Lumen (Captain Martin Bora, #1) in Around the World in 80 Books

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Mar 07, 2012 Tony rated it liked it

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Set in the months following the German invasion of Poland in 1939, this first book in the Martin Bora series follows a Captain in the Intelligence arm of the German army who is tasked with solving the murder of a famous Polish nun in Cracow (aka Krakow). He's given a sidekick or sorts, in the form of a visiting Catholic priest from Chicago, who has been sent by the Vatican to write a report about the nun as a possible candidate for sainthood. Meanwhile, he must also deal with the odious womanizi Set in the months following the German invasion of Poland in 1939, this first book in the Martin Bora series follows a Captain in the Intelligence arm of the German army who is tasked with solving the murder of a famous Polish nun in Cracow (aka Krakow). He's given a sidekick or sorts, in the form of a visiting Catholic priest from Chicago, who has been sent by the Vatican to write a report about the nun as a possible candidate for sainthood. Meanwhile, he must also deal with the odious womanizing officer he is roommates with, and the troubling increase in civilian killings he learns of. Captain Bora is a thoughtful, university educated, sober soldier, whose notions of honor and law conflict with the wartime reality and his own desires. The result is a mystery that spends a good deal more time on his moral struggles than your typical whodunit.

The book does a very good job of placing the reader in the early moments of World War II, as seen through the eyes of a willing soldier who isn't yet aware of the nature of the beast he's a part of. Some of the book's best moments are when Bora comes into contact and conflict with the SS, who are clearly engaged in some completely different and separate agenda from his own straightforward military one. There are other nice details, such as references to Bora's previous service in Spain during the Civil War, and a tense meeting with a Soviet unit (recall that at the time, Germany and the USSR split Poland between them). Unfortunately, the period detail isn't enough to sustain the somewhat plodding pace of the story, which wheezes slowly through Bora's investigation of the nun's killing and a subplot involving several Polish actresses involved with his roommate. There's also a lot of discussion of religion and faith with the Chicago priest that didn't connect with me at all. The premise of a German army "detective" is a good one, but on the whole it feels like a first book in need of an experienced editor who could give it a little more shape and trim some of the fat. Originally written and published in 1999, it has been republished in conjunction with the second in the series, Liar Moon. ...more

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Jun 11, 2011 Steve Anderson rated it it was amazing

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Mar 23, 2012 Nancy rated it liked it

Shelves: mystery, wwii, 2012-read

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Around the World in 80 Books