Rebecca C. Pawel
Death of a Nationalist (2003)
Author: Rebecca C. Pawel
Genre: Mystery (Historical)
Plot Summary:
When Carlos Tejada Alonso y Leon, dedicated Nationalist and Sergeant in the Guardia Civil, learns that his best friend and fellow Guardia has been murdered in the street, he immediately jumps to the conclusion that the Communists are responible. Tejada's superiors all too readily accept his execution of the 'Red' found standing over the body, but soon the loose ends of the case push Tejada into an investigation which forces him to confront the dark and violent underworld of 1939 Madrid.
Geographical Setting: Madrid, Spain
Time Period: The spring of 1939, just after the defeat of the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War
Series: Carlos Tejada Alonso y Leon Investigation, Book 1
Appeal Characteristics:
The immediate appeal of this novel is its dark and gritty evocation of Madrid at the end of the Spanish Civil War. Pawel's descriptions of bombed buildings and empty streets neatly match her portrayal of people pushed to extremes by hunger, fear and hatred. Though Pawel writes in a detailed and literary style, developing the plot at a measured, deliberate pace, her rich language and thought-provoking story line keep the reader hooked. Another strength of the book becomes apparent as Pawel develops the characters. The story is told in the first person by Tejada, the nationalist Guardia, and later with interweaving first person chapters of Gonzalo Llorente, a Republican fugitive involved in the case. These two characters, representing opposite sides in the Civil War, are convincingly developed and effective in bringing out the reader's understanding and sympathy for both human sides in the conflict. Much of the interest in the latter half of the book comes from anticipating the drama of their ultimate meeting and resolution of the mystery.
Read-alikes: Pawel's Carlos Tejada Alonso y Leon investigation series includes several other good mysteries involving Guardia Tejada, including Law of Return (2004) and The Watcher in the Pine (2005). Readers who enjoy the polished literary style of Pawel might enjoy another mystery set in Madrid, Arturo Perez-Reverte's The Fencing Master (1998). John Gardner's The Streets of Town (2003) evokes a similar dark atmosphere of black market corruption in WWII London. Lastly, J. Robert Junes has written several titles, including Sandman (1997) and Dollmaker (2002), which provide not only a compelling portrait of wartime police work, but also a pair of well-developed characters in the investigative team of the French inspector, St.-Cyr, and his German Gestapo counterpart, Hermann Kohler.
Red Flags: Some violence and profanity, along with a short description of wartime rape and a scene of attempted rape
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