Medusa

This was a real treat and somewhat of a relief because I'd tried reading the fourth installment in the Aurelio Zen series, Dead Lagoon, and was worried that I'd already read all the good books. Not to worry: this is a great entry in the series, exactly what I want out of a Zen book.

The mystery is intriguing -- a body is found in a disused military tunnel and is believed to have been there for about 30 years. Is it an accident? One may think so, but the disappearance of the body from the morgue, at the hands of government officials no less, makes Zen suspect otherwise. The involvement of a top-secret military organization also ups the stakes.

Zen as a character is amusing as usual, especially when he is struggling with technology and cars show more (to borrow a description of George Smiley from Smiley's People, he "lives on terms of mutual hatred with the combustion engine"). Zen is asked if his love interest is "on-line". "On what line?" Zen asks, causing me to almost roar with laughter on the bus. Later on Zen attempts to drive through morning rush hour, incurring the wrath of bumper-to-bumper commuters who know exactly where they're going and have no patience with the "bumbling amateur" who does not know the system. Little details like that are what make the character for me. He's also very resourceful in solving the crime, as he has to be in this case because his enquiries are strictly off the record.

I also like how Dibdin sprinkles in Italian dialogue, just enough to remind us that we're in Italy, and provides enough of an explanation to give the non-native speaker an idea of how that statement would be received. For example, at one point Zen says "I won't do anything to you," and the Italian sentence uses an emphatic personal pronoun: "*I* won't do anything to you," with the implication being, "…but someone else might." Very interesting for language buffs.

Overall this book is worth a read for Zen fans. show less

Cabal (1992) by Michael Dibdin. I picked up a couple of the Inspector Zen novels a few years ago after seeing that a television series was to be shown based on the novels. I never saw the show and didn’t read any of the novels until now. I wish I had started on this series years ago as the books I have read are very good.
Welcome to Italy, specifically Rome. Here is where CABAL is set. A country within a country, Vatican City is a separate state totally engulfed by Rome. There s a “suicide” in St. Peter’s basilica. A man, Prince Ruspanti, falls to his death. Inspector Zen, of the Italian State police (think a FBI type of organism) is called in to give an official version of what happened. He instantly knows that it was a murder, show more gathers evidence, and then plays politics, not wanting to lose his job or his own life.
This novel is both a police mystery and an essay on the mystery of Italian politics. What is real and what is necessary are often two different things and Zen has been an inspector long enough to know that mere facts are not enough to come to any conclusion. The Vatican must be satisfied, as do the Roman officials, the Italian State officials and the police officials.
This is a very complicated affair as is, apparently, everything to do with politics in Italy.
But the case is interesting, and there is more death involved, and we see a side to our hero that is unexpected. Being Italy, there is also the latest fashion designer to figure into the mix, especially when Zen’s woman friend decides to wear some of ‘Falco’s’ new line.
There is also the secret society within a secret society, The Cabal of the title. Zen has to worry about these invisible threats to his work and to his life.
Personal and political angst pull our hero but he reveals himself to be a fine investigator and tightrope walker.
I enjoyed this novel far more than I thought I would. show less

This 9th book in the Zen series reminded me of some of the earlier books such as "Cabal". He really is at his best when navigating the unspoken world of cabals, secret organizations and power politics even though he dislikes it!

A good read. The rapid introduction of characters made it difficult to follow immediately but it is a book you can settle into. It was recommeded to me because I am a fan of Donna Leon but the differences were quite palpable.

It seems to me that in general one expects living authors to run out of words before breath – entirely unreasonable, I know, but there it is. Dibdin died too early, making this an unexpected treat, an Aurelio Zen I thought I’d read but hadn’t, I realised leafing through it in a bookshop in Australia....

http://alittleteaalittlechat.wordpress.com/2014/02/25/medusa-by-michael-dibdin/

It seems to me that in general one expects living authors to run out of words before breath – entirely unreasonable, I know, but there it is. Dibdin died too early, making this an unexpected treat, an Aurelio Zen I thought I’d read but hadn’t, I realised leafing through it in a bookshop in Australia....

http://alittleteaalittlechat.wordpress.com/2014/02/25/medusa-by-michael-dibdin/

A great, comfortable Dibden crime mystery. Not too demanding but a great read.