In this 7th book in the humorous 'Josef Slonský' series, the Czech detective has to deal with a severely injured knee while the police investigate several crimes. The book works fine as a standalone, but familiarity with the characters is a plus.
*****
Captain Josef Slonský of the Czech Criminal Police has two main interests in life: solving cases and filling his stomach - usually with beer and sausages or coffee and pastries.
Slonský's contrivances in this regard are quite entertaining, as are his frequent stops at canteens and cafes, where he (constantly) 'replenishes his energy.' To add to the fun, Slonský almost always 'forgets his wallet', so someone else has to pick up the tab.
As the story opens, Slonský is in the hospital with a badly injured knee, having slipped while chasing a cat burglar.
Slonský can barely walk, but he's desperate to get back to work for two reasons: First, he's bored. Second, he's approaching the age at which he can be made to retire. Thus Slonský is determined to be doing useful work on his birthday, so he can keep his job for another year (at least).
Slonský manages to get himself released from the hospital under the auspices of his friend and drinking partner, a journalist called Valentin. The following exchange occurs in the hospital, between Slonský's doctor and Valentin.
Doctor (to Valentin): I understand that you are willing to look after Captain Slonský.
Valentin: Yes, if it means he can get home earlier.
Doctor: I must admit that we hadn't entirely understood the nature of your relationship with Mr. Slonský.
Valentin: Relationship?
Doctor: Yes. Of course, we are entirely non-judgemental about these things nowadays. I just want to be sure that your practices carry health risks.
Valentin (sweating): What exactly did Slonský tell you?
Doctor: There's no need for embarrassment. We're men of he world....I suppose it's natural to conceal those kinds of preference. You must experience a lot of prejudice......(and so on).
In any case, Slonský gets sprung, though he's seriously hobbled by his knee. Nevertheless, the detective inserts himself into cases being investigated by his team.
In the first case, a nightclub singer and dancer called Kateryna Teslenko was found in her apartment, brutally murdered.
The victim was tied to a chair, her severed head was on the windowsill, and the contents of her abdomen had been removed.
Lieutenant Jan Navrátil is in charge of the case.....
.....and he discovers that Kateryna was the daughter of mob kingpin Grigory Darmant, and the girlfriend of the mobster's henchman, Oleg Yeremenko. Thus the cops aren't the only ones looking for the perpetrator.
Another case is being overseen by Lieutenant Krystyna Peiperova and her trainee, Officer Lucie Jerneková, who are looking for a possible rapist.
A jogger called Paulina Zechovská was running through Letná Park when she was grabbed by a man and pulled into the bushes.
The attacker was scared off by a dog-walker, and the cops were called. When Paulina was interviewed by the police she gave a fake address and then disappeared....and the detectives want to find out why.
After another murder occurs, Slonský and his team realize these two cases are connected, and the investigations take them here and there around Prague and its environs.
Meanwhile, Officer Ivo Krob investigates 'the case of the missing underwear.' A woman reports that, when she sends her laundry to be washed, it comes back missing panties. It's not a glamorous case, but Krob gets right on the job to determine what's happening.
The murder/assault investigations get very complicated, with a plethora of suspects and a convoluted plot. However, the strong point of this series is the humor, and I got quite a few laughs. I'll give examples of some fun sketches:
Here's a scene where Slonský manages to make his way into a bar after a period of enforced abstinence: "By the end of the second glass [of beer] his mental processes were purring like a Formula 1 engine. He did not care to make the experiment, but he was confident that he could polish off a sudoku puzzle in a few minutes. He totaled his bill mentally in a matter of seconds....the Slonský brain was back in business."
*****
Here's a scene about Major Klinger, head of the fraud squad: "His system for marking up case notes using a range of colours had never been completely elucidated despite the efforts of some of the finest minds in the Czech Republic. Even Sergeant Mucha, a known connoisseur of bureaucracy and a man whose ability to read handwritten notes of long-departed officers was legendary, had confessed himself bewildered by what exactly was denoted by the lavender pen marks."
*****
And here's a scene about trainee Officer Lucie Jerneková, who's driving Slonský around, though she has no driving license:
"They resumed their seats in the car and Jerneková carefully consulted the rear-view mirror before pulling out without a signal and earning a loud honk from the car behind them.
Slonsky: I'm not a qualified driving instructor, but this experience is giving me much greater respect for those who are.
Lucie: Sorry, Didn't see him there. Anyway he was a good fifty metres back.
Slonsky: How do you know if you didn't see him?
Lucie: I didn't see him before I pulled out. Once I was out I could see him clearly."
****
All the series' popular recurring characters make an appearance in the book, and part of the charm of the story is that they care about each other. A section where Slonský's team gets the idea their boss is seriously ill is hilarious. 🙂
I enjoyed the book and recommend it to fans of amusing mysteries.
Thanks to Netgalley, Graham Brack, and Sapere books for a copy of the manuscript.
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