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Franza Oberwieser #1
Rain Girl
Veteran homicide detective Franza Oberwieser prefers her job in the winter. Summer is for growing, not for dying. So when the body of a beautiful young woman is found on the autobahn, dressed in a glittering party dress and bathed in June rain, Franza is determined to give her justice.
Revealing victims’ hidden lives is part of the job, but as Franza and her partner, Felix, peel back the layers shrouding the girl’s disturbing past, darker mysteries emerge. Everyone has something to hide—even Franza, who must face her own secrets to reveal the truth.
Revealing victims’ hidden lives is part of the job, but as Franza and her partner, Felix, peel back the layers shrouding the girl’s disturbing past, darker mysteries emerge. Everyone has something to hide—even Franza, who must face her own secrets to reveal the truth.
271 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 16, 2010
647 people are currently reading
4309 people want to read
About the author
Gabi Kreslehner
17 books19 followersAward-winning writer Gabi Kreslehner lives and works in her hometown of Ottensheim, Austria, located on the shores of the Danube. As a young girl, she became interested in writing and theater. Later she received a teaching degree. She now works as a teacher and is involved in student theater.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 446 reviews
July 4, 2014
Trying out a new author, an unknown quantity at that, is not an easy thing. The normal route many readers would take is to grab the latest from a bestselling author and spend the lazy summer days under the shade somewhere and doze off peacefully. There is the tendency to ignore new and exciting authors who are yet to make a name. In spite of arguments to the contrary, name still sells. And many new authors have taken the safe co-author route to make a name for themselves, sell their books or find their feet in the competitive world of fiction writing.
Austrian award-winning writer Gabi Kreslehner English debut novel Rain Girl which is rendered into English by Lee Chadeayne is a fine mystery crime thriller which deserves a look. Her creativity in plotting the story with a cast of characters that many readers would like to revisit is simply amazing. She has a style of her own and created a formidable female character in the form of Franza Oberwieser who is a homicide detective. The sleuthing is as superb as the astounding ending, full of twists and surprises. Rain Girl is a top-notch thriller second to none but I’m afraid that lesser stories by famous names will bury this one under the debris like many others before.
Austrian award-winning writer Gabi Kreslehner English debut novel Rain Girl which is rendered into English by Lee Chadeayne is a fine mystery crime thriller which deserves a look. Her creativity in plotting the story with a cast of characters that many readers would like to revisit is simply amazing. She has a style of her own and created a formidable female character in the form of Franza Oberwieser who is a homicide detective. The sleuthing is as superb as the astounding ending, full of twists and surprises. Rain Girl is a top-notch thriller second to none but I’m afraid that lesser stories by famous names will bury this one under the debris like many others before.
July 14, 2014
Rain Girl (click on book or see below for description)
By Gabi Kreslehner
Releases 8/1/14
Downloaded free through Kindle First program
Rating: 2 bones
Finish Time: 3 nights. Overall I’ve been impressed with the Kindle First selections and have made an effort to read one each month. This month was kind of disappointing, I wasn’t too excited about any and unfortunately this book lived up to just that.
I enjoy a good mystery and thriller, as this book is set up with a murder and subsequent investigation. I enjoyed the chapters dealing with the investigations, but there were others thrown in from different story lines or different voices and I was never really able to fully follow and I walked away still not knowing who was who and how they were connected. Because of that the characters were kinda blah to me too. No one very likable as they all dealt with their “issues.”
Marie, the rain girl, is alive in a few flashbacks, but her murder is the main story line of the book. She had quite the load of issues as more and more was revealed about her. Throw in a personal tie to one of the investigators (not a spoiler – this is set up from the beginning) and I wanted to find out how the book ended. But fast, thus my quick finish time.
Really not much to say. Not awful, just not my favorite as of late, but short so I’m glad not too much time wasted. Will still keep reading a Kindle First selection each month, so stay tuned!
http://mydogearedpurpose.com/2014/07/...
By Gabi Kreslehner
Releases 8/1/14
Downloaded free through Kindle First program
Rating: 2 bones
Finish Time: 3 nights. Overall I’ve been impressed with the Kindle First selections and have made an effort to read one each month. This month was kind of disappointing, I wasn’t too excited about any and unfortunately this book lived up to just that.
I enjoy a good mystery and thriller, as this book is set up with a murder and subsequent investigation. I enjoyed the chapters dealing with the investigations, but there were others thrown in from different story lines or different voices and I was never really able to fully follow and I walked away still not knowing who was who and how they were connected. Because of that the characters were kinda blah to me too. No one very likable as they all dealt with their “issues.”
Marie, the rain girl, is alive in a few flashbacks, but her murder is the main story line of the book. She had quite the load of issues as more and more was revealed about her. Throw in a personal tie to one of the investigators (not a spoiler – this is set up from the beginning) and I wanted to find out how the book ended. But fast, thus my quick finish time.
Really not much to say. Not awful, just not my favorite as of late, but short so I’m glad not too much time wasted. Will still keep reading a Kindle First selection each month, so stay tuned!
http://mydogearedpurpose.com/2014/07/...
July 16, 2014
It's always thrilling to discover a really good writer who's relatively unknown. Gabi Kreslehner may have a good reputation in Germany, where she's based, (the book is a translation), but she was undiscovered by me until I stumbled across this gem on sale at Amazon. Wow. What a thought-provoking, suspenseful, and inspired read! It not only is full of mystery and unpredictable twists, but it's a portrait of real people with real flaws that you can somehow come to root for--and shed tears for. A great read!
August 31, 2015
3.5 stars
Looking through the dozens of unread books I have in my Kindle app, I found this one, reread the synopsis, and decided to give it a whirl. Turned out to be a pretty good choice.
