Status
Available
Call number
Series
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Collection
Publication
New York: Soho, 2008
Description
Fiction. Mystery. HTML: "A terrific novel" of international crime and intrigue set in post-communist Central Europe (Thomas Perry, Edgar Award�winning author of The Butcher's Boy). Jana entered Czechoslovak law enforcement as young woman, and became a wife and mother. But the Communist regime destroyed her husband, and her daughter's respect for her. The world around her has changed, but she has never stopped being a seeker of justice. Now, Jana has risen to the rank of commander in the Slovak police force and is based in the capital, Bratislava, a crossroads of central Europe. Cooperating with colleagues across the continent, she is determined to track a master criminal guilty of extortion, murder, kidnapping, and operating a vast human trafficking network. This investigation takes her from Kiev in Ukraine to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France; from Vienna to Nice during the Carnival, as she searches for a ruthless killer�and the beautiful young Russian woman he is determined to either capture or destroy..… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member fordbarbara
first by author, but excellent story. Fast paced, good characters, interesting story. Could have had stronger backgrounds on some of the secondary charactors but probably will get better with practice.
LibraryThing member AnneliM
Written like an East European translation; mediocre and not very believable
LibraryThing member SalemAthenaeum
Jana entered the Czechoslovak police force as young woman, married an actor, and became a mother. The Communist regime destroyed her husband, their love for one another, and her daughter’s respect for her. But she has never stopped being a seeker of justice.
Now, she has risen to the rank of
This investigation takes her from Kiev in Ukraine to the headquarters of the European Community in Strasbourg, France; from Vienna to Nice during the Carnival, as she searches for a ruthless killer and the beautiful young Russian woman he is determined to either capture or destroy.
Now, she has risen to the rank of
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commander in the Slovak police force and is based in the capital, Bratislava, a crossroads of central Europe. She liaises with colleagues across the continent to track a master criminal whose crimes include extortion, murder, kidnapping, and the operation of a vast human trafficking network.This investigation takes her from Kiev in Ukraine to the headquarters of the European Community in Strasbourg, France; from Vienna to Nice during the Carnival, as she searches for a ruthless killer and the beautiful young Russian woman he is determined to either capture or destroy.
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LibraryThing member Condorena
In the first book in Michael Genelin’s new series begins as Jana Matinova examines the site of a car crash that killed seven people. Most of them are prostitutes from Eastern Europe.
Jana Matinova entered the Czechoslovak police force as a young woman, married an actor who eventually became an
She has a very good reputation and is sent to liaise with colleagues across Europe as they track the mastermind of an international criminal operation involved in, among other crimes, human trafficking.
Her investigation takes her from Ukraine to Strasbourg, from Vienna to Nice, in a hunt for a ruthless killer and the beautiful young Russian woman he is determined either to capture or destroy.
The plot is complex but easy to follow. The personalities are very well drawn, as are the localities. Michael Genelin shows that he knows Europe well. While Slovakia calls itself capitalist, the country hasn’t fully shed its communist tendencies as is seen in the careful way Matinova treads while doing her work.
This story was compelling up to the final page. Fortunately has two other books in this series.
Jana Matinova entered the Czechoslovak police force as a young woman, married an actor who eventually became an
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enemy of the state. The regime destroyed her husband, their love for one another, and her daughter's respect for her.She has a very good reputation and is sent to liaise with colleagues across Europe as they track the mastermind of an international criminal operation involved in, among other crimes, human trafficking.
Her investigation takes her from Ukraine to Strasbourg, from Vienna to Nice, in a hunt for a ruthless killer and the beautiful young Russian woman he is determined either to capture or destroy.
The plot is complex but easy to follow. The personalities are very well drawn, as are the localities. Michael Genelin shows that he knows Europe well. While Slovakia calls itself capitalist, the country hasn’t fully shed its communist tendencies as is seen in the careful way Matinova treads while doing her work.
This story was compelling up to the final page. Fortunately has two other books in this series.
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LibraryThing member cathyskye
I looked forward to reading Siren of the Waters with a great deal of anticipation. It takes place in a part of Europe I know little about and deals a bit with the old Communist regime. Unfortunately the book has some problems that kept me from truly enjoying it.
For all the amazing cities that the
The story of Siren of the Waters depends heavily on Jana's backstory in Communist Slovakia, but it doesn't really advance the current investigation. When I finished reading this mystery, I had no real feel for where the series is headed and no real interest in the characters. I doubt very much that I'll be visiting Jana Matinova again.
