I wish I understood why Janice Law chose the painter, Francis Bacon, as her protagonist. I found it distracting to be reading along and then be reminded of who this young man is supposed to be, visions of the real FB and his work, and of Derek Jacobi as FB in "Love is the Devil" intruding on the story. If there'd been some art-related reason, it might make more sense, but art plays almost no part in this story.

Rather, this is young Francis, sent to Berlin, to his military uncle, as a presumed remedy for his troublesome (read gay) nature. But Uncle Lastings is not only gleefully bisexual himself, but a con artist, and absolutely not the sort of man to whom an upright Irish father might entrust the moral upbringing of his child. Francis lives the high life in Berlin until Lastings gets him involved in a shootout in a Berlin dive bar and then disappears, leaving Francis virtually penniless in a strange city.

And that's when things get really weird.

The story moves along at a reasonable pace, and the characters are interesting if not highly developed. Francis is the most so, but I came away from the novel with not much more understanding of him than I began with. He's not what I'd call an engaging character, but he manages to stay on his feet as the events propel him through the story. In all, I'd say that it's a fun read, but nothing profound, or even particularly exciting. It's a good book for summer, or for a rainy afternoon. ( )

I wish I understood why Janice Law chose the painter, Francis Bacon, as her protagonist. I found it distracting to be reading along and then be reminded of who this young man is supposed to be, visions of the real FB and his work, and of Derek Jacobi as FB in "Love is the Devil" intruding on the story. If there'd been some art-related reason, it might make more sense, but art plays almost no part in this story.

Rather, this is young Francis, sent to Berlin, to his military uncle, as a presumed remedy for his troublesome (read gay) nature. But Uncle Lastings is not only gleefully bisexual himself, but a con artist, and absolutely not the sort of man to whom an upright Irish father might entrust the moral upbringing of his child. Francis lives the high life in Berlin until Lastings gets him involved in a shootout in a Berlin dive bar and then disappears, leaving Francis virtually penniless in a strange city.

And that's when things get really weird.

The story moves along at a reasonable pace, and the characters are interesting if not highly developed. Francis is the most so, but I came away from the novel with not much more understanding of him than I began with. He's not what I'd call an engaging character, but he manages to stay on his feet as the events propel him through the story. In all, I'd say that it's a fun read, but nothing profound, or even particularly exciting. It's a good book for summer, or for a rainy afternoon. ( )

I’ve never been a fan of mysteries. As a matter of fact, the only one I’ve ever read was a rather tepid Inspector LeStrade novel. So I began Nights in Berlin as a complete novice to the genre and my low expectations were rewarded with a well researched, fast-paced and thoroughly entertaining read.

I chose this book because I’ve always had an interest in Berlin under the Weimar Republic and the artistic freedom and social decadence characteristic of the period. You know - Marlene Dietrich, Cabaret, Fritz Lang, DADA...all that. Plus, I was intrigued by the idea that the protagonist is based on an actual [and well-known] late 20th Century Irish artist known mostly for his grotesque portraiture. I can’t help but wonder what inspired the author to choose him as the lead in a series of mysteries. Other than his work, I know nothing about Francis Bacon so it was interesting and fun to imagine his early years as depicted by Law. This particular book is the first in a trilogy that follows his adventures as a young gay man seeking adventure and love in Berlin, Paris and London.

The story, not quite a classic mystery, finds Bacon inadvertently abetting his con-man/libertine/spy uncle in a political shooting, after which he is forced into hiding as a hat-check “girl” in a Berlin drag bar under the auspices of the British embassy. To be completely honest, I’m notoriously ignorant of the finer points of modern European history so all the various factions and intrigues were kind of lost on me. It did help me with an answer on the Christmas Eve episode of Jeopardy (“Who were the Brownshirts?”) which kind of amazed my husband’s family.

All in all, I really liked this book, despite the fact that I had a difficult time with the politics of the period. Bacon makes for a spunky and charming protagonist. This is a fun and breezy book – perfect for curling up with on a cold winter’s eve. There’s intrigue, peril, politics, history, humor, even a little [LGBT] romance. I look forward to enjoying the Paris and London installments. ( )