- Hardcover: 432 pages
- Publisher: Century; 1st ed 1st printg edition (1 April 1999)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0712679596
- ISBN-13: 978-0712679596
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.8 x 4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 950,748 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
In northern Russia's Arctic city, Murmansk, Inspector Constantin Vadim is enjoying being back in his hometown after a disastrous time in Moscow. But his pleasure is short-lived: his young wife Natalya, a doctor, answers an emergency medical call from which she doesn't return. And while Vadim is speculating on whether an accident or a lover has detained her, he finds that another woman has gone missing--an American consular official. If readers will not be surprised to learn that the two incidents are linked (we've all read similar narratives before), James is able to tap into the same level of story-telling expertise that made his earlier thriller Monstrum such a dynamically readable piece. Vadim soon finds himself in a queasy partnership with a black FBI woman, encountering the dark underside of Russia's mythical past. It hardly matters that James is synthesising elements inaugurated in Martin Cruz Smith's marvellous Gorky Park, not to mention the familiar ill-matched police duo: what really counts is how well he can utilise the sense of exotic locale and non-Western protagonist. And here, we're in confident hands. Without quite equalling his mentor, James is still a writer of assured and emphatic skills and his plotting is masterful. --Barry Forshaw
Product Description
Another thriller featuring Inspector Constatin Vadim, back in his Arctic home town after a short and nearly catastrophic appointment in Moscow. But now Vadim is faced with personal tragedy, his wife Natalya, a doctor, answers an emergency medical call and goes missing.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I've not read this author's previous work, and when I discovered that it was set in the future I feared the worst. I don'like science fiction and would not have bought it if I had realised. However I need not have worried, the setting was not too off the wall. A melancholy Russian policeman finds himself caught up in events from organized crime to local politics, not to mention the standard number of dead bodies. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It's long, and the author has continued to write, after others would have stopped. There must be at least 3 good books in here, and lesser writers would have put down their pen at what is, in fact, only the half way point. Something similar happens later on at what could have been another ending. Thankfully it wasn't. I enjoyed the story and will definitely look for more of James' work.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
As a "sequel" to Monstrum this book delivers the goods. A tense thriller, it provides the right balance of detective novel, horror, and thriller all in one. McDonald paints a bleak picture of 21st Century Russia, hi-tech but still deep in 1917. It'll keep you going until the end.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I first encountered the writings of Donald James when a friend suggested that I read the Monstrum. I enjoyed the book so much that it was no surprise that I chose his follow up work, The Fortune Teller, on a long and exhausting flight to Mauritius. Throughout the journey and the ensuing days in paradise I found myself looking for any opportunity to pick up the book and read a little further. Through the intricate character plays you are carried through a maize of different possibilities, always knowing that the evil is never far away. You feel acutely sorry for Vadim as his emotions are blasted from all sides, whilst having to remain the consummate professional in the face of extreme sorrow. At the end you really appreciate the medicinal and emotional benefits contained within a bottle of vodka... Look forward to the next one.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Gripping stuff from Mr James
A good book should, in my opinion, be a page turner and have the power to stop you from doing pretty much else at the time. This certainly is one of those books. Read more
Published 11 months ago by P Wild
Hard to put down
This is my second Donald James book and he certainly seems to be worth following. Strangely, I have yet to read "Monstrum" which many seem to say is his best effort to... Read more
Published on 1 July 2002 by johnverp
A wonderful story but not as gripping as Monstrum
James again creates a beautifully convincing world. Like Monstrum, there is trememdous enjoyment in immersing yourself in the setting and the story as it rattles... Read more
Published on 31 Dec 2000
a great read
It's not often that a sequel manages as much impact as the original, but The Fortune Teller, Donald James' follow-up to the wonderful Monstrum, has done just that. Read more
Published on 14 Aug 2000
Fast thriller which you won't be able to put down
This Russianset, often brutal thriller set in the mysterious, freezing, dark Murmansk really is a great read. Read more
Published on 20 July 2000 by Mr. C. O'Kill
Excellent from start to finish !
I couldn't put this book down and I hope we get more Inspector Vadim from Donald James in the near future. Read more
Published on 25 Mar 2000
The Author's knowledge of the Russian psyche is outstanding.
Donald James quite simply adds a new dimension to the genre. I eagerly await his next novel.
Published on 13 Dec 1999 by chrisreddy@telebot.com
Excellent
I thought this was one of the best of the genre. Donald James certainly knows how to tell a story. I found myself reading it in the bath, on the train, even staying awake later... Read more
Published on 30 Aug 1999
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