For all the amazing cities that the
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book takes place in, the settings are rather ordinary and never come to life. And in speaking of coming to life, Jana is the only fully-fleshed character in the entire story. The rest of the characters are two-dimensional at best. The story of Siren of the Waters depends heavily on Jana's backstory in Communist Slovakia, but it doesn't really advance the current investigation. When I finished reading this mystery, I had no real feel for where the series is headed and no real interest in the characters. I doubt very much that I'll be visiting Jana Matinova again.
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LibraryThing member Olivermagnus
Siren of the Waters is the first book in a series featuring Jana Matinova, a police detective in Slovakia. The story opens with a car accident in which several women and one man are killed. The emergency rescue team call in the police, and Jana and her somewhat incompetent assistant, Seges,
Jana's past is explored in flashbacks and we can see how she was made to suffer politically by her marriage to a dissident. We know she is estranged from her only child, her daughter Katka, and the details of how this happened are also revealed through the flashbacks interspersed with the current investigation. This is very interesting and I think it is well done. This is the first book in the series and we need to know and understand Jana and what makes her tick.
The author does a great job describing the vivid locations of the investigation. Some of the characters are extremely real and well-rounded, including Jana and her boss, Colonel Trokan. Some of the others are not that believable. This is the author's debut novel and I feel confident that the next books in the series will expand more on the characters and their relationships to one another. I found the ending to be a bit abrupt but that won't stop me from reading the next book in this series, titled Dark Dreams.
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determine the crash was not an accident. The dead man has two passports in different names from two countries and it seems that the women were prostitutes. Her boss, Colonel Trokan, theorizes the victims were probably being transported across borders in an international sex trafficking ring. Before long, the body of an older woman is found in the river, murdered, and also implicated in the sex trade. The investigation takes Jana all over Europe, from Kiev to Strasbourg to a costume ball in Nice during Carnival. Jana's past is explored in flashbacks and we can see how she was made to suffer politically by her marriage to a dissident. We know she is estranged from her only child, her daughter Katka, and the details of how this happened are also revealed through the flashbacks interspersed with the current investigation. This is very interesting and I think it is well done. This is the first book in the series and we need to know and understand Jana and what makes her tick.
The author does a great job describing the vivid locations of the investigation. Some of the characters are extremely real and well-rounded, including Jana and her boss, Colonel Trokan. Some of the others are not that believable. This is the author's debut novel and I feel confident that the next books in the series will expand more on the characters and their relationships to one another. I found the ending to be a bit abrupt but that won't stop me from reading the next book in this series, titled Dark Dreams.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Olivermagnus
Siren of the Waters is the first book in a series featuring Jana Matinova, a police detective in Slovakia. The story opens with a car accident in which several women and one man are killed. The emergency rescue team call in the police, and Jana and her somewhat incompetent assistant, Seges,
Jana's past is explored in flashbacks and we can see how she was made to suffer politically by her marriage to a dissident. We know she is estranged from her only child, her daughter Katka, and the details of how this happened are also revealed through the flashbacks interspersed with the current investigation. This is very interesting and I think it is well done. This is the first book in the series and we need to know and understand Jana and what makes her tick.
The author does a great job describing the vivid locations of the investigation. Some of the characters are extremely real and well-rounded, including Jana and her boss, Colonel Trokan. Some of the others are not that believable. This is the author's debut novel and I feel confident that the next books in the series will expand more on the characters and their relationships to one another. I found the ending to be a bit abrupt but that won't stop me from reading the next book in this series, titled Dark Dreams.
Show More
determine the crash was not an accident. The dead man has two passports in different names from two countries and it seems that the women were prostitutes. Her boss, Colonel Trokan, theorizes the victims were probably being transported across borders in an international sex trafficking ring. Before long, the body of an older woman is found in the river, murdered, and also implicated in the sex trade. The investigation takes Jana all over Europe, from Kiev to Strasbourg to a costume ball in Nice during Carnival. Jana's past is explored in flashbacks and we can see how she was made to suffer politically by her marriage to a dissident. We know she is estranged from her only child, her daughter Katka, and the details of how this happened are also revealed through the flashbacks interspersed with the current investigation. This is very interesting and I think it is well done. This is the first book in the series and we need to know and understand Jana and what makes her tick.
The author does a great job describing the vivid locations of the investigation. Some of the characters are extremely real and well-rounded, including Jana and her boss, Colonel Trokan. Some of the others are not that believable. This is the author's debut novel and I feel confident that the next books in the series will expand more on the characters and their relationships to one another. I found the ending to be a bit abrupt but that won't stop me from reading the next book in this series, titled Dark Dreams.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Bookish59
Strong writing, characters, timing. Offers political perspective of living in a communist country; the evil effects on relationships, dreams, and lives.
Definitely recommend this book.
Definitely recommend this book.
Subjects
Language
Original publication date
2008
Physical description
327 p.; 20 cm
ISBN
9781569474846