This is a rather simply mystery set in Munich, Germany, along the Danube and the autobahn. The writing style was terse, with many chapters only a sentence or paragraph long. This felt almost like flipping through a photo album and having the story revealed through simple descriptions rather than in-depth story-telling. I'm not normally a fan of this approach, but it worked pretty well in this instance. The story itself was pretty straight-forward, with some good twists. Recommended for fans of European mysteries.
Looking through the dozens of unread books I have in my Kindle app, I found this one, reread the synopsis, and decided to give it a whirl. Turned out to be a pretty good choice.
This is a rather simply mystery set in Munich, Germany, along the Danube and the autobahn. The writing style was terse, with many chapters only a sentence or paragraph long. This felt almost like flipping through a photo album and having the story revealed through simple descriptions rather than in-depth story-telling. I'm not normally a fan of this approach, but it worked pretty well in this instance. The story itself was pretty straight-forward, with some good twists. Recommended for fans of European mysteries.
August 16, 2014
Rain Girl was one of those books that was very readable but does not stand out as anything spectacular, certainly not in comparison to other crime fiction I have read this year.
It's the first time one of Gabi Kreslehener's books has been translated into English, therefore my first taste of her writing.
So what's the book about?
Veteran homicide detective Franza Oberwieser prefers her job in the winter. Summer is for growing, not for dying. So when the body of a beautiful young woman is found on the autobahn, dressed in a glittering party dress and bathed in June rain, Franza is determined to give her justice.
Revealing victims’ hidden lives is part of the job, but as Franza and her partner, Felix, peel back the layers shrouding the girl’s disturbing past, darker mysteries emerge. Everyone has something to hide—even Franza, who must face her own secrets to reveal the truth.
My Review:
We kick off with investigation beginning into the who/why/what of the young woman's body found on the motorway. Franza (female Detective) and Felix (Male Detective) work as a team and the banter and flow between them is quite funny at certain points in the book, they are well suited to balance each other out that's for sure.
Behind the scenes we get insights into the life of Franza, her not so perfect home life, her web of lies she weaves, she's a complex woman, somehow balancing multiple lives and still staying on top if it all, it was exhausting to think of it all. She's an interesting character, I did not fully connect with her, she's light and shade, at times I saw her really clearly and at other times could not relate at all.
The investigation starts to build up momentum once the dead girl's picture is posted in the newspaper and those that knew her come forward. This is one crime book that is not bogged down in police procedural, it's much more focused on the interviewing, the conversations, the feelings they are getting from those they are talking to.
Who killed this young woman in the prime of her life? And why?
Lying on metal tables beneath bright lights, they were pale and ashen, all color drained from them. Often it was here the victims would regain their dignity - here, where it was returned to them. Even as every last secret was being stolen from them, their loss was atoned for by finding the clues to their death.
Franza and Felix leave no stone unturned in their search for the truth, but Franza's world comes crashing down in one moment, one moment that she did not expect to happen at all whilst she was investigating this murder, it's a spoiler, so I am not telling. I had guessed it way back, but still, I felt the thrill of the reveal.
This was very easy to read, it flows, it doesn't get you caught up in long winded paragraphs, each word is all about getting to the point. Possibly some elements have been lost in the translation, I am not sure. The ending I did not predict and had not totally guessed it all, but I did find the ending dragged on a little bit once the reveal had happened, like minor after shocks after the earthquake. A tighter ending would have made me happy.
There are some nice twists and turns towards the end of the book that could not been seen anywhere else as coming, enough to keep it interesting.
I give this one 3.5 stars, I enjoyed it, I liked it, but it was not a stand out novel as I said compared to others on the market. I would be keen to read more of Gabi's novels if translated to English in the future.
I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
July 7, 2015
My thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.
Ranty spoiler-fest follows, you've been warned.
OK, WHAT is with this new trend of fiction books where NONE of the characters are likable? I know people aren't perfect, that we all have our downsides, but REALLY?!? The only character that I liked at ALL was Felix. Everyone else was a miserable, adulterous, piece of poo! I read to ESCAPE reality, not to WALLOW in the miserable parts of it. This is too much and I have to think, I HOPE, that people aren't really that incapable of having a monogamous relationship. Other than the ONE married character who was true to his wife, EVERYone else was either cheating or being cheated on.
One of my BIGGEST pet peeves is cheating. If you are that miserable, then LEAVE. Don't make it worse for all involved by cheating.
The translation either didn't do the writing justice, or the writing was really, REALLY bad to begin with. Let's just say EVERYthing including the kitchen sink was thrown into this one. Child molestation, prostitution, incest, murder, adultery and hit and run driving. Did I forget anything?
The MC, Franza, was a horrible person and a worse detective. The blinking murderer, who she had met before during an interview and noticed his scent, helped her when she was incapacitated, yet she recognized his smell and couldn't place him when asked if she recognized the man who helped her. REALLY?!? Was she so incapacitated that it erased PRIOR memories?!? Like that happened DAYS ago?
She was a horrible cheater and EVERYONE KNEW, despite her thinking she was being so sneaky. Her husband knew, her SON knew, his girlfriend and her friends knew, and SHE as a COP didn't know the EXISTENCE of the GF and Co of her own son!
And speaking of the son!! THAT ENDING, OMG I'M FOAMING AT THE MOUTH!!!
SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS
The ENTIRE time the book is going on, Franza is worried about her son and has no clue where he is. He won't pick up his phone, come home, etc. He's like 20. So an adult, but still her kid. She's worried. I get that. The ENTIRE time she's worried about him, asking people about him, etc. So at the END of the book, her cell rings. It's her son! "OMG, where have you been?!?"
The. End.
W.
T.
F.?
?!?!?
I read the WHOLE horrible book to find out where this jerk of a bad poetry writing kid was, and I DON'T GET THE ANSWER?!???!!
THAT was a waste of my day.
Ok, if you like MESSED up books, where next to NONE of the characters are even vaguely likable, where it's so realistic and gritty your eyelids scrape your eyeballs when you blink, then you may very well enjoy this book.
It was really not my type of book at all. One star. And that's because I can't go lower than one.
