The Long Siesta has an unusual protagonist in the form of drug addict Detective Velazquez.
The novel opens with the gruesome murder of a priest and the trail quickly leads to an escort agency, a young Spanish man called Ramon and an elderly woman, Anna Segura, who is writing a novel set during the Spanish Civil War.
It's not long before another priest is found murdered, swiftly followed by the discovery of the body of a Russian gangster. How can these crimes possibly be linked? That's the puzzle that Velazquez has to solve and fast.
Events quickly turn personal and Velazquez finds himself in the spotlight and almost being taken off the case.
Set in Seville in 1998 Nick Sweet has written a clever novel which straddles both the past and the present. Interspersed with Spanish words and phrases, bullfighting and some history of the Spanish Civil War this is an intelligent read which leaves the reader not knowing which way the characters are going to turn next as you're never 100 per cent sure who the good guys are. While I did enjoy reading The Long Siesta, personally I prefer my thrillers with a little more pace.
With kind thanks to author Nick Sweet for the review copy.
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