The Dead Man's Brother
by Roger Zelazny
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Book Summary Information
Author: Roger ZelaznyEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-02
ISBN: 0843961155
Number of pages: 256
Publisher: Hard Case Crime
Book Reviews of The Dead Man's Brother
Book Review: "...the best place, really, for violence, is offstage where you cannot see it."
Summary: 5 Stars
Ovid Wiley is one cool character. He awakens one morning to find the body of his former partner-in-crime on his living room floor, a very long knife, a Gurkha, in his chest. Rather then panic, Wiley takes time to have a coffee and contemplate the situation. Years ago, Carl Bernini, the dead man, set up an extremely lucrative business stealng rare works of art and then selling the paintings. The two men met in Florence when Wiley was an art history student. Bernini made the young man an offer. As Wiley remembers, "So it came to pass that when I was not studying art history, I was obtaining it." Ovid and Carl had not seen each other in years. When Wiley returned to the States, he joined the military, attended OCS, and then, after completing his stint with Uncle Sam, he opened an art gallery in New York, City, "The Taurus," which doubles as his home. He is now a respectable art dealer.
The police arrive, take his story, seem to accept his tale of innocence. and then lock him in a cell for three days. The charge, suspected homicide. The real fun begins when a man in a black suit carrying a black plastic briefcase comes into the picture. He offers Wiley the choice, to remain in jail or to accompany him to McClean, VA, home of the CIA. Once there, Wiley is interviewed by two men and is offered a deal. They will make the murder charges disappear if Wiley does them a "favor." Apparently Wiley has an intelligence background, acquired in the Army, (ironic for a former thief...or maybe not), this along with his knowledge of art and several languages make him the perfect man for the job. What job? Apparently a renegade Vatican priest has been embezzling millions from the Holy See's treasury. The CIA honchos want to plant Wiley in the Vatican so he can see what he can see about solving the crime and returning the money to its rightful owners.
The relatively straightforward job is much more complex than Wiley, or the reader, can imagine. In Rome, Ovid meets various characters some helpful, some not, all colorful, and reintroduces himself to Bernini's former girlfriend, the beauteous Maria Borsini. Carl and Maria had broken up some time before and she knows nothing about anything....so she says.
OK! No more details - I don't want to inadvertantly inject spoilers. Let it suffice to say that the ever more complicated crime(s) leads Wiley, and Maria, to Brazil, specifically Sao Paul...and beyond, way beyond!
I really liked this suspense thriller/mystery. Zelanzny is an outstanding writer and he paces his story in a way that maximizes its impact. I was immediately immersed in the plot and was up until the early hours finishing the novel. Here you'll find lots of shadowy intrigue, nefarious characters and close calls. Wiley, who is seemingly indestructable, and Maria are well fleshed-out, three dimensional figures. There are various fascinating subplots and a wonderfully described trip to Brazil's Matto Grasso, home to many of the country's Indian tribes.
Don't miss "The Dead Man's Brother." It's a spellbinding read.
Btw, Zelazny won six Hugos and three Nebulas during his lifetime, but never published a crime novel. The manuscript was probably written in 1970 and was discovered fairly recently and published by Hard Crime.
Jana Perskie
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