Two books, two thrillers, both of them better than average, and both with a snake on the cover…
The Andalucian Friend by Alexander Soderbergh…An unassuming nurse treats (and falls for) a patient that just so happens to be the heir to a notorious Spanish crime family currently in a fight for its life against a ruthless German syndicate. That’s a great premise that (mostly) delivers. Still, I think the set-up might be more promising than this book ultimately winds up being due to a bizarre hijacking of the momentum by corrupt Swedish cops (never let the least compelling characters take over the narrative), and that bleak, almost-clinical Swedish judgment that seeps into the prose/character-descriptions. [Too many Scandinavian novelists can’t help judging their characters as they create them.] Grade: B+
The Burn Palace by Stephen Dobyns…Another crime thriller with a great set-up (a newborn baby goes missing from a maternity ward and a giant snake is left in his place) that, ultimately, only partially delivers. Dobyns’s writing and interest is the exact opposite of Soderbergh’s in that he’s much more in-love with his characters and setting, bringing out a warmth that (sometimes) undercuts the suspense and (often) leads the narrative on rambling tangents that make it feel slightly overlong. Still, more to recommend here than critique. Grade: B+