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pappas's review
5.0
I a big fan of Steve Anderson's original books. This is the first time I've read one of his translations of someone else's work. I could hear Steve's "voice" in the dialogue.
It's a fast paced crime noir with some worthy twists. Not much of a message here, but colorful characters and gritty feel for the underside of Berlin. .A fast read worth a cold winter weekend.
It's a fast paced crime noir with some worthy twists. Not much of a message here, but colorful characters and gritty feel for the underside of Berlin. .A fast read worth a cold winter weekend.
kcfromaustcrime's review
4.0
Translated from the original German, UNTIL THE DEBT IS PAID is a combination police procedural and energiser bunny styled action thriller which starts out running when Detective Jan Tommen wakes up beside his beloved girlfriend one morning to find himself as the chief suspect in a vicious murder. Unfortunately the killing occurred during a time period that he has no recollection of, and the evidence linking him to the crime scene is as strong as his alleged motive. Escaping from his own police station, he goes on the run with the support of a good friend, a medical examiner, and a reclusive computer expert. Everything the well-equipped fugitive needs to conduct their own investigation.
Because of his band of supporters, Tommen bounces a bit between his lone wolf character, and somebody that has to rely heavily on the kindness of friends. He's also a man who can absorb a lot of physical and emotional damage in the pursuit of the truth. There's a good cast of baddies and, just for a slight change, there's an unsupportive police colleague (and Tommen's preferred suspect) rather than superior.
Lots of pace, lots of action, and a strong story arc with a twist at the end, the interactions between Tommen and his supporters are the real highlight in this book. Less a character study though, this is about building relationships between an ensemble cast, whilst also ensuring that Tommen remains front and centre of the investigation, and on the run. The individual eccentricities of the others is, in some ways expected, yet believable and engaging and the interactions between them often dryly funny. The twist is well delivered, and reasonably unexpected. The only minor quibble is that sometimes the dialogue seems a little formal, stylised if you like. But that's a very minor point as UNTIL THE DEBT IS PAID is an entertaining thriller with a all-round good guy done bad central protagonist.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/review-until-debt-paid-alexander-hartung
Because of his band of supporters, Tommen bounces a bit between his lone wolf character, and somebody that has to rely heavily on the kindness of friends. He's also a man who can absorb a lot of physical and emotional damage in the pursuit of the truth. There's a good cast of baddies and, just for a slight change, there's an unsupportive police colleague (and Tommen's preferred suspect) rather than superior.
Lots of pace, lots of action, and a strong story arc with a twist at the end, the interactions between Tommen and his supporters are the real highlight in this book. Less a character study though, this is about building relationships between an ensemble cast, whilst also ensuring that Tommen remains front and centre of the investigation, and on the run. The individual eccentricities of the others is, in some ways expected, yet believable and engaging and the interactions between them often dryly funny. The twist is well delivered, and reasonably unexpected. The only minor quibble is that sometimes the dialogue seems a little formal, stylised if you like. But that's a very minor point as UNTIL THE DEBT IS PAID is an entertaining thriller with a all-round good guy done bad central protagonist.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/review-until-debt-paid-alexander-hartung
szga's review against another edition
1.5
Stereotypical, Slightly racist and predictable. Only giving it the extra 0.5 star because I listened to it quickly.
franzio97's review against another edition
2.0
Die Idee ist ganz gut, aber der Schreibstil macht's fast unleserlich...
kolymaarasto's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
kiramke's review
3.0
We jump right into to a lot of action. Well before I know or care about the characters, which is problematic. There is a distinct lack of atmosphere. Nothing but the occasional neighborhood name indicates this is taking place in Berlin; it could be any city anywhere. That was especially disappointing. This is probably my least favorite plot type, and it's very weird to start a series with it. However by the end it reads a little better, the characters are slowly growing on me, the story isn't terribly done, still no atmosphere... I'll probably try another and see if they get better.
filunara's review against another edition
2.0
Mein erster Krimi seit Ewigkeiten und mein erstes Buch, das ich auf Deutsch lese seit noch länger. Ich weiß nicht, ob ich einfach nur die englische Sprache gewohnt bin und mir das Buch deshalb so „hakelig“ vorkam ... aber alleine, dass der Autor „als wie“ schreibt macht mich wahnsinnig. Welches Lektorat lässt das denn durchgehen? Sprachlich jedenfalls nichts besonderes.
Zur Story: Ich wusste schon nach ein paar Seiten, wer für die Morde verantwortlich ist. Ich habe nicht direkt ein Motiv erkannt, aber das kam dann mit der Zeit. Insofern war die Auflösung für mich alles andere als eine Überraschung und ich war jedes Mal genervt, wenn die Verdächtigen sich geändert haben, weil ja klar war, dass es nicht richtig ist. Die Charaktere sind nicht sehr dreidimensional, einzig Jan war etwas besser geformt als die anderen. Die weiteren Protagonisten sind eher Klischees. Die Beschreibung von Max, dem Hacker, nehme ich ein wenig persönlich. Warum müssen die Computernerds immer gammelig sein, irgendwie weird und sozial nicht sehr begabt? In seiner Wohnung stinkt es, er selbst müffelt und überall stapeln sich Pizzakartons. Zoe ist dann die toughe Rechtsmedizinerin, die einfach zu „cool“ ist, ständig raucht und flucht und sO aNdErS iSt AlS dIE aNdErEn FrAuEn. Bei Chandu bin ich mir noch nicht sicher. Er sollte etwas mehr Hintergrund erhalten, das ist mit klar, aber irgendwie wirkt seine Geschichte angefangen und nicht zuende gebracht. Vielleicht wird im zweiten Teil der Reihe ja noch mehr aus ihm gemacht.
