Obsession and fear drive dangerous behavior
Lynette Olson - Special to the Gazette
Friday, July 31, 2009
“The Book of Murder” by Guillermo Martinez, translated by Sonia Soto, Viking Adult, 2008, $23.95.
“The Book of Murder” is a successful pairing of murder and fiction writing–and competing versions of reality and is penned by author Guillermo Martinez, who holds a doctorate in mathematics and teaches mathematics at the University of Buenos Aires. He has created a fascinating story that will appeal to readers of literary fiction and thriller fans alike.
“The Book of Murder” is narrated by an unnamed moderately successful author. Ten years earlier he had broken his wrist and, unable to type, hired the young student Luciana to type his manuscript; his editor had suggested it, aware that Luciana was the typist of the more successful writer Kloster, who was away that month and did not need her services. That was the only time the narrator had any contact with her, but suddenly she’s resurfaced, desperately seeking his help.
Luciana is in terrible shape, and she has a terrible story to tell. Over the years several of her loved ones — her boyfriend, parents, and brother — have died tragic deaths — and Luciana is certain that Kloster is behind these. She tells her whole story, explaining why Kloster would seek revenge on her and the mysterious and at least moderately suspicious circumstances under which her loved ones died. And she’s worried that he’s not finished yet.
The narrator has his doubts, but it makes for a plausible story. Kloster is too frequently present near or around Luciana and her loved ones. And then there’s the fact that Kloster’s own books are filled with death — moreover, murders in Kloster’s own novels parallel Luciana’s losses.
Luciana now fears that her younger sister is next on Kloster’s hitlist, and begs the narrator to confront Kloster. Everyone she’s confided her suspicions to hasn’t believed her, but the narrator agrees to at least try to hear Kloster’s side of the story. He writes up Luciana’s version — “a little manuscript of murder” — and arranges to meet Kloster.
Kloster does, indeed, offer a different side of the same story. Doubts about cause and effect remain — and then there is Kloster’s own book, and the role it might play.
“The Book of Murder” is a puzzle designed to throw the reader off the typical “whodunit” trail — there’s no evidence, no proof, no easy answers. Just when you think you’ve figured out what’s going on, Martinez suddenly twists the plot in an unexpected direction that changes everything that’s come before it. This is a gripping thriller written in clear and convincing style; a page-turner in which obsession and fear drive dangerous behavior.