A Not So Perfect Crime

This first novel (the author says she wrote several previously but relegated them to a drawer) introduces twin brothers scrounging for a livelihood in Barcelona. One is a part-time accountant in a bank, the other away for many years before returning with a different name to convince his brother to undertake a business of facilitating tasks for influential people who wish to bury their "dirty laundry." They are not investigators by any means but end up conducting a job for an influential politician who suspects his wife of infidelity. One thing leads to another as the brothers con their client about their various discoveries until the wife suddenly dies of poisoning. The politician implores them to uncover the identity of the murderer since the husband is one of the potential suspects. They bumble around until they end up finding an unusual solution to all the problems. Written with humor, the plot is an interesting and amusing series of vignettes, ending in an epilogue that ties all the loose ends together. It is deftly translated (albeit with a few misspellings and incorrect use of words) by Peter Bush. It is fast reading and won the 2007 Brigada 21 Prize for the best Catalan mystery novel, and it is recommended.

This is another treat from Bitter Lemon Press, the UK publisher that has translated a number of foreign crime fiction novels. I learned about this book from their newsletter and promptly ordered it. This is a really intriguing tale - the pace is just right, and the main character (the narrator) is likeable and easy to relate to. I wish I had a map of Barcelona with me (and deep knowledge of Barcelona). You can tell that much of the humor of the novel requires "insider" knowledge of Barcelona and Spanish "high society." However - it is impressive that the novel is a heck of a good read, even if you don't have that perspective (I certainly did not). I read the whole novel in 1 sitting - it just pulled me in and pulled me along. You can enjoy it on many levels - for the richly drawn characters, the light humor, the plot twists and turns or simply as a travel diary - a glimpse into European life. I recommend it!

On first look, one would not consider them brothers; on meeting them one would notice how their personalities are total opposites; their differing surname support the assertion that the pair does not share the same DNA. However, Eduard Martinez and Borja "Pep" Masdeu are not just siblings, they are twins. In Barcelona, the pair open up Frau (as in Tau as you get what you pay for especially the poor) Consultants providing special (some might insists illegal or least Borja has a tendency to cross the line) circumspect services to the rich and richer though they hide their common heritage even from Eduard's wife. MP Luis Font plans to run for president, but cannot afford personal scandal. He hires Frau Consultants to discreetly investigate his wife Lidia to insure she is not cheating on him with the portrait artist painting her. However, someone sends Lidia a gift of marrons glaces flavored with poison. When she dies the brothers investigate her murder fearing their client did it and might be setting them up for the fall. The fun in this satirical whodunit is the fumbling twins who thrive on making mistakes while putting up a false bravado façade even when it comes to their office. The story line converges on the political-affluence connection, but is owned by the soft-boiled siblings as they hide their DNA link (never quite explained why) and their clueless skills while working on A NOT SO PERFECT CRIME. Harriet Klausner

How can I convey the quirky originality of this novel? Not by a synopsis of the plot, which is simple enough. No, it's the characters that engage our affectionate interest, all of them doing their best to make a living or uphold a position, despite various petty difficulties (logistic, economic and romantic). The humble narrator is plump and self-effacing, in love with his wife - and anything but a go-getter. Yet, teamed up with his suave twin brother (who looks nothing like him and pretends not to be his twin, for mysterious reasons), our timid hero does his part to conduct an unexpectedly successful investigation into murder in high places. These peculiar detectives are not really detectives, being totally without credentials or method. Good and bad luck pursue them as they pursue one unlikely suspect after another. We can hardly believe it when they unearth the truth. Will Solana manage a sequel to this delightful book? I sincerely hope so.

Any crime writer seeking to use Barcelona as a setting must contend with the extremely long shadow cast by the godfather of Spanish crime, Manuel Vázquez Montalbán, whose 16-book "Pepe Carvalho" series, which is also set there. Fortunately, Solana manages to make the city sing in the service of her odd couple detecting duo. Eduard and Borja are the middle-aged co-directors of a slightly shady firm of "fixers" consisting of themselves, a fictional secretary represented by an artfully draped shawl and timely spritzes of perfume, and a small entry room with a fancy faux door to their perpetually "under construction" main office. Their off-the-books quasi detective agency runs on an artfully cultivated reputation for total discretion, which allows them to float into the upper reaches of society while not having to do anything actually illegal. In this debut, the two are asked by a prominent politician to investigate how his wife came to pose for a painting he knew nothing about (the subtext being a question about her marital fidelity). For a while, this allows Eduard and Borja to drive around Barcelona in a borrowed Smart car, trailing her to a succession of upscale shops, fancy cafes, and hairdressers. However, when she turns up poisoned, they suddenly realize that they've landed themselves in something rather more serious than they expected (or are really prepared to deal with). Meanwhile, there's a nice domestic backdrop to all this, as we meet Eduard's wife and children, and Borja attempts to escape the romantic attentions of Eduard's sister-in-law. Eduard is the prototypical Watson, narrating the story in the wake of his more flamboyant and risk-taking partner, living a stable family life while Eduard lives in an apartment provided by his married girlfriend. The two are different enough to be good foils to each other, yet not so much so that their friendship strains the reader's credulity -- and oh yes, did I mention, they're secretly twins! There's a very nice comic streak throughout the tale, and the elements (blackmail, false names, switcheroos, etc.) are quite old-fashioned in many ways. And the story unfolds quite nicely, allowing the author to tweak the noses of Barcelona's upper crust and political elite, while delivering a good sense of the city. The only letdown is in the final unmasking of the murderer, which strikes the only false note in the book and is somewhat disappointing, given the quality of the rest of the book. The book appears to be the launch of a series, as the secret brothers are a nice platform for further adventures, and there remains a great deal of murkiness to their shared history that seems destined to be revealed.