Translated by Jamie Bulloch. Published by MacLeHose Press, 25 May 2023. ISBN: 978-1-52940-919-2 (TPB)
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Despite the deceptively easy-reading and simple
presentation of Bottini’s narrative, there is little that is straightforward
about the characters or their behaviour in The Invisible Web.
The action starts in a Berlin hotel where Mike Reuter
- role unknown at this point - beats up a man loitering outside a room
inhabited by Esther Graf. The domestic and foreign German intelligence agencies
are also watching Esther who works for the energy company Go Solar.
In Freiburg we meet CI Louise Boni, the driving force
behind the investigation. Louise is a recovering alcoholic with psychological
issues, noises in her head, and an ambivalent attitude towards her boyfriend.
She is not a team player, but her investigative instincts are excellent. Her
immediate boss, Rolf Bermann, sends her to Berlin where she decides that the
scenario in the hotel needs more scrutiny. Reinhard Grave, her chief at Kripo,
the German polices’ criminal investigation department, agrees with Louise.
The intelligence agencies are not happy. They want Kripo to abandon their
investigations, inferring that the security of Germany is at risk.
Presumably they mean the economic security.
Solar energy is a growing industry. If industrial spies, possibly from a
foreign nation, steal secrets from Go Solar, the company could collapse and the
future wealth of the country be compromised. But what is Esther’s role in all
of this? Who is Mike Reuter? Why does he keep popping up when Esther is
in danger? The stakes are high. Men are killed and a policeman dies.
What is going on and who is pulling the strings?
This is book five the CI Louise Boni series. Earlier
traumatic incidents that have taken their tole on Louise are not described, but
this does not impinge on the integrity of this particular story. Rather, it
might encourage one to seek them out and discover what has happened in the
past. Louise is struggling both physically and mentally, though on a
brighter note, a positive outcome to her romantic relationship is suggested at
the end of the book. Like a spider in his web, Bottini draws you into his tale
and doesn’t let you go until the end is reached. ------ Reviewer: Angela Crowther Other books by this author: Zen and the Art of Murder, A Summer of
Murder, The Dance of Death, and Night Hunters.
Oliver Bottini was born
in 1965. Four of his novels, including Zen and the Art of Murder and A
Summer of Murder of the Black Forest Investigations have been awarded the
Deutscher Krimipreis, Germany’s most prestigious award for crime writing. In
addition, his novels have been awarded the Stuttgarter Krimipreis and the
Berliner Krimipreis. He lives in Berlin.
Angela Crowther is a
retired scientist. She has published many scientific papers but, as yet,
no crime fiction. In her spare time Angela belongs to a Handbell Ringing
group, goes country dancing and enjoys listening to music, particularly the
operas of Verdi and Wagner.
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