Siren of the Waters

April 28, 2008
When seven women die in a van that skids off an icy highway and bursts into flames near Bratislava, Slovakia, at the start of Genelin's chilling debut, evidence suggests that the victims were murdered, pawns in a human trafficking ring. After a nightclub is blown up, Slovak police commander Jana Matinova discovers that a vicious criminal, Ivan Makine (aka Koba), may be involved in the women's deaths. The author deftly interweaves Matinova's investigation with the somewhat tragic backstory of her relationship with her husband. Past intersects with the present when Matinova has a chance meeting in Strasbourg, France, with her daughter's husband. From there, multiple murders lead to a mysterious man whose reason for the murders may be more poetic than practical. Matinova's no-nonsense personality anchors the action throughout.

Starred review from June 1, 2008
A van crash on the outskirts of the Slovakian capital of Bratislava reveals the mangled bodies of a man and six women. The man has two passportsone Albanian, the other Ukranianwhich places Slovakian Police Commander Jana Matinova on the trail of an accomplished assassin. As the main story moves from Strasbourg, Ukraine, and then to Nice, Genelin, who worked for the U.S. Department of Justice in central Europe, introduces the heartbreaking tale of Matinova, who lost almost everything in her life under the old Communist regime except her job. There is plenty of misdirection and suspense here, not to mention details of how people lived in the Soviet bloc after World War II. In the end, we must acknowledge that we have been held spellbound by a master storyteller. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Mystery, "LJ" 3/1/08.]

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