Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: The Wooden Leg of Inspector Anders by Marshall Browne ISBN: 0-312-29149-3 Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin Pub. Date: 11 July, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.29 (7 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Much More Than a Mystery
Comment: Inspector Anders has a mission. And it's not to grapple with the Mafia. It's to retire and write a book about his underappreciated poet forbear, Anton Anders.
Sent by Rome to investigate the murders of an investigator and a magistrate, he intends to do as little as possible and then go home. What difference will it make anyway? Nothing will change and a real investigation will only get him dead. But he can't help it. He just has to side with the good guys against the philistines. How can you help but like and respect and cheer for this guy?
Next time, how about a collaboration? Anders meets Zen!
Rating: 3
Summary: The Wooden Leg of Inspector Anders
Comment: Here is a crime novel that started out like it was going to be one of the greats. But there came a point when I realized that it was not fulfilling its promise. It emerges instead as rather average.
This book is great on mood, and Marshall Browne establishes himself as quite the stylist. But when you strip away the layers of paranoia and hopelessness that make the book seem at first to be a powerful if bitter read, you get a story that does not involve much thought. The plot is very basic. There are the Good Guys and the Bad Guys; the White Hats and the Black Hats. The Good Guys want to bring the Bad Guys to justice, while the Bad Guys get nervous about this, and try to kill the Good Guys first. This leads merely to a lot of explosions and assassination attempts. Plus, Inspector Anders beds some women, even though each of these scenes suggests he is actually in love with whomever he is bedding at the time. Apparently, he invests deep meaning in each quickie. Yes, he has a lot of real love to spread around.
A few rogue elements do intrude on the plot, trying to stir up some novelty. A mysterious bearded figure wanders in and out of the action, possibly with his own agenda against one of the corrupt power-figures in the book; and a few of the mafia types are operating outside the accepted criminal scheme of things, as far as their still-nervous associates are concerned. But these "rogue elements" quickly reveal themselves to be variations on the same theme--the theme of people trying to bump each other off throughout the whole book, and not doing much else.
The book seemed cleverly cynical at the beginning, for example, when Inspector Anders went to question a series of people about two murders that have brought him to Southern Italy. Cleverly written, because the author has Anders show up for questioning, only for the questioning to basically get skipped or summarized as meaningless every time, because after all, Anders is questioning a bunch of people he knows will tell him useless lies as part of an investigation that he is not really supposed to succeed at, so the corrupt officials involved can stay safe. Seems like a deft author making a bleak statement about a sad state of affairs. The problem is: the author has nothing much of substance to fill these abbreviated scenes with! All the questioning sessions whiz by, but nothing of significance takes their place. And then the endless explosions and assassination attempts begin. As for Anders's final bold plan, I can't believe a group of veteran criminals could be that stupid! It stretches credibility that they wouldn't suspect the--well, I won't spill it.
Started out as a breath of fresh air, but couldn't hide its average approach. Three stars for the style and the sustained level of suspense. But the plot was very basic.
Rating: 5
Summary: One man against the Mafia in southern Italy--excellent
Comment: Inspector Anders seems like the perfect man to complete the investigation of a southern Italian crime. He is a hero having lost a leg in Italy's battle against the Red Brigade, but he is also nearing retirement--unlikely to rock the boat. And rocking the boat is the last thing the establishment wants. It is much better to imagine that anarchists murdered the former judge than to admit that the Mafia and corruption rule southern Italy and can reach its power to the capitol in Rome and beyond. Anders is mostly content to go along--but he toys with the idea of doing more: of making a real investigation. If he does, though, he is unlikely to survive long enough to tell his story, let alone make a difference. The next inspector is unlikely to be so foolish.
As Anders goes through the motions of an investigation, he grows increasingly angry with the power of the Mafia, but also increasingly certain that he cannot make a difference. Yet even going through the motions can be dangerous and letting himself be swayed by the late judge's beautiful widow is clearly a mistake.
Author Marchall Browne writes a compelling adventure. Anders, with his wooden leg and perchant for older soft-bodied women and fine wine, makes an interesting and sympathetic hero. Browne's view of the Mafia as the dominant force in much of southern Italy is sadly credible and Ander's ultimate decision between pursuing his life's dream and doing something, however pointless, to damage the Mafia is emotionally satisfying.
I look forward to reading more novels by this talented author.
 |
Title: Inspector Anders and the Ship of Fools (Browne, Marshall. Inspector Anders Mysteries Series,) by Marshall Browne ISBN: 0312278217 Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur Pub. Date: 01 July, 2002 List Price(USD): $23.95 |
 |
Title: The Eye of the Abyss (Franz Schmidt, 1) by Marshall Browne ISBN: 0312311567 Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur Pub. Date: 01 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $23.95 |
 |
Title: The Voice of the Violin: An Inspector Montalbano Mystery (Inspector Montalbano Mysteries) by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli ISBN: 0670031437 Publisher: Viking Books Pub. Date: 06 November, 2003 List Price(USD): $21.95 |
 |
Title: The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri ISBN: 0142002399 Publisher: Penguin Books Pub. Date: 01 November, 2002 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
 |
Title: A Noble Radiance by Donna Leon ISBN: 0142003190 Publisher: Penguin Books Pub. Date: 26 August, 2003 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
