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"'Among the best in modern Spanish literature... The Carvalho mix is funny... the detective is scathingly witty about the powerful. He is an original eccentric, burning books and cooking all night... Like Chandler's Philip Marlowe, he is the man of honour walking the mean streets of a sick society' Independent 'Witty, provocative and highly entertaining' Sunday Telegraph 'Bon-vivant detective Pepe Carvalho is once more in his beloved Barcelona, and back to his usual nonchalant style of sleuthing between slap-up meals and the appreciation of female pulchritude... his is one of the best' Guardian"
Independent, November 18, 2005
'The detective is scathingly witty about the powerful. He is an original eccentric, burning books and cooking all night'
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is set in Barcelona, where the detective Pepe Carvalho plies his trade, freshly back from a stint in Buenos Aires. The book is more a rumination on the politics of Region Plus and Catalan nationalism and various groups for and against the -isms that plague Spain (including, of course, Catholicism and Satanism), than a detective novel. Much energy is expended in describing why an economic union of Barcelona, Toulouse and Milan is inimical to the idea of Catalonia (if people can make money in the new regime, why will they bother to agitate for separation from Spain?), and why devil-worship is the new religion to counter Catholicism (which has been tarnished by its association with the depredations of Franco's era). Indeed, Carvalho does little detecting, although by what looks like authorial fiat, he locates one crazy group of anarchists and another, and deduces links among them that perplexed an unsubtle mind like mine. In the midst of all this, he also gorges himself on some of Barcelona's famed cuisine and on Barcelona's lovely women as well. How a somewhat weary and downbeat sixty-year old gets all those women, I have no idea. Still, they like him, and he proceeds to confound the various politicos with his smart-alecky humour, before settling the case with his own idea of justice.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having just read and reviewed Mr. Montalban's "Tattoo," this reviewer found that this novel marks a deep contrast both in the writing and in the portrayal of Pepe Carvalho, the Barcelona private eye. In the former book, he is pictured as a light-hearted, irreverent lover and gourmet, and the tone of the writing is equally sprightly. In this installment, the writing is deep and somber, as befits the subject, and Pepe's approach to his two loves is anything but light. Only his taste for food remains the same.
Pepe is retained by a rich widow to find the identity of the murderer of her son. To accomplish this task, Pepe becomes involved in infiltrating all kinds of conspiracies: a murderous scandal, murky politics and the world of Satanism and religious sects.
At the same time, Pepe enters involved in a mid-life crisis, torn between two women who both claim he is the only man of their lives. It all becomes very heavy, with long tracts on Spanish (and other nations') nationalistic efforts, and abstract religious discussions The various aspects come together to threaten Pepe's life. The novel demonstrates the depth and ability of the author, who died in October, 2003.
Pepe is retained by a rich widow to find the identity of the murderer of her son. To accomplish this task, Pepe becomes involved in infiltrating all kinds of conspiracies: a murderous scandal, murky politics and the world of Satanism and religious sects.
At the same time, Pepe enters involved in a mid-life crisis, torn between two women who both claim he is the only man of their lives. It all becomes very heavy, with long tracts on Spanish (and other nations') nationalistic efforts, and abstract religious discussions The various aspects come together to threaten Pepe's life. The novel demonstrates the depth and ability of the author, who died in October, 2003.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is the story of Pepe Carvalho who is supposed to be investigating the murder of Alexandre Mata i Delapeu, a member of a satanic cult. Instead he spends most of his time worrying about his stomach and his lack of a pension (in that order) and dappling in Catalan nationalism, minor political and religious sects and an apparent economic struggle between two groups of capitalists. He also renewed an affair with Yes (a hypocorism for Jessica) after a twenty year lapse. Yes declares her pursuit of Carvalho through long, rambling faxes that cover almost everything except why a beautiful, rich and relatively young (and married) woman should be at all interested in a penniless, self-absorbed and lethargic detective.
There was hardly any action, so the plot, such as it was, moved turgidly. What little action occurred was dealt with perfunctorily, for example Carvalho kills a man in two paragraphs; the description of Christmas dinner covers three pages. There isn't much characterisation either, Carvalho wanders aimlessly through various restaurants, oblivious to the chaos around him; and the motivations for the various murders are never properly explained. Given the speed with which he operates, and the fact that he never really solves the case, it's probably understandable that Carvalho should be worrying about a lack of provision for his imminent old age.
Of course, detectives should have an inner life, and show themselves to have human foibles, but they should do some detecting as well. I think that Carvalho is a bit of an acquired taste that might appeal to aficionados of slow and introspective novels or are a vehicle for critiques of fringe politics in Catalonia. Unfortunately, I was looking for a detective story (and the cover claims that this is a mystery) and this book doesn't fit that bill.
There was hardly any action, so the plot, such as it was, moved turgidly. What little action occurred was dealt with perfunctorily, for example Carvalho kills a man in two paragraphs; the description of Christmas dinner covers three pages. There isn't much characterisation either, Carvalho wanders aimlessly through various restaurants, oblivious to the chaos around him; and the motivations for the various murders are never properly explained. Given the speed with which he operates, and the fact that he never really solves the case, it's probably understandable that Carvalho should be worrying about a lack of provision for his imminent old age.
Of course, detectives should have an inner life, and show themselves to have human foibles, but they should do some detecting as well. I think that Carvalho is a bit of an acquired taste that might appeal to aficionados of slow and introspective novels or are a vehicle for critiques of fringe politics in Catalonia. Unfortunately, I was looking for a detective story (and the cover claims that this is a mystery) and this book doesn't fit that bill.
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