Ranty spoiler-fest follows, you've been warned.
OK, WHAT is with this new trend of fiction books where NONE of the characters are likable? I know people aren't perfect, that we all have our downsides, but REALLY?!? The only character that I liked at ALL was Felix. Everyone else was a miserable, adulterous, piece of poo! I read to ESCAPE reality, not to WALLOW in the miserable parts of it. This is too much and I have to think, I HOPE, that people aren't really that incapable of having a monogamous relationship. Other than the ONE married character who was true to his wife, EVERYone else was either cheating or being cheated on.
One of my BIGGEST pet peeves is cheating. If you are that miserable, then LEAVE. Don't make it worse for all involved by cheating.
The translation either didn't do the writing justice, or the writing was really, REALLY bad to begin with. Let's just say EVERYthing including the kitchen sink was thrown into this one. Child molestation, prostitution, incest, murder, adultery and hit and run driving. Did I forget anything?
The MC, Franza, was a horrible person and a worse detective. The blinking murderer, who she had met before during an interview and noticed his scent, helped her when she was incapacitated, yet she recognized his smell and couldn't place him when asked if she recognized the man who helped her. REALLY?!? Was she so incapacitated that it erased PRIOR memories?!? Like that happened DAYS ago?
She was a horrible cheater and EVERYONE KNEW, despite her thinking she was being so sneaky. Her husband knew, her SON knew, his girlfriend and her friends knew, and SHE as a COP didn't know the EXISTENCE of the GF and Co of her own son!
And speaking of the son!! THAT ENDING, OMG I'M FOAMING AT THE MOUTH!!!
SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS
The ENTIRE time the book is going on, Franza is worried about her son and has no clue where he is. He won't pick up his phone, come home, etc. He's like 20. So an adult, but still her kid. She's worried. I get that. The ENTIRE time she's worried about him, asking people about him, etc. So at the END of the book, her cell rings. It's her son! "OMG, where have you been?!?"
The. End.
W.
T.
F.?
?!?!?
I read the WHOLE horrible book to find out where this jerk of a bad poetry writing kid was, and I DON'T GET THE ANSWER?!???!!
THAT was a waste of my day.
Ok, if you like MESSED up books, where next to NONE of the characters are even vaguely likable, where it's so realistic and gritty your eyelids scrape your eyeballs when you blink, then you may very well enjoy this book.
It was really not my type of book at all. One star. And that's because I can't go lower than one.
August 12, 2014
I never let translation affect my book reviews and this is no exception. While I believe a lot of this story is lost in the language difference, that didn't factor into the rating I give this book.
The characters come across as a bit harsh and unfeeling and with very little depth to them.
This also seems like a continuing book in a series, even though it isn't. There are aspects of lives and events that are alluded too, which seem important to the story, but are never expounded upon.
The story itself isn't broad and never gets a good flow going. There is no viewpoint character and thoughts overlap throughout. There are too many elements and they detract from the ability to be ensconced in the story. Perhaps just a few elements could help make the story more believable and more of a Ripped From The Headlines cold case feel.
I applaud this as a first effort, and hope to see more from this author in the future.
The characters come across as a bit harsh and unfeeling and with very little depth to them.
This also seems like a continuing book in a series, even though it isn't. There are aspects of lives and events that are alluded too, which seem important to the story, but are never expounded upon.
The story itself isn't broad and never gets a good flow going. There is no viewpoint character and thoughts overlap throughout. There are too many elements and they detract from the ability to be ensconced in the story. Perhaps just a few elements could help make the story more believable and more of a Ripped From The Headlines cold case feel.
I applaud this as a first effort, and hope to see more from this author in the future.
October 10, 2015
I listened to this on audible and read it on my kindle... it was a short detective thriller type story. It was ok. The story line was ok, the characters were ok. It was entertaining but I'm glad it was short. Otherwise, it might have not held my attention very well.
This book was translated into English from German (I think) and some of the passages were very confusing. I don't think it was so much the writing as the translation. There would be a very serious conversation, a random comment, and then suddenly everyone was lighthearted and laughing. And then it would go serious again. It was a little strange and just felt like I was missing something.
This book was translated into English from German (I think) and some of the passages were very confusing. I don't think it was so much the writing as the translation. There would be a very serious conversation, a random comment, and then suddenly everyone was lighthearted and laughing. And then it would go serious again. It was a little strange and just felt like I was missing something.
July 30, 2014
I really enjoyed this book. The two lead detectives, Franza and Felix, came to life for me. They reminded me of the detectives on ABC 's Motive. Real chemistry. And the story kept you wondering, while throwing pieces of the puzzle at you. It had a little bit of a dark undertone, a la Gone Girl, I think. Maybe because it was raining when the crime occurred. If you like crime books, I definitely recommend this one. I'd give it 4,5 stars. Oh, and the translation was perfect, I felt like the book was actually written in English!
August 26, 2019
This is a very contemporary crime novel. The detectives have complex personal lives, yet continue to pursue killers and solve crimes. These are team players, for all the raw emotion. There are few secrets and a lot of tolerance. While it is towards the noir end of the crime fiction spectrum the motivation for crime remains simple.
I am wary of crime fiction in which the detective’s family get caught up in investigations, especially if it becomes a theme. I’ll have to read more to know if this is the case here.
The translation is very smooth and the book reads well.
I am wary of crime fiction in which the detective’s family get caught up in investigations, especially if it becomes a theme. I’ll have to read more to know if this is the case here.
The translation is very smooth and the book reads well.
July 21, 2014
I read this book in like 4 days! I loved the writing and the descriptions, particularly of the characters and their thoughts and feelings. They were all very relatable and I felt I could understand each of the characters as if I knew them myself. The book is sad, but a page-turner at the same time. It's also very unpredictable - the crime investigation keeps you guessing the whole way. I highly recommend this one!
