Where Annja Finds the Clues

Gabriel's Horn by Alex Archer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is an entertaining example of pulp fiction. I could almost have given it a 4, especially in that particular category, but 3 stars feels more fair. Kinda fun; a few slow bits; a fun new character; an ending that came abruptly. Good, then, not great. 3 stars.

Part of the pleasure of these books, like any series, is stepping immediately into a story with characters you know. It makes the early parts of the book more fun than other books. Less work. That easy entrance is one of the main attractions of this series.

Annja Creed is always a fun character, too. She's reasonably believable (certainly within the bounds of the genre) and resorts to violence only where necessary. So she finds herself in lots of action, though not gratuitous violence. (Compare to, say, Mack Bolan, which is also entertaining, but includes a lot more killing.) In this episode, she's tracking down a painting that both of her mentors want, but it is also being pursued by two separate groups of murderous bad guys and their henchmen. The painting, once located, leads to another object that is very dangerous.

So, I guess it's two maguffins. Maguffi. I don't know. But it works fine.

Some of it is less thrilling. TBH, I have little interest in what Roux and Garin are doing. Their scenes are always slow. But a new character, old Charlie, is interesting, and may have a cool backstory. I wonder if we'll see more of him. I hope so.

Anyway, this is a decent entry in the series. It takes itself just about as seriously as you'd like it to, and it has plenty of ancient riddles and the like. Recommended for those already reading the series, primarily.

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