I know we are only seven months into the year, but I think I have just finished my “book of the year.” I started Liberation Movements on my lunch hour yesterday and then went home after work and started reading again. I ended up staying up late just to finish it. I was so enthralled that I just had to keep reading.
Here is the brief synopsis from the book flap:
The year is 1975, and one of the People’s Militia homicide investigators is on a plane out of the capital, bound for Istanbul. The plane is hijacked by Armenian terrorists, but before the Turkish authorities can fulfill their demands, the plane explodes in midair.
Two investigators—Gavra Noukas, a secret policeman, and Katja Drdova, a homicide detective—are assigned to the case. Both believe that Brano Sev, their enigmatic superior and himself a career secret policeman, is keeping them in the dark both about the details of the case and all its players and about the true motives of their investigation, but they can’t figure out why. That is, until they learn that everything is connected to a seven-year-old murder, a seemingly insignificant murder that has had far-reaching consequences.
I plan on posting an in-depth review, but let me just say that Olen Steinhauer has really honed his craft. Olen weaves in elements of spy thriller, mystery, police procedural, and literary novel into one captivating story. Brano Sev, the central character from 36 Yalta Boulevard, is once again prominent but Steinhauer adds in a number of fascinating characters; including one that may or may not have an incredible/supernatural ability. There is also a philosophical depth underneath it all as Steinhauer explores issues like how our past determines out future, free will, etc.
If for some strange reason you haven’t read Steinhauer, here is what you need to do:
– Go out and buy the previous books in the series: The Bridge of Sighs, The Confession, and 36 Yalta Boulevard.
That will give you enough time to read the first three books before LM is officially released. Trust me, these books are the perfect way to spend the last six weeks or so of summer. If you are looking for entertaining and thought provoking reads, Steinhauer is hard to beat.
