Night of the Crow by Abel Tomé

Night of the Crow by Abel Tomé

Galician fiction

Original title – a noite do corvo

Translator – Jonathan Dunne

Source – Review copy

I have long been a fan of thePress Small stations, run by the translator Jonathan Dunne. I first came across him with the books of Manuel Rivas he had translated, which, early on in this blog, were my favourite books I read. So when he kindly sent me three of the newer titles, I was excited. This one jumped out as I don’t read many crime novels, but for me, this had some classic crime novel traits Abel Tomé is both a Journalist and a welder, it said on the rear cover ( I read that and immediately thought of the Smiley quote it is such circumstances that produces certain people) He is known for his ability to take readers to new settings and the attendant myths. This book is a perfect example of that!

“It was the night of the crow. I heard it sing and jump with the full moon on top of the thatched roof.

After that, it went away, but carried on singing.”

“Singing? Since when does a crow sing?”

Lúa looked at me. This didn’t stop the old woman picking up on the irony.

“You know what I mean, inspector. It was the night of the crow. I’m sure of it. And when the crow sings at that kind of time, it’s for only one reason. The premonition of death. That’s right, death.”

I hated all of that. Superstition. The divine. Miracles.

“Thanks be to God.” Something beyond. Beyond? Where?

What a pile of nonsense! The old woman dressed in

mourning for twenty years, talking of crows that presage death. In Galataz, people leave whatever small change they have in the church’s basket.

The island is steep in Myths and the old tradtions as well !

I said this had classic crime novel traits. Well, we have a family of four found dead on a house next to a lighthouse on an island that has two prominent families, and the island itself can be self-governing. In addition, the police have to call in to solve the crime. The police inspector called in is a man haunted by the loss of his wife. He ends up butting heads with the locals as the island has its own way of doing things. Inspector Goncalves is handed the case and gets his two assistants to meet him on Gothard Island. Pierre, a sex addict who chain smokes, and Lua, who has a father with Alzheimer’s. he is the one member of the police who has a connection through his family to the island. The crime of the death of the schoolteacher and his family lead the team into the heart of the island and the community divide y the family and also the laws like they still have the death penalty and how a trial would run shock the police. It seems Gothard is stuck in the past and hasn’t changed its legal system since the Middle Ages. This crime novel sees them dealing with everything on the island as much as solving the crime. It is more than just murder and links to events in the town they are from

Rowan Faol lived in the north of Gothard, in a kind of luxury residential development with about fifteen houses. The strange thing is some of the houses belonged to big shots from Beth. On the island, they could enjoy some privacy. They paid the chancellor to drive away those journalists who stick to famous people’s butts.

Celebrity magazines and the like. The truth is in that place there was lots of discussion about the future of the city. I always imagined them sitting at a round table, discussing ways of earning more money at the expense of Beth’s naive inhabitants. An epidemic, the threat of economic crisis, a new law…

One of the people theymeet from one of the two main famlies the Faols and the Carthaigs !

What caught my attention about this book is the setting, the Island of Gothard, which reminds me of places like the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, where bits of the old feudal system are still around on the island. Add to that, the two main families. Then, the secrets of the island’s two main families, the three main officers, all have their own burdens, from constantly looking at the females of the islands to Lua’s own connection to the island. Then add the four dead bodies, and you have the making of what is an excellent gem of a novel. It is what made Agatha Christie’s books work well. Islands were one of her favourite settings for a novel. Then, the classic incoming police officers clashing with the locals is a common theme of great crime fiction. Then, he throws in a local leader who wants to have his fingers in the case and wants it done his way. I said I hadn’t read any crime novels, but this was the first of two I read in the last couple of weeks. Both twist the genre. Do you like crime novels that are more than just a crime novel like this?