PHILIP KERR – Dead Meat. Mysterious Press, hardcover, 1994; paperback, 1995. First published in UK by Chatto, hardcover, 1993.

   Kerr’s first three novels were about a German PO and set before, during, and after WWII, and his fourth was set in a futuristic England. Now he turns to the new Russia.

   A militia investigator from Moscow is sent to St. Petersburg (née Leningrad) to learn more about dealing with the Russian Mafia, a conglomerate of multi-ethnic gangs becoming an ever-increasing force in Russia. The commander of the [militia] unit there is considered the best in the East at dealing with them. A prominent journalist is found murdered along with a Georgian gangster, and then a gang war breaks out.

   As the investigator from Moscow and the Colonel from St. Petersburg delve into the mess they discover that things are not as they seem; but in Russia they never were.

   I liked Kerr’s German trilogy, feeling that he did a superb job of capturing the spirit of the Germany of the times while creating a fine character in his weary PI. His next, A Philosophical Investigation, I thought an ambitious but thorough failure.

   I’m in between on this one. The mixed first and third person narrative was erratic and somewhat confusing, and the Pasternak-quoting Colonel was the only vivid character, but the feel for post-glasnot Russia was excellent. I got the feeling that Kerr couldn’t decide upon his primary goal: paint a picture of a society, or tell a story.

   It kept me reading, but it seemed more like a lengthy episode than a novel.