Giles Blunt's "The Delicate Storm" is surprisingly unremarkable. It is the second novel in the Cardinal/Delorme series, and it does not match the quality of the first book in the series ("Forty Words for Sorrow"), which is one of the better police procedurals I have read. Maybe the "sophomore slump" effect jinxed Mr. Blunt's effort.Body parts of a man, severely nibbled on by bears, are found, and detectives Cardinal and Delorme have to determine the identity of the victim, and then find the killer. Another murder occurs, and the roots of the case point deep into the past, back to 1970s. I do not find the plot that interesting, and I have had real trouble to keep focused on the action. The resolution of the plot depends on long and detailed confessions of several people involved in the past events, and to me the circumstances of these confessions seem contrived and implausible.Of course, "The Delicate Storm" is written well. It is hard for a good writer to suddenly lose the artistry. Toward the end of Mr. Blunt's novel there are some well-written scenes that are dramatic in a real-life sense rather than in idiotic Hollywood-style drama manner. The ending takes place during a severe ice storm and the descriptions of Algonquin Bay and other places during extreme weather conditions feel quite realistic. I have also learned a lot about FLQ (Front de liberation du Quebec) and the portrayal of ridiculousness of a resistance movement that is not universally supported by people is acutely painful. I also like the ambiguous (thus sort of real-life) ending.I am glad to have read the book, yet it could have been so much better than an average, run-of-the-mill procedural, which it is now.Two and a half stars.
Eines vorweg: Giles Blunt beherrscht die Natur- und Wetterbeschreibung perfekt! Nicht nur einmal hatte ich das Gefühl mitten im Eis- und Temperatur-Chaos Ontarios zu stecken, die Nebelschwaden am Fenster vorbeiziehen zu sehen.Der Krimi kommt etwas schwerer in die Gänge als man sonst so gewohnt ist: die widrigen Bedingungen und komplett fehlende Spuren erschweren den beiden Provinzpolizisten die Ermittlungen. So müssen immerhin zwei Morde und ein paar unkonventionelle Maßnahmen ins Land ziehen, ehe John Cardinal und seine frankokanadische Partnerin erste Zusammenhänge erahnen - und dabei liegen sie häufig gar nicht mal so richtig...Äußerst gut gefallen haben mir die Einblicke in die Geschichte und die internen Konflikte Kanadas: weiß man doch als Westeuropäer relativ wenig über die Geschichte des größten Staates Nordamerikas. Und das Ermittlerteam war mir auch sehr sympathisch: zwei "normale" Kollegen von denen der hauptsächlich im Mittelpunkt stehende keine außergewöhnlichen Charakterzüge mitbringt - nein, im Ernst: Cardinal ist -ausgenommen eines schweren Patzers in seiner Vergangenheit- ein angenehmer, stinknormaler Zeitgenosse, dessen Privatleben zwar vorkommt, aber nicht im Fokus steht.Ja, und dann sind da ja noch die oben bereits erwähnten Wetterbeschreibungen mit dem Blick auf das Leben der Menschen, und die empfand ich als äußerst gut gelungen!Kurzum: das war sicherlich nicht mein letzter Giles Blunt!
What do You think about The Delicate Storm (2004)?
Great mystery by Giles Blunt, an in-depth study of character and place. The dark days of winter are vividly painted by Blunt, watching bodies pile up and personalities clash. What is a good detective story without infighting? And Giles Blunt ensures plenty.There isn't much else I can say that other reviewers have stated over on the books' page over on Amazon.com, but for readers here, I'll say the characters are well-written, three dimensional, feeling like real people. Some you will cheer for and others, not so much. The place, an area in Canada, is dark, unforgiving, especially in the cold and harsh northern winter, with snow and ice. It is almost a character in and of itself.Add in multiple federal and country agencies involved in murders and crimes, and you have a twisting, winding story. Blunt takes his time and paces beautifully, as well.I would give this book 4 1/2 stars.
—Brick ONeil
I'm only giving this book 1 star because it left me with such a disappointed feeling when it didn't end. I was absolutely enjoying this story and the great historical references and I didn't even find the political jabs too distracting as some reviewers have suggested and then the story just kind of stops. I mean the all too easy fix for John Cardinal's past deep secret was bad enough but to let the bad guy just walk away???? C'mon Giles, you have to be able to do better than this!I mean after "40 Words For Sorrow" I had big expectations here and was badly let down. I'll try some more of this series mainly 'cause I've already, unfortunately, bought "Blackfly Season" and I can get the rest free from the Public library. Hope it gets better!
—Philip
This was an interesting low-key murder mystery full of Canadian references to the October Crisis, provincial politics, local policing, the RCMP, CSIS, and the CIA. Actually a little confusing sometimes to keep all the bureaucracies and their roles separate and straight, but that's life. Detective John Cardinal and his partner Detective Lise Delorme work methodically to unravel many threads, and in the end we understand what happened but are left frustrated. This can happen with murder cases. The setting of Northern Ontario during an ice storm heightens the frustration level - how to actually investigate while trying to manage the weather is an unwanted challenge.
—Gloria
