Lightless by C.A. Higgins

Published by Del Rey on September 29, 2015

Lightless is sort of a cross between 1984 and 2001. Relentless government surveillance occupies the background while a mad computer (although not exactly HAL) takes over the foreground. But it’s also a cross between a political thriller and a science fiction novel. While none of its elements are entirely original, C.A. Higgins blends them together in surprising ways.

The System, a controlling, authoritarian government based on Terra, is feared, if not reviled, on the outer planets and inhabited moons. A terrorist known as the Mallt-y-Nos is making mischief (including political assassinations). She is believed to be acting in concert with a couple of rogues named Mattie and Ivan, who position themselves as freelance thieves who have no interest in politics.

Mattie and Ivan board a System ship that is operated by a three-person crew. Mattie monkeys with its computer, much to the dismay of Althea, the ship’s engineer. Ivan is captured and held for interrogation by a System official named Ida who specializes in getting at the truth.

Ida is not allowed to use truth drugs, even in terrorism matters, unless she can first catch Ivan in a lie. That concern for civil liberties struck me as unlikely, given the System’s ubiquitous surveillance, its demand for loyalty, and its reliance on summary execution to assure obedience. Higgins needed that plot device to keep Ivan talking so I can forgive her for it, but it does detract from the novel’s credibility.

The political dynamic that underlies the story isn’t particularly sophisticated but neither is it simplistic. The ending is surprisingly dark but I appreciated its surprising nature. This isn’t feel-good fiction and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who is looking for an upbeat read, but Lightless held my interest with well-crafted characters and fast-moving story.

RECOMMENDED

The Treacherous Net by Helene Tursten

First published in Swedish in 2007; published in translation by Soho Crime on December 15, 2015

The Treacherous Net combines two themes that have become standard in police procedurals. One involves a hunt for a sexual predator who murders his victims. The other spotlights a team of “cold case” detectives. First published in Sweden, where the story is set, The Treacherous Net is the eighth Detective Inspector Irene Huss novel to be translated from Swedish into English.

The predator is pursued by DI Irene Huss and other members of the understaffed Violent Crimes Unit. Two dead girls and the discovery of a body that was sealed up in a chimney have the detectives feeling overworked. When it becomes apparent that the man in the chimney had been dead for 40 years, his case is shuffled off to the cold case unit, whose members are nearing retirement.

One of the dead girls seems to have fallen into the “treacherous net” by agreeing to meet someone who groomed her online. The police quickly find physical evidence that connects the two dead teenagers, leading them to wonder whether they are dealing with an internet predator. That investigation launches a straightforward police procedural.

Unfortunately, the investigation is too straightforward to be interesting. It lacks any sense of mystery. There are no plot twists or surprises. The police move forward in a predictable way with predictable results. I give Helene Tursten credit for telling a believable story. It just isn’t a compelling story.

The other plot is a bit better. The man in the chimney has been dead for 40 years. The man's father, a Swedish security agent, was assassinated before his birth. Was the father killed by Russian spies? Were the father-and-son murders connected? The answer comes in an information dump at the end of the novel. Again, the story holds no real surprises, but it avoids being dull.

Characters, like the plot, lack interest. Irene drinks a lot of coffee and experiences family woes, but not much in the way of personality shows through in this novel. The woman in charge of the detectives, Efva Thylqvist, seems to like her male detectives but has little regard for Irene. That’s the closest the novel comes to having any spark. The other detectives spend their time complaining about being overworked before they embark on their four-week summer vacations -- and then they complain about how they make so little progress in their investigations during the summer. It’s a wonder any crime gets solved in Sweden.

The Treacherous Net is capably written but, with a couple of brief exceptions, it lacks energy. The absence of dramatic tension or surprising plot twists makes the story, at best, a moderately pleasant read, but not an exciting one.

RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS

Merry Christmas!

The Promise by Robert Crais

Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons on November 10, 2015

The Promise scores points for its fresh and imaginative plot. If you’re tired of “former Special Forces guy saves the world by being tougher and smarter than everyone else” stories, this “former Special Forces guy solves a crime with the help of a smart dog” story will be a refreshing change.

