Month: February 2022

VIDICH’S FIFTH BOOK IS A MATCH MADE IN BERLIN FOR TRADITIONALISTS

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Its almost a hundred years since there was last conflict in Europe, yet, as I write this piece, there is conflict in Europe and what could lead to military action between the East and West, following Russian invasion of Ukraine last week. During the Cold War there were several times when we were close to World War III, the Cuban missile crisis for one and I distinctly remember the eighties tv adverts informing viewers what to do in the event of a nuclear strike. The cold war ended in 1989 with the fall of the Berlin wall and there is the possibility that Kiev or Kyiv as they spell it. Breaded chicken with garlic sauce will never be the same again, and neither will the city of that name, if it becomes the new Berlin. This brings us to this month’s second book review it’s the Matchmaker by Paul Vidich and published by No Exit Press ( www.noexit.co.uk ) on the 17th February.

Its Berlin 1989 and Anne Simpson an American translator for JORC (Joint Operations Refugee Committee) thinks nothing of her seemingly idyllic marriage to her East German Piano Tuner husband Stefan. Until that is, he goes missing on route back from a job in Vienna. When the CIA and West German Intelligence turn up at her door, she informed that she has been targeted by The Matchmaker an East German counter-intelligence officer who runs a network of stazi agents, “Romeo’s”, who target vulnerable women in West Berlin. As Anne comes to terms with the lies surrounding her marriage, the CIA want to use her to smoke out The Matchmaker as he has close ties to the KGB and want tom find out more about his connection with a high-ranking defector. But as the wall falls and the city descends into chaos, Anne wants answers for herself, is Stefan dead? And to catch The Matchmaker and deliver her own type of justice…

What immediately gets you about this book is that it’s only two and fifty pages long, making it an ideal one sitting read, especially if you are on a long train or bus ride or mid length flight. Unlike most of the crop of new and existing thriller writers, who think substance is better then style, Vidich goes with the well worn and successful route of telling the story with enough style and minimal amount of substance, so as not to distract the reader from what they picked up the book for, a good read.

Paul Vidich

The story telling itself harks back to the heydays of the likes of Le Carre, Fleming and Greene. Although it’s set in 1989, there none of the more modern reliance on gadgets and its all down to the old cut and thrust of cold war politics, cross and double cross. Men and women in smoky bars and lounges, walking snow covered streets in high collared coats and trilby’s. This is what true traditionalists seek as an escape from what you can see in any of the numerous small and large screen offerings , and Vidich delivers it style, especially when you realise this isn’t his first foray into this genre.

This is American authors Paul Vidich’s ( www.paulvidich.com ) fifth book. The other include An Honorable Man (2014), The Good Assassin (2016), The Coldest Warrior (2020) and The Mercenary (2021). Vidich has had a distinguished career in music and media. Most recently, he was a special advisor to AOL and Executive Vice President at Warner Music group, in charge of Technology and Global Strategy. He was also a founder and Editor of the Storyville App and currently lives in Lower Manhattan.

So, if you are looking for a well written and traditionalist type of spy thriller, then download a copy or pop into your local bookshop and fall in love with Paul Vidich’s books.

Reviewed by: Adrian Murphy

This book review is part of a Random Things Blog Tour. To see what the other reviewers thought of the book visit their sites listed below, then if you get a copy, comeback and tell us what yoy thought. We’d really appreciate the feedback.

GARDNER’S NEW BOOK REFLECTS THE NEVER ENDING FACINATION WITH MARPLE, POIROT AND CHRISTIE

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There’s a new version of the Agatha Christie film, Death on the Nile in cinemas shortly and I’m looking forward to seeing it. I’m a big fan of a period drama or murder mystery as readers of this blog will know from my previous reviews. Some classics such as other Agatha Christie stories and John Buchan’s, ’The 39 Steps’ have been made into series, films and plays. I saw a theatrical version of the 39 Steps on a couple of occasions and was surprised and enthralled by the fact that the very small cast played multiple roles and the story was presented as a dark comedy. They even managed to present the train chase scene using swaying props, the sound of a train and puppet silhouettes! Despite the laughs, they managed to maintain the sense of impending danger. The constant remaking of these classics again and again does lead one to wonder why producers can’t take a chance on an unknown story of the same vintage and calibre, which brings me to this month’s first review. Its ‘The Mirror Game’ by Guy Gardner and published by The Book Guild Publishing ( https://www.bookguild.co.uk/ ) 28th January.

The book takes the reader back to that familiar Agatha Christie and Downtown Abbey period between the two World Wars, a little later than the setting of The 39 Steps. In London in 1925, Adrian Harcourt a politician and captain the army believed dead with his company on the battlefield of Flanders is sighted looking like he’s been living rough. Harry Lark, a war veteran and journalist, is enlisted by his friend and benefactor, Lady Carlisle to investigate. As he is drawn further into the case and the deaths mount up, he can see that things don’t add up. Where has Adrian been and why can’t he remember parts of his past. As he investigates, Harry’s own past and addiction to laudanum (an opium / alcohol based pain killer) threatens to overwhelm him and he also begins to fall for Freddy Carlisle, Lady Carlisle’s daughter, who was Adrian’s fiancée. Can Harry solve the mystery before it’s too late?

Guy Gardner

I really enjoyed this book from start to finish. It was one of those books you look forward to being able to pick up again. I spent the hours between reads thinking about the story and trying to guess what exactly was going on. It hit my sweet spot with the period setting and cast of characters, which I appreciate may not be to everyone’s taste, but even if a period thriller wouldn’t normally attract you, the plot would stand up well in a more modern setting, avoiding the more twee aspects of Christie.

Harry Lark is a likeable flawed hero of this tale, giving his all to solving the mystery and falling in love at the same time as fighting his own post war PTSD demons. There are some interesting characters in the rest of the cast too and Harry’s journalistic and soldier past allow him to interact with retired policemen, gangsters and the upper classes believably. I enjoyed the love story too. Sometimes this aspect of thrillers seems a little contrived but here its development and associated drama was a crucial part of the story.

This English jazz pianist and author Guy Gardner’s ( http://www.guygardner.co.uk ) debut novel. as a pianist he has played in venues large and small across the UK and Europe, including Pizza Express in Soho and The Royal Albert hall. he earned his degree in music at Darlington Caollege of arts and went on to gain a PGCE in teaching, which he used to teach music in a prison for a time.. he currently lives in Dorset where he combines writing his next book with teaching piano.

I’d hope to find a follow up to this book soon, hopefully with some of the same cast. I could also easily imagine it as a BBC drama series. It would make a welcome change from all those Poirot and Marple reruns. So, if you want to play a part in the next big thing, buy or download a copy of this book now.

Reviewed by Georgina Murphy

This book review is part of a Random Things blog tour. to see what the other recviwers thought, visit their blogs listed below. Then, if you get a copy, comeback and tell us what you thought. We’d really appreciate the feedback.