From the TBR Pile: Blog Tour: The Summer of Long Knives by Jim Snowden

Author: Jim Snowden

Publisher: Book Tree Tropes
Date of publication: Septmeber 2013

In the summer of 1936, the racial and political climate in Munich are growing tense, and Kommisar Rolf Wundt and his wife Klara are increasingly desperate to leave Nazi Germany while they still can. But when a member of the League of German Girls is found brutally murdered and posed in the yard of a dilapidated farmhouse, Rolf’s supervisor declares that they can’t leave until he’s solved the case. Rolf’s investigation leads him from the depths of the underground Communist movement to the heights of Germany’s elite Nazi society, exposing the cracks in Germany’s so-called unified society as well as the unspoken tensions in Rolf’s complicated marriage. Ultimately, long-buried secrets and overwhelming evidence are laid bare, but how can Rolf bring the killer to justice in a country devoid of justice? And how can he protect himself, his wife, and his former lover from the barbarism of a corrupt and power-hungry government?

I am always sad when a book ends up being a DNF one for me. I always go into a new story with enthusiasm and every intention of finishing. But, I have also come to learn that I sometimes have to just give up on a book. It doesn't always mean it's badly written. It is usually because to story doesn't fit me. I found that with The Summer of Long Knives. I just really couldn't get into the story.

I kept having the feeling that I was missing something like an earlier book. I had a hard time orienting myself to the story. I also think that I really don't know enough about the political climate of that time in history to really get a grasp of what was going on within the main characters. I felt like there wasn't enough of a set-up in the beginning to help me with this. I have read a couple of reviews that stated that the book didn't have a 1930s Germany feel to it and I have to agree. I felt like the language was very American and contemporary.

Having said all of that, I have seen a lot of great reviews for the book. I encourage you to try it and see if you like it for yourself. It just wasn't a book for me.

About the author:

Bellevue author Jim Snowden has published short stories in Pulphouse, Mind In Motion, The Seattle Review, The King’s English, and MAKE.His novella, Escape Velocities, was named a 2004 notable story by the editors of StorySouth. Jim received his MFA from the University of Washington in 2004, where he won the David Guterson award for his work on his debut novel,Dismantle the Sun. He also runs a small press, MMIP Books, which published its first short story collection, Coming Unglued: Six Stories About Things Falling Apart, in May of 2011. Its second collection, Blood Promises, And Other Commitments was released in April of 2013.

Connect with Jim

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-a-Million | Barnes & Noble

Jim Snowden’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:

Monday, September 15th: Nightly Reading

Wednesday, September 17th: The Year in Books

Thursday, September 18th: Maurice on Books