Death of a Nationalist

Having recently read three books that took place in communist countries and described the difficult living conditions in each, I was completely taken aback by life in Post-War Spain, as depicted in the fascinating crime novel Death of a Nationalist set in Madrid circa 1939. Out of all the places I would NOT want to live at any time in history this ranks high up there, the irony being that my grandmother and father grew up in the heart of this trouble. I have always been proud of the fact that I am half-Spanish but now I am truly humbled by that fact, completely respectful of the circumstances that shaped my family's experience there. This is not your typical crime fiction novel, it is definitely more of an historical mystery; however, the sordid characters throughout and questionable ethics of the two protagonists plant it firmly in the genre for me. The story revolves around two individuals, one a fascist Guardia Civil named Carlos Tejada Alonso y Leon searching for the person who killed his best friend and the other a communist miliciano in hiding, Gonzalo Llorente, searching for the person who murdered his fiancée, Viviana. Viviana was actually killed by Tejada who assumed she murdered his friend when he found her hovering over his body. If he had asked her the right questions before shooting her he would have discovered that she was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. So Tejada spends the length of the novel unraveling the identity of his friend's true killer while piecing together the fact that he killed an innocent woman and greatly disturbed the lives of those who loved her. The central plot is a wonderful study of two men who are inadvertently searching for each other, and by political loyalties hate each other, yet ultimately two men who are able to put allegiances aside to atone for their own mistakes. The book expertly weaves their stories together, alternating chapters to focus on one or the other's viewpoint while simultaneously moving the story forward. Ms. Pawel did a great job in developing these overlapping stories, so good that I finished it in a few sittings. She also uncovers what a nightmare post-war Spanish life was like: hardly anything to eat, the constant scrutiny and suspicion everyone is under, the mere fact that walking down the street is dangerous, and the simple desire most people have to just survive the day or even a few more hours; I was enthralled. I can't wait to read her follow-up novel Law Of Return.

I picked up Rebecca Pawel's Death of a Nationalist in a random moment - it looked a bit moody and passed the judging-a-book-by-it's-cover test very nicely. My screeching 3 year old precluded more lengthy consideration - definitely a dash-and-grab raid. I've had a number of rather inspired finds through this dad with a mission approach. Well this is the best yet, what a stunner - I finished it in an evening and was desperate to move on to its sequel Law of Return which I dispatched just as swiftly. I've not had a chance to investigate Pawel further and know nothing of her but for a passing reference to her being a schoolteacher in Manhattan and young which seems an unlikely background, but... What most struck/impressed me was her ability to make a sympathetic hero out of a fascist guardia.She manages to make a hero of her villain while treading through the quagmire of the immediate post-civil war era in Spain - Hemmingway, Grahame Greene and Ian Rankin all somehow converge with a dash of something else I don't recognise - presumably Pawel!

This is a remarkable, and painful, book. It raised my anger at mankind throughout centuries whose actions have resulted in war and atrocities However, it is a very well written story with duo views of Tejada the Nationalist and Gonzalo Llorente the Republican; as well as within Tejada himself when he realizes the woman he killed had been innocent. The descriptions are brutal but the book is excellent and well deserved having received an Edgar.

In 1939 Madrid shows the impact of the deadly civil war with few willing to walk the streets unless necessity forces them to do so. The two sides loathe one another encouraging and participating in inhuman abuses. While the Nationalists and the Republicans sporadically fight, the Guardia Civil tries to keep law and order. In a world gone loony, there is only one way to keep the peace and that is commit even nastier atrocities then the fighting factions. Thus the Nationalists, the Republicans and Guardia Civil share in common terrorizing the citizenrySergeant Tejada Alonzo y Leon of the Guardia Civil sees a woman in red standing over the murdered body of his heroic best friend Paco Lopez. He assumes she is a communist killer. He asks no questions as he murders the woman, but quickly realizes his mistake. Driven by guilt he searches for the real culprit. Meanwhile when Gonzalo Llorente learns that a Guardia murdered his beloved Viviana; he vows vengeance Though a crime story at its heart, DEATH OF A NATIONALIST is much more as Rebecca Pawel showcases the impact on various people from the Spanish Civil War. The story line is graphic as it describes the horrors of war on the armies and the atrocities fostered by both sides on the civilian populace. The lead duo and the support cast seem genuine representing various factions with the key players enabling the audience to see the impact of violence on everyday people as well as on fascist and communist zealots.Harriet Klausner

When Tejada sees a woman standing by his friend's dead body, he assumes she must be the killer and shoots her in return. This is post-Civil War Madrid and Tejada is part of the winning side's armed force helping to establish the new Francoite regime and clear out any "Reds" or supporters of the losing Republican side.I was nervous initially on reading the blurb for this book as I wondered if I would enjoy a novel which appeared to be sympathetic to Franco's supporters. I need not have worried. In fact, the story is told from more than one point of view. Tejada is a major character but so is the dead woman's lover, her young niece and her niece's teacher.The dead woman was trying to retrieve her niece's school notebook with her homework. It's not long before Tejada realises that his assumption may have been wrong and finds the notebook, prompting him to investigate further. While he's searching for his friend's killer, the dead woman's lover is looking for her killer, ie Tejada. This turns out to be less a mystery about good and evil than one of shades of grey, though I do think Pawel's sympathies are ultimately with the republicans. It's a complicated and absorbing story, but the real strength of the book which stood out for me was skill in characterisation, and I found the portrayal of thoughts and feelings in reaction to historical situations a different and very convincing approach to writing a historical novel.I hope I get a chance to read more books by this author.