Musician Protagonists in (S)F, pt.14

TITLE: The Nightmare

AUTHOR: Lars Kepler

YEAR: 2010

IS THIS SF?
No, doesn’t even pretend to be (see parenthesis in post title).

PJE SYNOPSIS
Number 2 in the Joona Linna series. Murders are committed, Joona pieces them together, much witty dialogue and fast-paced action ensues—well written and well pieced together, good believable characters.

REALLY A MUSICIAN?
not Joona, but YES to Alex Riesen, plays the violin and savant-like seems to know everything about it, ever. He was forced to be a musician by his parents, which adds a ring of truth to his character. Though, by his own admission, he doesn’t necessarily practice, and hasn’t played in thirty years. Knows his music by ear, by touch, by history, etc.

WHY A MUSICIAN?
I’ve included this book in an otherwise SF review series because the musician character is exceptional. Alex Riesen is the newly-appointed chair of a board that oversees munitions supplies and shipments from Sweden. He feels a lot of pressure, but knows in his heart-of-hearts that something’s not right and as such he doesn’t give in. He shows character and steadfastness in the face of dealings with illegitimate businessmen when people previously in his position have not been able to do so. As a result he prevents a highly disagreeable international situation. His skills as a musician, and thus as a guide and teacher or the violin, allow him to delay and add a layer of confusion to the otherwise violent conclusion of the book. Also, he’s able to date a photograph (the crucial piece of evidence…) by studying the hand positions of the string quartet in the background…!!!

RECOMMENDED?
YES—well done overall, with lots of music and musical references throughout. The original Swedish title of the book translates as “The Paganini Contracts”