July 28, 2014
Terrific book.....starts off with drama....girl wanders into the road and gets hit by a car. There is alot of back and forth between what happened 20 years ago and the present...but if you stick with the book you will soon find out the relation of both stories, the people involved in them...with a few surprises thrown in.....very amazing surprises.....
August 28, 2014
The story itself was okay - nothing special that I would recommend to anyone else as "must read". The largest factor in the rating I chose to give this book is the actual writing and the writing style. It was so distracting, and clunky, that it was hard to follow the plot at times. I am not sure if that is due to the author, or the translation from German, but I just hated it.
December 5, 2020
This wasn't terrible, but it was basically a pile of cliches and overwrought language. Unimpressive.
October 8, 2020
The mystery is pretty good, that characters enjoyable enough and decently-rounded, but the writing style is rather choppy and abrupt. The plot (in terms of ideas and revelations) flows well, but the actual writing does not. Is this the author’s own style, or an issue with the translation? It’s difficult to say, but it kept me from enjoying the book wholeheartedly.
September 16, 2015
Eine junge Frau wird mitten in der Nacht auf der Autobahn von einem Auto erfasst und verstirbt noch an der Unfallstelle. Kommissarin Franza Oberwieser und ihr Kollege Felix Herz werden mit den Ermittlungen betraut. Die Frau trug keine Papiere bei sich, jedoch hatte sie ein Ballkleid an. So merkwürdig die Situation auch anmuten scheint, steht von Anfang an die Frage im Raum: Wie kam die junge Frau so plötzlich auf die Autobahn, war ihr Tod ein Unfall oder gar ein Mord? Franza selbst ist erstaunt, denn niemand, wirklich niemand scheint die junge Frau zu vermissen. Erst nach einer Suchmeldung in der Öffentlichkeit erfahren sie, um wen es sich handelt.
Marie war ihr Name, doch je mehr Fragen Franza im Umfeld der Toten stellt, desto unklarer wird ihr Bild von Marie. Für die einen war sie eine junge Frau, die nach früheren Problemen in ihrem Leben dieses wieder in den Griff kriegen wollte, in einer betreuten Wohneinrichtung lebte und sogar ihren Schulabschluss nachgemacht hat. Auch einen Studienplatz an einer Schauspielschule hatte sie bereits - ihr Leben erschien gefestigt und ihr Weg klar. Doch dann gibt es noch andere, die wissen, dass Marie sich prostituierte. Wie kann es sein, dass diese junge Frau förmlich zwei verschiedene Leben führte?
Egal, mit wem Franza Oberwieser in Maries Umfeld spricht, jeder scheint irgendwas zu verbergen, was die junge Frau angeht und wer ist derjenige, der von einigen als ihr "Freund" benannt wurde, während wiederum andere, nichts von seiner Existenz wissen. Nur sehr mühsam findet Franza einen Weg durch das Dickicht von Maries Leben und kommt dem Täter immer näher ...
Der 1. Band der Franza-Oberwieser-Reihe! Der Plot wurde durchaus abwechslungsreich erarbeitet. Lange Zeit grübelte ich mit der Kommissarin mit, wer es denn nun gewesen sein könnte, der den Tod der jungen Frau verursacht hat, denn in der Tat gibt es nicht gerade wenig Verdächtige und der tatsächliche Täter hält sich gut bedenkt. Die Figuren wurden authentisch erarbeitet, jedoch muss ich gestehen, dass ich gerade mit der Protagonistin so gar nicht warm geworden bin. Was mich beim Lesen schier in den Wahnsinn getrieben hat, ist diese permanente Unentschlossenheit der Franza Oberwieser, sei es privat oder auch beruflich und von einer Kommissarin mit mehrjähriger Berufserfahrung und noch dazu Mutter eines fast erwachsenen Sohnes hätte ich mir da doch deutlich mehr Entschlossenheit gewünscht. Den Schreibstil empfand ich als angenehm zu lesen. Dieser konnte mich allerdings nicht damit versöhnen, dass ich überhaupt keine Beziehung zur Protagonistin aufbauen konnte und ich mir zwischenzeitlich echt gewünscht hätte, dass sie irgendwer aus dem Weg räumt, um zum Beispiel Platz für den, in meinen Augen, deutlich interessanteren Felix Herz zu machen.
Marie war ihr Name, doch je mehr Fragen Franza im Umfeld der Toten stellt, desto unklarer wird ihr Bild von Marie. Für die einen war sie eine junge Frau, die nach früheren Problemen in ihrem Leben dieses wieder in den Griff kriegen wollte, in einer betreuten Wohneinrichtung lebte und sogar ihren Schulabschluss nachgemacht hat. Auch einen Studienplatz an einer Schauspielschule hatte sie bereits - ihr Leben erschien gefestigt und ihr Weg klar. Doch dann gibt es noch andere, die wissen, dass Marie sich prostituierte. Wie kann es sein, dass diese junge Frau förmlich zwei verschiedene Leben führte?
Egal, mit wem Franza Oberwieser in Maries Umfeld spricht, jeder scheint irgendwas zu verbergen, was die junge Frau angeht und wer ist derjenige, der von einigen als ihr "Freund" benannt wurde, während wiederum andere, nichts von seiner Existenz wissen. Nur sehr mühsam findet Franza einen Weg durch das Dickicht von Maries Leben und kommt dem Täter immer näher ...
