Motherland by G.D. Abson

Author : G.D. Abson
Title : Motherland
Publisher : Mirror Books
Published : 2018
Genre : Crime /Thriller
Pages : 336

     Student Zena Dahl, the daughter of a Swedish millionaire, has gone missing in St Petersburg (or Piter as the city is colloquially known) after a night out with a friend. Captain Natalya Ivanova is assigned the case. It makes a change for Natalya from her usual fare of domestic violence work, but, because of the family's wealth, there's pressure for a quick result. But as she investigates she discovers that the case is not as straightforward as it may seem.

     Having read a few crime novels set in Russia when I saw this one the shelf I had to pick it up to find out what it was all about. Most of the books I have come across set in Russia tend to be set either in the Stalin era or just after, the cold war would seem to be a very common backdrop. But with this one we get a glimpse into very modern Russia, all be it some of the worst it has to offer. This is a world drenched in crime and corruption. For me at least when I go for a book set in another country I want it to show me the difference they have to offer.  And this book does an amazing job of that. We get an insight into how the modern Russian police force work. the author shows the political games that still have to be jumped through in order to solve any case this big.

     I enjoyed how the book zipped along at a good pace, the author managed to change not only how I viewed the crime at hand  (which did change often) but also how I felt about Our heroine. Whilst short he manages to pack a lot into the pages of this book. He found a way to skip between multiple genres in his bid to solve Zena's disappearance. I suppose it would be difficult not to have a heavy dose of politics in any book set within Russian borders, it is what we come to expect. But here at lest It was not done with a heavy hand and allows for a balancing within the text.  For me, it gave some added tension to the plot and made the story a little bit more scope. It is through this that we get some insight into how a country can be both a modern thriving place but still be dogged by echoes of it's past.

     Giving this book a woman as the lead also gives a change in perspective to an old story told anew. With my past experience crime books set in Russia are always lead by a man. So I was already getting something different but the author took it one step further in having her grow up in Germany for her teenage years. In some ways, I suppose it gives an easier way in for reader from outside. Her views are a lot more liberal I would imagine and she is less willing to accept the way things have always been. With this in mind, it would explain her willingness to step outside the status quo. As is common to these sorts of books, we also get to view her family life which unlike most is not a complete train wreck. Which is not to say it doesn't have its ups and down, just less so.

     This is a book of many complexities be it social, economic or political. As a first outing for the author, he came out strong and has not only built a world, but also a heroin that has piqued my interest. He has managed to set himself up for what will hopefully be a great series to come.