Siren of the Waters (Commander Jana Matinova Investigation)
A slightly below-average first novel by an American lawyer displays some weaknesses in plot and characterization. Commander Jana’s investigation of the deaths of a crashed and burned van of imported prostitutes leads her across Europe. Set in Slovakia, Ukraine, and southern France, the novel never really takes advantage of the rich atmosphere of these locales. Of the various characters, only Jana and her nemesis, an unknown criminal mastermind, are fully fleshed out; most of the other players are either two-dimensional or stereotypical. With a heavy reliance on backstory here—Jana’s past in Communist Czechoslovakia—it’s not clear where the author plans to go with this series in future installments, but despite this novel’s problems (a too-pat ending is also troublesome), there is still potential for the series, if Genelin can take advantage of his relatively untapped setting and improve on his character building. Fans of the international crime novel should give the series at least one more chance. --Jessica Moyer--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.