GJ

Murder investigation | Totalitarian regime
I had to constantly remind myself that this is not a dystopian fiction. Inspired by a real-life investigation, it is set in the USSR under the rule of Stalin – Moscow, 1953.
The story follows Leo Demidov, a high-ranking State Security operative, a believer. The politics of that time is portrayed in the most not boring way possible in the first few chapters. As Leo is forced to investigate an officer's son's death on the railway track which has been reported as an accidental death, he notices something off. To disregard an official report is not an easy task for Leo. He is a believer. A believer in the party, a believer in the society the leaders have formed. In this society there is no crime. To believe that a murder has occurred is to have lost faith. That is blasphemy. “An elaborate charade that fools no one”
There is constant threat to life looming over every citizen's head, as soon as they are twelve years of age. Children are obedient, adults are law abiding, everyone is wary, like prey in a forest. There is no forgiveness, no trust. And it is imperative to catch one spy even if it costs innocent lives. There is a uniform love for the leader in all – children and adults, officials and housewives. It is an unusual combination of fear and pride. Or more likely it is just fear masquerading. It is an unforgiving story and pulls no punches. The reality must have been equally horrifying if not worse. A gripping story, each sentence pulling my eyes to the next.
As the story moves forward and when the façade unravels before Leo's eyes, the hunter becomes the hunted. On realizing that public opinion as well as law is not on the side of truth, but on the side of the Party, Leo is forced to embark on his mission to solve a string of child murders, with only his wife by his side; and even that relationship is hanging by a thread.
There is a calmness to the brutality in the story. It comes unexpected and makes the least noise. The act of violence is never elaborated. There are never descriptions of murder dragged out. All quick and efficient like any job well done, a routine – nothing to be made a fuss about. This further adds to the bleakness of the environment.
The colors in a book sets a mood. What are the colors in this book? There is bright red, excessively red, a little too much just to be safe. The is red on the white snow. There is grey in the sky and dark brown bark in the mouths of dead little children.

It would be a shame for you to miss this book.

This was a random book I picked on impulse. All I remember from the movie I watched years ago was that there was Will Smith a dog and many zombies. And that's not much of a spoiler.

Imagine, that you are alone in your average sized home, sitting in your porch in broad daylight, drinking coffee. There's no sound at all, except for the birds crying far off and the faint Beethoven record playing from your bedroom. There are no vehicles, no electricity, no people. There are no plans for the day, nothing to look forward to, no one to love. You are alone, the only person alive that you know of, for the past three years. You speak out aloud and your voice sounds strange and unfamiliar. That loneliness is a darkness encompassing your soul.

I honestly did not understand what the author expected to convey through this book. As a sci-fi, it attempts explaining the irrational fears the vampires have. Looking at vampires through sciencey goggles. More than that, I loved the ‘lonely man's trials' part of the story. For either of them, I felt the book to be too short. A rushed work. And I can't stop comparing it to Salem's Lot which did a much better job with vampires in the modern world.

It's not scary, just sad.

Amazing character development. Impeccable, yet believable plotline.
It does take about the first 30% of the book, to actually get into the story, which was kind of annoying. Still, it was a decent thriller. The drama is what I enjoyed more than the plot twists. I never knew I could admire someone like Salander. Thankfully, there's more of her left. Yay!