Thursday 2 February 2012

Book review: Death On A Galician Shore by Domingo Villar

Death on a Galician Shore. by Domingo VillarDeath on a Galician Shore. by Domingo Villar by Domingo Villar
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Death on a Galician Shore is a sea faring murder mystery set in Spain. The reader follows the main character of Leo Caldas and his erring on violence assistant Estevez as they deal with a victim found washed up at Vigo port.
First of all, it's important to remember that this is the second book of two. I felt like I'd missed some vital information, such as the building of Estevez and Caldas' relationships, how Caldas turned out to be a radio correspondent and the relationship between Caldas, his father and uncle.
The murder mystery itself is quite a good one. The victim is thought to have committed suicide, but when evidence suggests otherwise, old stories begin to unravel. Amongst the murder mystery is a local legend of a captain who disappeared at sea, and the events that took place on that fateful night when he chose to leave port in a storm.
One of the great points of this book is unrelated to the murder mystery. Villar is brilliant at describing the local cuisine, in great detail. Food is obviously very important to the Spanish! He also sets the scene very well. Vigo Fish Market comes to life!
Overall, this book made me want to visit the area, and taste it's delicacies, but not meet the characters.

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