"In the Heart of Prague" by Andrew Pratt

A very competently written police procedural murder mystery.

 A newly retired English cop nicknamed Honza is on holiday in Prague and happens to be on the scene of the murder of an English tourist so he is recruited by the Czech police as a consultant. 

The book is clearly laying the foundation for a series of books. This means that time was invested in describing the setting, detailing the back story of the protagonist, and creating original characters. These things can slow down the pace of the story but add colour and depth and a sense of realism; they are all exactly in line with the conventions of this genre.

A notable feature of the book, one that differentiates this book from many others and has been recognised by other readers as a particular strength of the book,  is that police interviews are rendered as transcripts (including the same explanation of why a retired English policeman is sitting in) which adds considerably to the verisimilitude. 

My only criticism, and the reason for giving four rather than five stars, is that I found the dialogue rather formal. It almost read like a series of witness statements. This made sense for the Czech characters, and there was certainly less formality for the English character, who sometimes used slang, but I felt that, while it made the story clearer, I couldn't tell from the dialogue which character was speaking. 

The structure of the plot conforms perfectly to the four part model with major turning points at the 25%, 50% and 75% points. The revelation of the killer came a little earlier than normal but enabled the final section of the book to move into chase mode.

Selected quotes:

• “I think in English you say it will put hairs on your chest. Over here we just say you need another shot for the other leg.” (Ch 4)
• “'Well, I think you British say, the bird must get the early worm.' 'No, no,' said Jonny, exasperated but being pulled unwittingly into the conversation. 'The saying is "an early bird gets the worm".' 'Exactly, that’s what I said.'" (Ch 5)
• "As age had crept up on him, he had found walking more and more satisfying," (Ch 13)

A well-written whodunnit with a distinctive authorial voice. 

January 2021

This review was written by the author of Motherdarling  and The Kids of God