Der 1. Band der Franza-Oberwieser-Reihe! Der Plot wurde durchaus abwechslungsreich erarbeitet. Lange Zeit grübelte ich mit der Kommissarin mit, wer es denn nun gewesen sein könnte, der den Tod der jungen Frau verursacht hat, denn in der Tat gibt es nicht gerade wenig Verdächtige und der tatsächliche Täter hält sich gut bedenkt. Die Figuren wurden authentisch erarbeitet, jedoch muss ich gestehen, dass ich gerade mit der Protagonistin so gar nicht warm geworden bin. Was mich beim Lesen schier in den Wahnsinn getrieben hat, ist diese permanente Unentschlossenheit der Franza Oberwieser, sei es privat oder auch beruflich und von einer Kommissarin mit mehrjähriger Berufserfahrung und noch dazu Mutter eines fast erwachsenen Sohnes hätte ich mir da doch deutlich mehr Entschlossenheit gewünscht. Den Schreibstil empfand ich als angenehm zu lesen. Dieser konnte mich allerdings nicht damit versöhnen, dass ich überhaupt keine Beziehung zur Protagonistin aufbauen konnte und ich mir zwischenzeitlich echt gewünscht hätte, dass sie irgendwer aus dem Weg räumt, um zum Beispiel Platz für den, in meinen Augen, deutlich interessanteren Felix Herz zu machen.
January 24, 2015
(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)
Veteran homicide detective Franza Oberwieser prefers her job in the winter. Summer is for growing, not for dying. So when the body of a beautiful young woman is found on the autobahn, dressed in a glittering party dress and bathed in June rain, Franza is determined to give her justice.
Revealing victims’ hidden lives is part of the job, but as Franza and her partner, Felix, peel back the layers shrouding the girl’s disturbing past, darker mysteries emerge. Everyone has something to hide—even Franza, who must face her own secrets to reveal the truth.
I am a fan of thriller/mystery novels and, with this one being set in Germany, I thought it may be a little different to the usual British/US ones I have been reading of late. I had never heard of the author before so I thought I would be daring and give it a try.
As you can see, I have only given this two stars - but that's not to say that it was terrible. It has a lot of the ingredients needed for a good thriller - decent plot, various flawed characters (including the good guys), drama, and a few other things that were worth reading. Sadly, though, there were a few things that let it down - but those few things were big things.
There is no real mystery. We are pretty much told from the start what happened. Between the series of flashbacks and not-so-subtle clues, it doesn't take long to figure it out. And, as such, that means there is no real suspense. In fact, there was a point about halfway through where I caught myself saying "Just look over there..."
The main characters - especially Franza - were somewhat irritating. Franza is quite proud of the fact that she is sleeping around on her husband. She is comfortable with that - and fair enough. THe problem was that I had very little interest in her character and felt no connection with her. Felix was annoying in his own way and he didn't seem to have anything of value to add to any dialogue. All the smart lines and investigatory solutions always seemed to come from Franza.
The other real issue I had was continuity. There are times during this book when the POV seems to change mid-sentence. One minute, we are in first-person with Franza, the next, it's third person and then, to top off the paragraph, we are still in 3rd person but hearing Felix's thoughts. Add to that the flashbacks - some extremely short - the whole thing was disjointed and hard to follow in places.
Like I said at the start, this book wasn't terrible. It just needed a bit more work before hitting the shelves.
Paul
ARH
Veteran homicide detective Franza Oberwieser prefers her job in the winter. Summer is for growing, not for dying. So when the body of a beautiful young woman is found on the autobahn, dressed in a glittering party dress and bathed in June rain, Franza is determined to give her justice.
Revealing victims’ hidden lives is part of the job, but as Franza and her partner, Felix, peel back the layers shrouding the girl’s disturbing past, darker mysteries emerge. Everyone has something to hide—even Franza, who must face her own secrets to reveal the truth.
I am a fan of thriller/mystery novels and, with this one being set in Germany, I thought it may be a little different to the usual British/US ones I have been reading of late. I had never heard of the author before so I thought I would be daring and give it a try.
As you can see, I have only given this two stars - but that's not to say that it was terrible. It has a lot of the ingredients needed for a good thriller - decent plot, various flawed characters (including the good guys), drama, and a few other things that were worth reading. Sadly, though, there were a few things that let it down - but those few things were big things.
There is no real mystery. We are pretty much told from the start what happened. Between the series of flashbacks and not-so-subtle clues, it doesn't take long to figure it out. And, as such, that means there is no real suspense. In fact, there was a point about halfway through where I caught myself saying "Just look over there..."
The main characters - especially Franza - were somewhat irritating. Franza is quite proud of the fact that she is sleeping around on her husband. She is comfortable with that - and fair enough. THe problem was that I had very little interest in her character and felt no connection with her. Felix was annoying in his own way and he didn't seem to have anything of value to add to any dialogue. All the smart lines and investigatory solutions always seemed to come from Franza.
The other real issue I had was continuity. There are times during this book when the POV seems to change mid-sentence. One minute, we are in first-person with Franza, the next, it's third person and then, to top off the paragraph, we are still in 3rd person but hearing Felix's thoughts. Add to that the flashbacks - some extremely short - the whole thing was disjointed and hard to follow in places.
Like I said at the start, this book wasn't terrible. It just needed a bit more work before hitting the shelves.
Paul
ARH
August 17, 2014
Title - Rain Girl
Author - Gabi Kreslehner
Source - Net Galley
Summary -
On the autobahn, just outside of Munich, a young girl staggers onto the shoulder of the road and into oncoming traffic. The collision sends her flying and she is dead before she reaches the ground.
"...They had covered here with a tarp to protect her from the rain and the prying eyes of passing drivers, who were slowly being directed past the accident scene.
She was so young, too young to die, and she had a tenderness about her-the tenderness of the dead who were still between worlds, neither here not there..."
Homicide detectives Franza and Felix soon realize that there is more to this girl than just the accident. What was she doing on this deserted road and why was there blood at the rest area just a little distance away? They dig into the young girl's past and find that perhaps she was not so naïve and innocent as they wanted to believe.
The girl's name was Marie and as they investigated her past they found out that there may have been more than one person who wanted her dead. More than one person who would have set her on that road that night in the rain.
Franza and Felix also begin to realize that this may not be the only death that has ended up in the rain, on a dark night, with a young girl dead.
