Description
Author: Amulya Malladi
Format: Trade Paperback C Format
Publication date: 28/03/2023
Imprint: HARPER COLLINS
ISBN: 9780063235519
Meet Gabriel Præst, an ex-Copenhagen cop (who dresses with panache), jazz aficionado, and relentless pursuer of truth as he explores Denmark’s Nazi-collaborator past and anti-Muslim present in a page-turning Nordic murder mystery with a cosmopolitan vibe
Everyone in Denmark knew that Yousef Ahmed, a refugee from Iraq, brutally murdered the right-wing politician Sanne Melgaard. So, when part-time blues musician, frustrated home renovator, and full-time private detective Gabriel Præst agrees to investigate the matter because his ex–the one who got away–asked him to, he knew it was a no-win case.
But as Gabriel starts to ask questions, his face meets with the fists of Russian gangsters; the Danish prime minister asks him for a favor; and he starts to realize that something may be rotten in the state of Denmark.
Wondering if Yousef was framed to heighten the local anti-Muslim sentiment, Gabriel follows a trail back in time to World War II when anti-Semitism was raging in Europe during the German occupation of Denmark. Fearing a nationalistic mindset has resurfaced, Gabriel rolls up the sleeves of his well-cut suit and gets to work. From the cobblestone streets of Copenhagen to the historic Strassen& of Berlin where the sounds of the steel-toed boots of marching Nazis still linger, Gabriel finds that some very powerful Danes don’t want him digging into the case–as the secrets he unearths could shake the foundations of Danish identity.
Sue Reid, Read by Reid –
The first in a new series featuring Danish PI Gabriel Proest. Quite unlike other thrillers, Gabriel is rough in spirit but polished in appearance with a raw and honest character. He admits fear and is humane in his doubts as he takes on a ‘miscarriage of justice’ case – the danger and threats seep into his immediate circle of family and contacts.
Set-in modern-day Denmark, the nation grapples with the brutal murder of Danish MP Sanne Melgaard in the face of immigration policy and a deportation case that is ‘less than tidy’. MP Sanne is blonde, beautiful and committed to the narrative to anti-Muslim policy. On the surface it looks like an open-shut-case but as Proest delves deeper into leads, things become dangerous, and no one is safe. His ‘nose for truth’ drives him on despite the threats and pressure.
Proest is an admirable character, and his refreshing traits make this a worthy read, so I eagerly anticipate Malladi’s next instalment.
Read more reviews from Read by Reid here.