- Paperback: 245 pages
- Publisher: Arcadia Books (12 Feb 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1905147120
- ISBN-13: 978-1905147120
- Product Dimensions: 21.1 x 13.7 x 2.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 858,906 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Serbian Dane
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Product Description
Product Description
Iranian Mullahs have offered a $4 million reward to the person who carries out their fatwa, the death sentence of the internationally acclaimed author Sara Santanda. A Danish daily newspaper has in cooperation with Danish PEN Centre invited her to Copenhagen, and police officer Per Toftlund of the Danish Secret Police is put in charge of protecting the author. A politician in parliament strikes a deal with dire consequences. And somewhere in the former Yugoslavia a young man signs up for murder. The man is Vuk. He is the Serbian Dane.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A controversial author is about to visit Denmark and she has been sentenced to death for her writings. The Serbian Dane, who is called Vuk, accepts the job to take her out. He grew up in Denmark, of Serbian parents, and returned to Bosnia where he saw his parents butchered and where he participated in hostilities as a highly skilled soldier.
Enter also the policeman charged with protecting the author and a journalist who is to be her host - the two of them fall in love at an early stage!
Davidsen does bring some colour into the book with his descriptions of both Denmark and the Danish, but the story itself remains very shallow and the writing is not spectacular. The reason Vuk takes on the job is never explained, particularly as he makes much of not killing for money. So, much of the story becomes descriptive as Vuk prepares for the assignment. A lot falls into place conveniently and little challenges the reader, or the police for that matter.
The book is seemingly well-translated, but the proof-reading editors could have worked a little harder.
Overall, a plain vanilla effort, I would say. 7/10
Enter also the policeman charged with protecting the author and a journalist who is to be her host - the two of them fall in love at an early stage!
Davidsen does bring some colour into the book with his descriptions of both Denmark and the Danish, but the story itself remains very shallow and the writing is not spectacular. The reason Vuk takes on the job is never explained, particularly as he makes much of not killing for money. So, much of the story becomes descriptive as Vuk prepares for the assignment. A lot falls into place conveniently and little challenges the reader, or the police for that matter.
The book is seemingly well-translated, but the proof-reading editors could have worked a little harder.
Overall, a plain vanilla effort, I would say. 7/10
Format:Paperback
The Serbian Dane is a straightforward thriller centred around three principal characters - Lise, Per and Vuk. The plot essentially revolves around all three preparing for Santanda's visit to Denmark, and exploring their past and present circumstances. The strength of the book is the character development, which Davidsen patiently builds up. The plot is competent, but unsurprising, with no major twists and turns and, as a result, lacks real tension. It's fairly clear from a long way out how the book is going to climax, even if the exact ending is more open. The writing is workmanlike, with a nice balance of description and action, and a nicely framed sense of place. Overall, a fairly standard political assassin thriller that was an okay, if unsurprising, read.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
An assassin stalks his prey while the police stalk the assassin
13 Sep 2006
Format:Paperback
Leif Davidsen is a well-known Danish author of thrillers. Many of his books have been translated into other languages, and "Den Serbiske Dansker" ("The Serbian Dane") has been translated to English, French, German, Dutch, Swedish and Norwegian.
The main person in "The Serbian Dane" is Vuk, a young Bosnian Serb who was born and grew up in Denmark but later became a sniper in the turmoil of ex-Yugoslavia. For reasons that I never really understood, Vuk agrees to return to Denmark to assassinate an Iranian author who has been sentenced to death by the Ayatollahs in Iran. (A bounty of four million US dollars is involved, but Vuk claims repeatedly that he doesn't kill for money.)
There are two "good guys", Per Toftlund, a security specialist with the Danish national police (corresponds to the American FBI) and Lise Carlsen, a journalist with one of Denmark's largest newspapers. The two of them fall in love (typical for a Leif Davidsen thriller - there has to be a romance), although I found this to be rather silly. Lise Carlsen, in particular, does not come across as a person that is particularly loveable.
But the most interesting person in the book is Vuk, and he is also the person that most of the pages in the book focus on. Everything that Vuk does and thinks is described in detail, often excruciating detail.
We are told, step by step, about how Vuk travels from Bosnia to Copenhagen via Warsaw and Berlin. Vuk's past is slowly revealed to us as he wanders around Copenhagen, surprised by the changes that occurred during the short number of years that he was away. Vuk contacts one of his childhood friends, and more of his past is revealed, in particular his traumatic experiences in ex-Yugoslavia. We finally begin to understand why Vuk is the way he is.
The story slowly but surely moves towards the climax, too slowly in my opinion, but this is again typical for Leif Davidsen. Will Vuk succeed in killing the Iranian author, or will the police, who are aware of him and his intentions, succeed in capturing him?
This is a very Danish book in some ways, in that many of the things that are discussed are primarily of interest to Danes. It is not as good as most of Leif Davidsen's books, but it still manages to get four stars by my standards, mostly because I like the way Leif Davidsen describes people and social situations so well.
Two minor nit-picking criticisms:
- The childhood friend is described as a total nerd who has a poster of his hero Bill Gates on his wall. Real nerds don't like Bill Gates.
- Vuk goes shopping for diving equipment and gets an "oxygen" tank. Should be a compressed air tank.
In summary, not one of Leif Davidsen's best, but still a good thriller, especially for a Danish reader or for those interested in modern Europe.
Rennie Petersen
The main person in "The Serbian Dane" is Vuk, a young Bosnian Serb who was born and grew up in Denmark but later became a sniper in the turmoil of ex-Yugoslavia. For reasons that I never really understood, Vuk agrees to return to Denmark to assassinate an Iranian author who has been sentenced to death by the Ayatollahs in Iran. (A bounty of four million US dollars is involved, but Vuk claims repeatedly that he doesn't kill for money.)
There are two "good guys", Per Toftlund, a security specialist with the Danish national police (corresponds to the American FBI) and Lise Carlsen, a journalist with one of Denmark's largest newspapers. The two of them fall in love (typical for a Leif Davidsen thriller - there has to be a romance), although I found this to be rather silly. Lise Carlsen, in particular, does not come across as a person that is particularly loveable.
But the most interesting person in the book is Vuk, and he is also the person that most of the pages in the book focus on. Everything that Vuk does and thinks is described in detail, often excruciating detail.
We are told, step by step, about how Vuk travels from Bosnia to Copenhagen via Warsaw and Berlin. Vuk's past is slowly revealed to us as he wanders around Copenhagen, surprised by the changes that occurred during the short number of years that he was away. Vuk contacts one of his childhood friends, and more of his past is revealed, in particular his traumatic experiences in ex-Yugoslavia. We finally begin to understand why Vuk is the way he is.
The story slowly but surely moves towards the climax, too slowly in my opinion, but this is again typical for Leif Davidsen. Will Vuk succeed in killing the Iranian author, or will the police, who are aware of him and his intentions, succeed in capturing him?
This is a very Danish book in some ways, in that many of the things that are discussed are primarily of interest to Danes. It is not as good as most of Leif Davidsen's books, but it still manages to get four stars by my standards, mostly because I like the way Leif Davidsen describes people and social situations so well.
Two minor nit-picking criticisms:
- The childhood friend is described as a total nerd who has a poster of his hero Bill Gates on his wall. Real nerds don't like Bill Gates.
- Vuk goes shopping for diving equipment and gets an "oxygen" tank. Should be a compressed air tank.
In summary, not one of Leif Davidsen's best, but still a good thriller, especially for a Danish reader or for those interested in modern Europe.
Rennie Petersen
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