Review -
The Rain Girl is a translated novel and too often these novels can lose their cadence in the journey from their native language into English. Rain Girl does not. It is a mystery, foremost a crime novel with a tremendous amount of building drama behind it. Not just in the crime itself but in the lives of the detectives as well.
Rain Girl moves slowly but does build and if you don't give up on it you will be satisfied with the end result.
An excellent novel which will leave the reader wanting to learn more about this author and her works.
Author - Gabi Kreslehner
Source - Net Galley
Summary -
On the autobahn, just outside of Munich, a young girl staggers onto the shoulder of the road and into oncoming traffic. The collision sends her flying and she is dead before she reaches the ground.
"...They had covered here with a tarp to protect her from the rain and the prying eyes of passing drivers, who were slowly being directed past the accident scene.
She was so young, too young to die, and she had a tenderness about her-the tenderness of the dead who were still between worlds, neither here not there..."
Homicide detectives Franza and Felix soon realize that there is more to this girl than just the accident. What was she doing on this deserted road and why was there blood at the rest area just a little distance away? They dig into the young girl's past and find that perhaps she was not so naïve and innocent as they wanted to believe.
The girl's name was Marie and as they investigated her past they found out that there may have been more than one person who wanted her dead. More than one person who would have set her on that road that night in the rain.
Franza and Felix also begin to realize that this may not be the only death that has ended up in the rain, on a dark night, with a young girl dead.
Review -
The Rain Girl is a translated novel and too often these novels can lose their cadence in the journey from their native language into English. Rain Girl does not. It is a mystery, foremost a crime novel with a tremendous amount of building drama behind it. Not just in the crime itself but in the lives of the detectives as well.
Rain Girl moves slowly but does build and if you don't give up on it you will be satisfied with the end result.
An excellent novel which will leave the reader wanting to learn more about this author and her works.
February 9, 2011
'Er würde ... die Stille des Hauses spüren, seine Größe, seine Leere.', 'Das ... ist sie also gewesen ohne Tod im Gesicht.', 'Verschwindlichter. Wenn man darauf zuging, verschwand man.'
Wer Sätze wie diese liest, denkt sicherlich, hier eine gefühlvolle, überaus poetisch geschriebene Lektüre vor sich zu haben statt einen ,schnöden` ;-) Kriminalroman. Doch das Regenmädchen ist beides: Es gibt Tote, zahlreiche Spuren, eine Reihe Verdächtiger - all dies ist in einer spannenden Geschichte verpackt, die zudem einen tiefen Einblick in das Leben der verantwortlichen Kommissarin Franza Oberwieser gewährt.
Diese versucht gemeinsam mit ihrem Kollegen Felix Herz zu klären, wie es zu dem tragischen Unfall auf der Autobahn kommen konnte, bei dem die junge Marie tödlich verunglückte. Schon bald stellt sich heraus, dass noch eine weitere Person beteiligt gewesen sein musste und aus Maries Leben werden Dinge offenbar, die manch einer lieber verborgen wissen möchte. Selbst zu Franzas Umfeld werden Verbindungen erkennbar, die kaum jemanden mehr überraschen als sie selbst.
Franza Oberwieser ist eine ungewöhnliche Kommissarin. Geplagt von privaten Problemen (unglückliche Ehe, ein Liebhaber, Beziehung zum Sohn), hat sie sich trotz all der Grausamkeiten und Toten, mit denen sie tagtäglich konfrontiert wird, auch in ihrem Beruf eine verblüffende Empfindsamkeit bewahrt. Die Autorin bringt dies durch eine außergewöhnlich poetische und bilderreiche Sprache zum Ausdruck, die in dieser Literaturgattung doch recht selten anzutreffen ist.
So bietet dieses Buch gleich zwei Dinge: Ein gefühlvolles und lebensnahes Psychogramm einer Frau in den Vierzigern. Und einen spannenden Kriminalroman über den mysteriösen Tod einer nicht minder mysteriösen jungen Frau.
Wer Sätze wie diese liest, denkt sicherlich, hier eine gefühlvolle, überaus poetisch geschriebene Lektüre vor sich zu haben statt einen ,schnöden` ;-) Kriminalroman. Doch das Regenmädchen ist beides: Es gibt Tote, zahlreiche Spuren, eine Reihe Verdächtiger - all dies ist in einer spannenden Geschichte verpackt, die zudem einen tiefen Einblick in das Leben der verantwortlichen Kommissarin Franza Oberwieser gewährt.
Diese versucht gemeinsam mit ihrem Kollegen Felix Herz zu klären, wie es zu dem tragischen Unfall auf der Autobahn kommen konnte, bei dem die junge Marie tödlich verunglückte. Schon bald stellt sich heraus, dass noch eine weitere Person beteiligt gewesen sein musste und aus Maries Leben werden Dinge offenbar, die manch einer lieber verborgen wissen möchte. Selbst zu Franzas Umfeld werden Verbindungen erkennbar, die kaum jemanden mehr überraschen als sie selbst.
Franza Oberwieser ist eine ungewöhnliche Kommissarin. Geplagt von privaten Problemen (unglückliche Ehe, ein Liebhaber, Beziehung zum Sohn), hat sie sich trotz all der Grausamkeiten und Toten, mit denen sie tagtäglich konfrontiert wird, auch in ihrem Beruf eine verblüffende Empfindsamkeit bewahrt. Die Autorin bringt dies durch eine außergewöhnlich poetische und bilderreiche Sprache zum Ausdruck, die in dieser Literaturgattung doch recht selten anzutreffen ist.
So bietet dieses Buch gleich zwei Dinge: Ein gefühlvolles und lebensnahes Psychogramm einer Frau in den Vierzigern. Und einen spannenden Kriminalroman über den mysteriösen Tod einer nicht minder mysteriösen jungen Frau.
August 2, 2014
"She staggered along the northbound shoulder of the autobahn in the mist of the rising dawn unaware of the danger hurtling toward her."
