Manu Vazhayil Vazhayil itibaren Gosal Dih, Bihar, India
I really enjoyed the Silver Swan, a book I picked up after a Slate columnist said he couldn't put it down. The writing is indeed compelling, and the story moves along quickly, with a murdered woman and an amateur investigator at the center. I got the feeling, however, that I might get more out of it if I had read the previous book and gained more insight into the main character, a Mr. Quirke, ME. While the book was enjoyable to read, the one downside is that I felt like there was a little too much omniscience. Despite an unexpected twist near the end (but not SO unexpected, nor so twisty), the author basicaelly puts all his cards on the table the entire time. While some readers might enjoy that, I like to work a little harder when I'm reading, so that the payoff is greater. However, if you like genre novels, but not the mystery aspect, this is a great book, and definitely an interesting character study for anyone with a couple of hours to spare.