Amy Breslin’s son was killed in a terrorist bombing while traveling in Nigeria. Amy is a chemical engineer who makes explosives for the government. She has disappeared, apparently after embezzling a good bit of money. Elvis Cole has been hired to find her.

Shortly after the novel opens, Cole knocks on the door of a home that contains a murder victim. When the bomb squad shows up, Cole knows that the case is more complicated than it initially seemed to be.

While this is an Elvis Cole novel, much of the focus is on a police officer named Scott James and his K-9, a German Shephard named Maggie. While Maggie is a drug dog, she was trained by the Marines to sniff for explosives, a talent that she has retained and uses frequently during the course of the novel. Dog lovers will enjoy Robert Crais’ portrayal of Maggie.

Scott James isn’t Superman. He’s a decent guy who wants to do the right thing. More importantly, he loves his dog, and doing the right thing means doing what’s best for Maggie -- which is really the police department’s dog, a source of some conflict as the novel progresses. James comes across as an authentic and sympathetic character. He’s the best part of the book.

The other characters are familiar but again, none of them are Superman. As opposed to thrillers that try to convince us how awesomely superior the protagonist is to the rest of the human race, these characters are extremely competent but comparatively low-key. That makes them easy to like and easy to believe.

Why is Amy doing what she’s doing? Why has Cole been hired to find her? The plot is clever, filled with misdirection without sacrificing realism. Crais doesn’t overreach, which is also refreshing, given how outlandish most modern thrillers have become. The ending has multiple components and they are all satisfying.

RECOMMENDED

The Relic Master by Christopher Buckley

Published by Simon & Schuster on December 8, 2015

The Relic Master is a fun, light-hearted story. It combines action with comedy, a bit of romance, occasional drama, and a touch of mad genius. Funny, touching, and sometimes exhilarating, The Relic Master is a shrewd Middle Ages romp with a surprisingly coherent plot.

Dismas makes a living hunting down religious relics for his two rival clients, Archbishop Albrecht and the ruler of Saxony, Frederick the Wise. Bits of bone from a saint’s skeleton, shards of wood from the cross, and straw from the manger are just a few of the thousands of items that collectors seek. Most of the relics are fake and Dismas stays away from obvious attempts to defraud, but by applying a series of tests (does the relic have a sweet smell? has it been known to promote healing?) he tries to authenticate them as best he can. Frederick is the more discerning of his clients while Albrecht wants to acquire as many relics as possible and doesn’t much care whether they are genuine.

With the approval of Pope Leo X, Albrecht (among many others) sells relics as indulgences -- buy one and your time in Purgatory is shortened. The more you pay, the less time you need to serve. Apostle Peter’s fishing boat might knock a couple hundred years off a wealthy man’s sentence. Half of the sale proceeds go to the Pope, who uses them to build cathedrals or to …. well, there are rumors. Dismas doesn’t recall the Bible mentioning anything about buying one’s way out of Purgatory by investing in indulgences but it is not his place to criticize. Martin Luther is more vocal in his criticism, citing indulgences as evidence of church corruption that justify the Protestant Reformation.

The historical background to the story is sound, but the story gets its kicks from both the characters that Christopher Buckley invents and from a lively plot that involves the greatest relic of them all -- a burial shroud that, before it made its way to Turin, was known as the Shroud of Chambéry. Dismas and an artistic friend get into a bit of trouble with one version of the shroud and Dismas can only redeem himself (or die trying) by getting into trouble with another.

Dismas is a likable character, kind-hearted but crafty and not immune to temptation. Personality traits of other characters (greed, vanity, lasciviousness, slothfulness) are magnified in amusing ways. Buckley introduces a female character who adds wisdom and common sense to the mix while serving as a love interest for Dismas.

The Relic Master moves at a good pace. Clever plot twists in the last quarter lead to a satisfying conclusion. This could almost be classified as a tongue-in-cheek historical thriller with a romantic element, but the novel actually defies classification. It is both original and enjoyable.

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