Now retired, coping with some unexpected medical problems, Basel inspector Hunkeler is brought back to the real action after a local personality in the banking sector, terminally ill, died suddently. Partially asleep he witnessed the moment of his induced death and due to a game of circumstances, he may get bak on the track trying to trace the culprit. Only to reveal a very selective game of reasons and political and economic conditions that lead to the crime.
Compared to other books from the series I´ve read and reviewed before, Hunkeler´s Secret by Swiss crime author Hansjörg Schneider, translated into English by Astrid Freuler has a predominant end-of-life mood, from the thoughts of the characters themselves to the situations they are facing - depression, medical intervention, terminal illness, suicidal thoughts.
With his unique eye for detail, Hansjörg mirrors the bourgeoise world of Basel and Switzerland in general, with the long-forgotten revolutionary past of some of the main characters, including himself. Those thoughts generate another cycle of cynical thoughts, as well as his deep lectures about WWI. In the microcosme of Basel, the class of classes and cultures may lead to anti-social behavior and understanding those patterns may help us figure out the crime context, which is unexpected but changes 180 degrees the angle of the story.
The story follows a slow or very slow pace, but although it is short from 200 pages it has some moments of tensions that may just wake the reader up while following Hunkeler´s new passions involving goats, world wars and nature or Swiss soul observation.
A recommended read to anyone keen to learn more about Swiss less-perfect daily world, and curious about contemporary crime novels in this geographic literary realm.
The cover also deserves a mention, for its simple elegance.
Rating: 3.5
Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own
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