Friday, 25 April 2014

Death Can't Take a Joke by Anya Lipska

Anya Lipska’s compelling sequel to “Where The Devil Can’t Go” demonstrates that she is fast building what the marketeers like to refer to as a “brand” for herself. In simple terms it means she’s a damn good writer.

The intricate plot interweaves a number of story threads, reuniting the characters of Janusz Kiska and DC Natalie Kershaw. The chemistry between Kiska and Kershaw is carefully constructed and beautifully weighted. Lipska writes the nuanced dialogue with real skill, and Kiska’s dour grumpiness provides a counterpoint to his muscular approach to detecting. He also gets some of the best dialogue, particularly when in conversation with his dodgy Polish compatriot Oskar.

The plot is complex and multi-layered, constructed with a number of false starts and dead ends so that the reader is kept guessing nearly as much as the protagonists. The denouement is both brilliantly set-up and executed, with more than a hint of Thomas Harris.

Lipska excels at creating believable minor characters with strong individual voices. I was a little disappointed that Kiska’s complicated love-interest Kasia [one time exotic dancer now running a nail-bar] didn’t get to make an appearance, apart from a brief text message. I thought she was one of Lipska’s great inventions from “Devil”, and I hope that she may return in the next book.

I was privileged enough to hear Anya speak at a Polish Crime Night a few months ago, organised by Magda Raczynska of The Polish Cultural Institute at Belgravia Books in Victoria. Anya shared a platform with another of my literary heroes William Brodrick, author of the Father Anselm books. They both spoke eloquently about their work and each performed a brief reading from their current WiP.

I am a huge fan of her writing and me this novel is even better than her debut. So many of the scenes have a cinematic sensibility, which screams movie / TV mini-series to me. I can only hope that the novel gets optioned, which it richly deserves.

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