The Strange Case of the Composer and his Judge (Unabridged) [Audio Download]

I'm a great fan of Patricia Duncker's writing, but hadn't really enjoyed her last two novels - Miss Webster and Cherif was fun but didn't have as much depth as her earlier work. The Strange Case of the Composer and His Judge is definitely a return to form - and to the eerie, gripping exploration of personality, power and relationships that characterises Duncker's earlier novels.

The novel starts with an atmospheric crime scene - in the snowy forest near a chalet, a group of bodies is found, arranged in a mysterious pattern. The investigating judge, Dominique, is nicknamed 'la chasseuse des sectes' - she's an expert investigator of cults. But the judge's certainty in the rightness of her quest to prosecute the mysterious organisation known only as 'The Faith' is shaken when she meets the Composer. His charisma more than matches her own, and the two opponents are thrown into a curious match of wits where they discover a strong mutual attraction. The battle plays out among the surroundings of the Judge's childhood, where she discovers that all is not as it seems. Added to the mix is the faithful (but not to his wife!) Andre, Dominique's strong-willed and passionate German counterpart, with whom she's been having an affair for several years. But which man will she choose? And will the Judge come down on the side of the law or 'the Faith'?

I liked the occasional bit of French or German language that was thrown in - it gave the book a sense of atmosphere as the characters moved between Switzerland and France. But I did wonder whether readers who aren't able to make sense of it might find it irritating - not sure, but thought it was worth mentioning.

Like many of Duncker's earlier novels, describing the plot doesn't really do it justice - the writing style and careful attention to the nuance of relationships and charisma is what makes it really unsettling and compelling. I couldn't put this book down. Although I found the ending slightly anti-climactic, I still give this book five stars for being extraordinarily compellingly written and thought-provoking. The plot is quirky and nuanced enough that I think any possible ending would have been, in some way, a disappointment. The pleasure was in the journey!

This novel starts with an amazing description of a group of bodies in the snow, a mass suicide by a cult, and opens up to explore all kinds of idea about belief, without ever losing the pace of the story. The judge has specialised in investigating cults, with very little sympathy for the people who get caught up in them, but this faith is shaped by and for very influencial people, and when she meets the passionate figure of the compuser it starts to affect her as well - and I really didn't know how the book would end. It's about the power of faith but also of attraction between people and how both can absorb you and change your behaviour and choices.

It's quite different from Duncker's previous novel, very unsettling and I don't feel I'm doing justice to all the layers in it, but I'd heartily recommend it. I found the judge herself particularly involving and I was willing her on to stay true to herself.

I came to this novel full of hope and expectation - a book about cults and suspicious deaths should be gripping. However, I found it to be a strangely uncompelling book, which got bogged down in the Judge's implausible relationships, and neglected to develop the plot. I'm still mystified by the ending (which was disappointingly dull) and what was the sound Dominique heard in the garden? All in all I'd have preferred a bit more action!