Franza Oberweiser is a veteran homicide detective. Along with her partner, Felix, she investigates the death of a young girl who hit by a car on the autobahn. They know how she died, but they found blood at the rest stop nearby. What happened at the rest stop and how did the girl (Marie) end up in the middle of the highway?
Franza has a difficult home life. Her husband cheated on her a while ago and they have never really recovered. Now Franza is having an affair with an actor and she hardly ever hears from her son. He is off to college this year and her husband tells her she shouldn't worry, he is an adult now and taking care of himself. But, she still worries.
It is tough for Franza to juggle all the aspects of her life. The story covers her home life, her affair and the search for the killer. In between, we have glimpses into Marie's life, as a young man falls for her. Who is he and how does he fit into this story?
My opinion:
Franza wasn't very likable as a character; I understand that we all have flaws, but I didn't really connect with her. There seemed to be some sexual tension between Franza and her partner Felix but that was never really explored. Felix's wife is about to have twins and didn't consult him first, so he isn't thrilled.
I wasn't enthralled by this book, but I was anxious to find out who killed Marie and who was her secret lover. I finished the book easily.
I wouldn't recommend this book unless you really like crime thrillers and are interested in reading about detectives in a country other than the U.S. Maybe then it would appeal to you more than me.
Franza Oberweiser is a veteran homicide detective. Along with her partner, Felix, she investigates the death of a young girl who hit by a car on the autobahn. They know how she died, but they found blood at the rest stop nearby. What happened at the rest stop and how did the girl (Marie) end up in the middle of the highway?
Franza has a difficult home life. Her husband cheated on her a while ago and they have never really recovered. Now Franza is having an affair with an actor and she hardly ever hears from her son. He is off to college this year and her husband tells her she shouldn't worry, he is an adult now and taking care of himself. But, she still worries.
It is tough for Franza to juggle all the aspects of her life. The story covers her home life, her affair and the search for the killer. In between, we have glimpses into Marie's life, as a young man falls for her. Who is he and how does he fit into this story?
My opinion:
Franza wasn't very likable as a character; I understand that we all have flaws, but I didn't really connect with her. There seemed to be some sexual tension between Franza and her partner Felix but that was never really explored. Felix's wife is about to have twins and didn't consult him first, so he isn't thrilled.
I wasn't enthralled by this book, but I was anxious to find out who killed Marie and who was her secret lover. I finished the book easily.
I wouldn't recommend this book unless you really like crime thrillers and are interested in reading about detectives in a country other than the U.S. Maybe then it would appeal to you more than me.
September 23, 2014
Rain Girl starts with a young girl in a sparkling dress staggering along the autobahn in the pouring rain, before being hit and her life ending. It does rely on the word rain quite a lot in the first few chapters...
It's a book that shows you the scenes it is moving through very descriptively by senses, predominately smell, touch and taste. This was refreshing and made for a different tone of reading which I enjoyed as it effectively transported you into the scene.
I enjoyed the tone of the main protagonist as well, Female detective Franza Oberweiser. She was direct and though she had quite a lot of life baggage, it didn't feel emotional and this detachment along with the sensory input of the story itself worked well together.
It's a quick read and the tone of the book seemed to change at the end. It became a bit more frantic as we had chapters in the killers point of view (who was frantic) and for me this didn't gel sensory descriptive and detached tone of the rest of the book.
I did like Oberweiser though so I would probably give her another read should this be a series detective.
With thanks to the author and publisher for my copy via Netgalley.
It's a book that shows you the scenes it is moving through very descriptively by senses, predominately smell, touch and taste. This was refreshing and made for a different tone of reading which I enjoyed as it effectively transported you into the scene.
I enjoyed the tone of the main protagonist as well, Female detective Franza Oberweiser. She was direct and though she had quite a lot of life baggage, it didn't feel emotional and this detachment along with the sensory input of the story itself worked well together.
It's a quick read and the tone of the book seemed to change at the end. It became a bit more frantic as we had chapters in the killers point of view (who was frantic) and for me this didn't gel sensory descriptive and detached tone of the rest of the book.
I did like Oberweiser though so I would probably give her another read should this be a series detective.
With thanks to the author and publisher for my copy via Netgalley.
January 16, 2015
A generous two stars.
Rain Girl parades around as a mystery but it lacks the twists and turns that define this genre. I think Kreslehner made an attempt at a red herring but it was too transparent, rendering a predictable story with little to no suspense. The investigation unraveled so easily that my dog could have cracked the case.
There were plenty of difficult situations in which the characters' emotions could have been explored in a meaningful way, but Kreslehner passed on these opportunities. Maybe that's why I didn't care about a single one of them. I'm not a reader that needs to like the characters; I just need to be invested in them. Take Gillian Flynn's novels, for example. I struggled to find a likable character but that was part of the fun. Flynn developed her characters in such a way that I loved hating them.
The style felt abrupt and heavy handed. This could have been an issue in translation but I'm having trouble with that thought after Stieg Larson's success. Afterall, it's not his translator that's credited for his solid piece of literature.
Rain Girl parades around as a mystery but it lacks the twists and turns that define this genre. I think Kreslehner made an attempt at a red herring but it was too transparent, rendering a predictable story with little to no suspense. The investigation unraveled so easily that my dog could have cracked the case.
There were plenty of difficult situations in which the characters' emotions could have been explored in a meaningful way, but Kreslehner passed on these opportunities. Maybe that's why I didn't care about a single one of them. I'm not a reader that needs to like the characters; I just need to be invested in them. Take Gillian Flynn's novels, for example. I struggled to find a likable character but that was part of the fun. Flynn developed her characters in such a way that I loved hating them.
The style felt abrupt and heavy handed. This could have been an issue in translation but I'm having trouble with that thought after Stieg Larson's success. Afterall, it's not his translator that's credited for his solid piece of literature.
October 30, 2016
Meh, quite disappointed in this. The first time I tried to read it, I DNF'd it because it was rather dull. I don't like leaving books unfinished so started again from the beginning.
