Silver pebbles by Hansjorg Schneider

 

Name of Book: Silver Pebbles

Author: Hansjorg Schneider 

ISBN: 978-1-913394-62-2

Publisher: Bitter Lemon Press 

Part of a Series: Prequel to The Basel Killings 

Type of book: 1990s, Switzerland, thriller, chase, diamonds, Basel, life, control, drug mules, Rhine, work, sewer work, cashier, relationships,  

Year it was published: 2022 

Summary:

A hunt for drug gang diamonds is keeping Basel Inspector Hunkeler on tenterhooks.

Basel, nestled at the border of Switzerland with Germany and France, has been hammered by a huge snowstorm, cars and trams can barely move, trees are groaning under the weight of the recent snowfall, the cathedral and city roofs are smothered. 

An elegant young Lebanese man carrying diamonds in his bag is on the train from Frankfurt to Basel, a drug mule on the return journey. At the Basel train station, Inspector Hunkeler is waiting for him after a tipoff from the German police. The courier manages to get to the station toilet and flushes the stones away. Erdogan, a young Turkish sewage maintenance worker, finds the diamonds in the pipes under the station. To him they mean wealth and the small hotel he always wanted to buy near his family village. To his older Swiss girl-friend Erika, employed at a supermarket checkout counter, the stones signify the end of their life together. She knows that Erdogan has a wife and children in Turkey. 

For the courier, finding the stones is a matter of life and death. His employers are on their way to “tidy things up”. For Hunkeler the stones are the only way to get to the people behind the drug trade. They turn out to include not only the bottom-feeding drug gangs but bankers and politicians very high up the Basel food chain.

Characters:

Main characters include Peter Hunkeler, a divorced and estranged from his daughter inspector who too oftentimes sees things as they are instead of trying to excuse them. Some points that he brought up about control or forbidden are definitely something to ponder. He is a passionate although disillusioned inspector. Erika is a fifty two year old woman without husband or children who has been dating a Turkish seasonal worker by name Erdogan. She is careful, thoughtful and analytical. Erdogan Civil is a thirty eight year old man who is married and has a family back in Turkey. He desires a life where he can fulfill his wish of owning a hotel. Guy Kayat is a wealthy drug mule who is carrying diamonds and whose life is on the line if he doesn't get them back. 

Theme:

Who is the antagonist in the story? 

Plot:

The story is in third person narrative from Guy's point of view as well as Peter Hunkler, Erdogan Civil and Erdogans Swiss girlfriend, Erika. Each of these characters is fleshed out and contributed a lot to the story. In other words, there was never a dull or filler moment, but instead the reader sees them as all too human, and the author simply delights in breaking down the readers perceptions of the players. Also, this is a thriller where the prize are diamonds and we see from each perspective what these jewels mean. 

Author Information:
(From book)

Hansjorg Schneider, born in Aarau, Switzerland, in 1938, has worked as a teacher and journalist, and is one of the most performed playwrights in the German language. He is best known for his Inspector Hunkeler crime novels. Silver Pebbles, following on from the success of The Basel Killings, is the second in the series to appear in English. Shcneider has received numerous awards, among them the prestigious Friedrich Glauser prize for The Basel Killings. He lives and writes in Basel. 

Opinion:

I am surprised to learn that SILVER PEBBLES was originally published in 1990s in German language. Aside from few references to the phones, it feels like a beautiful and timeless novel that could have happened anytime anyplace.  I was pretty excited to read this book, mainly because in literature I have never traveled to Switzerland and it was awesome to be introduced to continental Europe, which this book does in spades. There weren't bad or good people, but simply people who lived lives and ended up in different situations. Also, while this was published second, shortly after BASEL KILLINGS, this is the book that began Inspector Hunkeler series. I also liked that the focus is on what is considered the bottom rung society rather than the wealthy elite. 

This was given for review 

4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)