stir of echoes

Author : Sebastian Fitzek
Title : The Child
Published : 13/11/2014
Pages : 384
Format : Kindle
Publisher : Sphere

     Robert Stern, a successful defence lawyer, doesn't know what lies in store for him when he agrees to meet a new client in a derelict estate on the outskirts of Berlin. To his astonishment, the defendant is a ten-year-old boy - Simon - a fragile child with a chronic illness who insists that he was a murderer in a former life. Stern's surprise quickly turns to horror as he searches the cellar Simon has directed him to and discovers the skeletal remains of a man, the skull split with an axe - just as Simon told him he would. But this is only the beginning, as Simon tells Stern where to find even more victims whose bodies have lain undisturbed for years. Suddenly, the present feels murderously dangerous as well.

     This is my second time around with this author the first being The Eye Collector. This time around we are dealing with past lives. It's a topic I have an interest in but cant quiet find my self believing in. I think it should make for good plot devise in terms of a crime book. Can we be held responsible for something we did in a past life . Or does your soul get a do over when it gets reborn.

     Stern comes across as a stern defence lawyer who has seen everything in his time. He has defend some of the worst people you can imagine. But when he encounters young Simon he may just be dealing with something outside his purview. This is man who cant believe in Simon's story but is hard pressed to find an argument that explains how Simon can lead him to a murder victim who died before he was born. Stern is a man strong in his convictions and wants desperately to get to the bottom of this young boys story. As with most of these types of characters he is dealing with trauma from his past. In his case the death of his only child at only a few days old. As you can imagine this colours his view of Simon. He see a terminally ill young boy how would appear to be blaming him self for something he could not possible be held accountable for. Simon is a person you can only feel sympathy for. Dealing with his own mortally at a young age must be a very hard thing to comes to terms with. Add on top of this he only wants to do the right thing when it comes to a murder. As is prone with young children he fully believes in what he is saying. In some ways he is the heart of the story bring the adults he come into contact with joy and happiness despite everything that is happening to him. The interactions between these two are some of my favourite parts of the book. Them seem very real for a fiction book.

     The author has managed to take a topic like past lives and weave it into a crime story in a great way. The mixture of scepticism and true belief balances what others wise would seem to go into the world of fantasy. And his use of this type of therapy does tie into its use in the real world. So onto the crime elements of this book.  His has written a very complex but well plotted out story. Our Hero is dragged all over Berlin in his pursuit of the truth.  It deals with some fairly twisted motives from our antagonist. Which obviously I wont go into to much detail about as it would give the whole story away. The book is like a scavenger hunt for the truth. I liked the way our hero is toyed with and pushed in two different directions. He has to separate which of these will lead him to true out come. While there are more than its fair share of twists and turns I became more wrapped up in the story than trying to work out the who dun nit of the plot. Which I suppose is an odd way of going about it but it worked for me. These are compelling people who you want to make it out to the other side. This being a German book there is also a heavy does of realism when it comes to the way things play out. All of which help to ground a story with a fairly out there premise. In my opinion Fitzek has written a great book for lovers of mystery.

     My first time with this author was ok but at times a little confusing from me. This time how ever I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the book. It kept me hooked from the first page as I delved deeper into the case. There is plenty that kept my mind intrigued to the end. An I felt satisfied with how it all come to a close.