Reviewed by annieb123 on
Zen and the Art of Murder is the first book in a series written by Oliver Bottini. Originally published in German in 2004, this seamless English translation, out 13th Nov 2019 from Dover, is 400 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats (other editions available in other formats).
This is a modern dark procedural mystery with a distinct Scandinavian noir vibe. Main protagonist Louise Bonì is terribly flawed and haunted by the trauma she's experienced as an investigating officer. I found her difficult to like and relate to. She's so self destructive and on the other hand so intuitive and intelligent that I felt rather sad for her for most of the book. The writing is undeniably masterful - tense and extremely well plotted. This is a relatively long novel for a procedural and yet it never felt slow or dragging to me. The characters are complex, distinct, engaging, motivated by internal pressures and interactions. There is a brooding complex melancholy over the whole book which was both distressing and effective.
For connoisseurs of modern Nordic noir, this will absolutely be a good choice. Be warned, the subject matter is dark: murder, trafficking, alcoholism, mental health issues, violence, etc. The writing is superlative and the translation seems quite seamless. There's a lot more to fiction in translation than substituting one word for another, and I would be hard pressed to say that this reads like it's been translated. Kudos to Jamie Bulloch for the translation work.
Five stars for fans of dark noir procedurals with very flawed protagonists. Four for me personally (it made me sad).
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Reading updates
- Started reading
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- 19 November, 2019: Reviewed