Alles in allem eine kurzweilige Unterhaltung, wenn man sich nicht an eher flachen Charakteren stört. Das Sonderermittlungsteam rund um Jan hat aber Potential, ich hoffe für alle LeserInnen, dass das auch ausgeschöpft wird. Ein bisschen CIA- Charme, aber i Berlin.
Zur Story: Ich wusste schon nach ein paar Seiten, wer für die Morde verantwortlich ist. Ich habe nicht direkt ein Motiv erkannt, aber das kam dann mit der Zeit. Insofern war die Auflösung für mich alles andere als eine Überraschung und ich war jedes Mal genervt, wenn die Verdächtigen sich geändert haben, weil ja klar war, dass es nicht richtig ist. Die Charaktere sind nicht sehr dreidimensional, einzig Jan war etwas besser geformt als die anderen. Die weiteren Protagonisten sind eher Klischees. Die Beschreibung von Max, dem Hacker, nehme ich ein wenig persönlich. Warum müssen die Computernerds immer gammelig sein, irgendwie weird und sozial nicht sehr begabt? In seiner Wohnung stinkt es, er selbst müffelt und überall stapeln sich Pizzakartons. Zoe ist dann die toughe Rechtsmedizinerin, die einfach zu „cool“ ist, ständig raucht und flucht und sO aNdErS iSt AlS dIE aNdErEn FrAuEn. Bei Chandu bin ich mir noch nicht sicher. Er sollte etwas mehr Hintergrund erhalten, das ist mit klar, aber irgendwie wirkt seine Geschichte angefangen und nicht zuende gebracht. Vielleicht wird im zweiten Teil der Reihe ja noch mehr aus ihm gemacht.
Alles in allem eine kurzweilige Unterhaltung, wenn man sich nicht an eher flachen Charakteren stört. Das Sonderermittlungsteam rund um Jan hat aber Potential, ich hoffe für alle LeserInnen, dass das auch ausgeschöpft wird. Ein bisschen CIA- Charme, aber i Berlin.
urlphantomhive's review
3.0
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
I chose this book solely because the setting is Berlin, one of my favourite cities (and I really like to read about it as well). Not too much Berlin in this book though...
When Jan wakes up with a hangover, he doesn't expect the police to storm into his room. He - a police officer himself - can't remember what he's done the last 36 hours, and they arrest him for the murder of a respected judge. With his memory gone, it's hard to proof he's innocent...
An enjoyable read. I almost always like German crime novels, and this is no exception. There's a lot of running around so if that's something you like, you'll probably like this too. One thing that made the whole plot a bit more realistically is that the main character is a cop (as opposed to all people who've no experience whatsoever fighting crime/policing but know how not to get caught). His friends however are made of cardboard stitched together with a lot of clichés. I mean, the techguy/hacker who doesn't leave his house and doesn't seem to know how to use a bath/shower? I've read that too many times before.
The translation, for as far as I can tell (I've only read the English version), seems quite good, and is very readable. The story was okay too, though the thought keeps nagging at me that I've read a book with a very similar story before. I just can't remember which book.
Original Title: Bis alle Schuld beglichen
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I chose this book solely because the setting is Berlin, one of my favourite cities (and I really like to read about it as well). Not too much Berlin in this book though...
When Jan wakes up with a hangover, he doesn't expect the police to storm into his room. He - a police officer himself - can't remember what he's done the last 36 hours, and they arrest him for the murder of a respected judge. With his memory gone, it's hard to proof he's innocent...
An enjoyable read. I almost always like German crime novels, and this is no exception. There's a lot of running around so if that's something you like, you'll probably like this too. One thing that made the whole plot a bit more realistically is that the main character is a cop (as opposed to all people who've no experience whatsoever fighting crime/policing but know how not to get caught). His friends however are made of cardboard stitched together with a lot of clichés. I mean, the techguy/hacker who doesn't leave his house and doesn't seem to know how to use a bath/shower? I've read that too many times before.
The translation, for as far as I can tell (I've only read the English version), seems quite good, and is very readable. The story was okay too, though the thought keeps nagging at me that I've read a book with a very similar story before. I just can't remember which book.
Original Title: Bis alle Schuld beglichen
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
wertzuio's review against another edition
2.0
Relativ spannend aber der Schreibstil hat mir überhaupt nicht gefallen. Auch die Charaktere waren zu übertrieben und klischeehaft. Zoe hat mich besonders genervt und Jan ist ein 0815 Typ der meiner Meinung nach nichts zur Handlung beigesteuert hat. Zudem waren die "Plot twists" ziemlich offensichtlich und letztendlich war die Handlung sehr unrealistisch. Ich glaube der Autor hat zu viel CSI geschaut... Dieses Buch ist eher was für zwischendurch, muss man aber nicht gelesen haben.
yetanothersusan's review
4.0
Jan is a detective who becomes a murder suspect within the first few pages. The rest of the book follows his attempt to clear his name with the help of an odd assortment of friends. The beginnings of an excellent series!