for me that begs finality. Second Violin is a great read and has a depth that few authors can match; but I, for one, still want more of the `family Troy' as I call them.
Second Violin uses the Troy family for far more purposes than mere story-telling.
This is a biggie - catch it if you can!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a great novel, and you will get a reasonable flavour of the contents from the other positive reviews here, which I can only second.
However, why oh why do some authors (Lawton included) publish books out of chronological order??? Having only just started reading Lawton (on the recommendation of my father) I started with Black Out (the first book published) only to find this (i.e. Second Violin) was the first in the series (and the last published).....????!!!! If you are new to Lawton and more particularly the Troy series START WITH THIS ONE!!!!!!
However, why oh why do some authors (Lawton included) publish books out of chronological order??? Having only just started reading Lawton (on the recommendation of my father) I started with Black Out (the first book published) only to find this (i.e. Second Violin) was the first in the series (and the last published).....????!!!! If you are new to Lawton and more particularly the Troy series START WITH THIS ONE!!!!!!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great addition to the Inspector Freddy Troy series
About ten pages into "Second Violin," I was consciously slowing down my reading to make the experience last longer. It's that kind of pleasurable and intriguing book. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Blue in Washington
Exceptional
My first Lawton & thus my first Troy. Became intrigued when it took so long to introduce the reason for the title & Troy himself! Read more
Published 4 months ago by Sivart
Second Violin
John Lawton continues to write wonderful stories with marvellous characters. I devour these books in the same way as when I discovered Elmore Leonard many years ago. Read more
Published 11 months ago by labranchie
Amazing book
This is an amazing book which not only draws the reader right into the turmoil and brutality of pre-war Germany and Austria, but also demonstrates how unjust and ridiculous was... Read more
Published on 5 July 2009 by Moldgeier
Falls short of expectations
I waited a long time for the next John Lawton only to be sadly dissapointed. The depiction of the Second World War is so-so, if rather shallow but the denouement is risible. Read more
Published on 2 Oct 2007 by Macavity
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