I found it didn't capture my attention as much as I hoped it would but there were parts in the book that I did enjoy. I found a lot of it confusing or it just didn't make much sense. Finishing this was a challenge and I guessed the culprit before it was mentioned and everything exploded.
Overall, it's an okay read with bits that I liked but most of it didn't enrapture me at all. It's like Gone Girl gone bad.
Another thing, Felix sure did shout a lot, either that or the author became best friends with the exclamation mark while writing this book.
I wouldn't recommend unless you know know a bit of German or you're able to pronounce the names so you can read the book properly.
I found it didn't capture my attention as much as I hoped it would but there were parts in the book that I did enjoy. I found a lot of it confusing or it just didn't make much sense. Finishing this was a challenge and I guessed the culprit before it was mentioned and everything exploded.
Overall, it's an okay read with bits that I liked but most of it didn't enrapture me at all. It's like Gone Girl gone bad.
Another thing, Felix sure did shout a lot, either that or the author became best friends with the exclamation mark while writing this book.
I wouldn't recommend unless you know know a bit of German or you're able to pronounce the names so you can read the book properly.
July 19, 2014
I discovered this book and author via Amazon’s Kindle First program.
The story is a typical murder mystery thriller and begins with the death of a girl in her early twenties along the German autobahn outside of Munich.
The novel is a very fast read. A few surprises are present, but most plot resolutions are very predictable. Nearly all of the focal characters have multiple flaws adding depth and realism. However, I was not not able to become emotionally connected to any of them.
The conclusion is somewhat abrupt and intentionally left open ended. This may be unsatisfying for those expecting an epilogue to tie all the bows.
Overall I found Rain Girl to be OK; a quick page turner at least.
The story is a typical murder mystery thriller and begins with the death of a girl in her early twenties along the German autobahn outside of Munich.
The novel is a very fast read. A few surprises are present, but most plot resolutions are very predictable. Nearly all of the focal characters have multiple flaws adding depth and realism. However, I was not not able to become emotionally connected to any of them.
The conclusion is somewhat abrupt and intentionally left open ended. This may be unsatisfying for those expecting an epilogue to tie all the bows.
Overall I found Rain Girl to be OK; a quick page turner at least.
February 14, 2017
A bleak, dark novel, June 29, 2016
This review is from: Rain Girl (Franza Oberwieser Book 1) (Kindle Edition)
It is not often that I don't finish a book, but this one is pretty bleak. Literally. In exploring the dark side of life, it is not necessary to people a book with unlikable characters. In fact, as most of us read for pleasure as well as learning, a novel should contain something or someone likeable. At about a third of the way through, this piece is more character driven than mystery. Unfortunately the characters are plagued with adultery, child abuse, sexual obsession, broken relationships and other things in which I do not wish to be immersed. In addition, the writing and organization of the novel are disjointed. I'm usually better at choosing what I read.
This review is from: Rain Girl (Franza Oberwieser Book 1) (Kindle Edition)
It is not often that I don't finish a book, but this one is pretty bleak. Literally. In exploring the dark side of life, it is not necessary to people a book with unlikable characters. In fact, as most of us read for pleasure as well as learning, a novel should contain something or someone likeable. At about a third of the way through, this piece is more character driven than mystery. Unfortunately the characters are plagued with adultery, child abuse, sexual obsession, broken relationships and other things in which I do not wish to be immersed. In addition, the writing and organization of the novel are disjointed. I'm usually better at choosing what I read.
July 14, 2014
Decent mystery, but could have built up the suspense a lot more. For instance, the narrator could have waited to reveal to the reader that the main character's son was involved with the girl who was killed/died. This would have added more of an element of surprise than just telling readers from the get-go. It was okay and I enjoyed it but it didn't really build up the suspense for me and it wasn't that shocking when the killer was revealed because he was only briefly mentioned in the story earlier and was kind of passed over. One of those books that is just kinda meh for me.
July 13, 2016
**I received a copy of this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway.**
There were some really good parts, followed by some okay parts. Most of the book seemed a bit slow to me, more worried about their spouse finding about the "other person" rather than solving the mystery. The character conversations were lacking and I just had a hard time connecting with any of the characters.
I still gave it three stars because at the parts where the suspense picked up, it was good! I really wanted to find out who killed Marie and it was enough to keep me reading and turning the pages...
There were some really good parts, followed by some okay parts. Most of the book seemed a bit slow to me, more worried about their spouse finding about the "other person" rather than solving the mystery. The character conversations were lacking and I just had a hard time connecting with any of the characters.
I still gave it three stars because at the parts where the suspense picked up, it was good! I really wanted to find out who killed Marie and it was enough to keep me reading and turning the pages...
July 10, 2014
This book was quite different than what I normally read and I really enjoyed it. It has that writing style which is clearly translated from another language and so it seems some of the descriptions and nuances are lost. However the story was good and the emotions were clear as the story unfolds. As the relationship issues were not clearly resolved, it made me wonder if this was book 1 in a series? Anyway, it was a fun, quick read.
July 11, 2014
Reminiscent of Girl with Dragon Tattoo
The Rain Girl in many ways reminded me of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, although this misused young woman is a victim who dies before wee know her, not the clever girl who fights back. The other characters left to solve the mystery are left to unravel the mystery of her death as they cope with their own lives. The mystery held plenty of twists and a final mystery that remains unanswered. Wonderful read.
The Rain Girl in many ways reminded me of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, although this misused young woman is a victim who dies before wee know her, not the clever girl who fights back. The other characters left to solve the mystery are left to unravel the mystery of her death as they cope with their own lives. The mystery held plenty of twists and a final mystery that remains unanswered. Wonderful read.
July 6, 2014
What I liked best was the short chapters. I hate long chapters. Because I like to get up and do things between chapters. This book had the shortest chapter ever. 1 sentence.
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