Max Landorff

Translated from the original German TRETJAK is the story of a fixer, hired by the rich, to sort out life's problems - big and small.

Gabriel Tretjak is an unusual central character. His back story is woven into the narrative, revealing the reasons why he's a tricky character to warm to. Not done as a bid for sympathy however, there's something very matter-of-fact about Tretjak, and his background, his dysfunctional family, and his ruthless single-mindedness. Which makes the idea that he could perhaps be guilty of the murder of a famous brain surgeon feasible. The idea that he could be the ultimate in unreliable narrator's - the self-serving type - perfectly acceptable.

A complex and frequently reflective plot, TRETJAK is slightly let down by a few problems. In particular the resolution which was flagged too early, ultimately sort of collapses into place in an odd, flat and anti-climatic manner. Which isn't helped by some starkly obvious threads left unresolved.

It's an overuse of the word, but the only way to describe TRETJAK is unusual. An unusual scenario, with an unusual central character, there's something rather dry, controlled, low key about the start of this book. It could make connecting with it a bit of a problem to start off with. Stick with it though. Even with the slightly off ending, once you get used to the subdued nature, and the fact that Tretjak isn't a criminal, or a cop, or even a completely unwilling participant, this is an unusual approach to crime fiction which is worth considering.

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