The 6th Lamentation

Rating:
Summary: A NOTEWORTHY DEBUT AND READING
Review: A former Augustinian friar, William Brodrick well knows the focus of his compelling and ultra literate first novel. Voice performer Graeme Malcolm, a veteran of the Broadway stage, also knows his oeuvre well, and delivers a moving, highly listenable reading.

When an elderly man comes to Father Anselm's door seeking sanctuary, the prelate welcomes him to Lakewood Priory. Little does he know or would he have cause to imagine that his visitor, Eduard Schwermann, is a suspected Nazi war criminal.

Elsewhere, Agnes Embleton has little of mortal life remaining. Thus, she shares a half century old secret with her granddaughter, Lucy. Some fifty years ago Agnes had lived in occupied Paris where she worked with an underground group dedicated to saving Jewish children. But, it was not long before her group was discovered by SS officer Eduard Schwermann.

Thus begins an intertwining mystery that will hold listeners in thrall. Father Anselm learns that the Church has sheltered Schwermann in the past. Further, it assisted him in escaping to Britain and safety in 1944. Why? How could this be?

In addition, Lucy finds herself exploring her grandmother's once hidden past, little knowing the stunning facts she will unearth.

"The 6th Lamentation" is a mystery and a morality tale - a noteworthy debut.

- Gail Cooke

Rating:
Summary: An intriguing tale of wartime loyalties
Review: An old woman with a secret is dying, an old man has just claimed sanctuary in a monastery, a journalist has just discovered hidden archives about an SS officer and his French collaborator being granted entry to England after the war. Are all of these things connected? We know they must be, through the conventions of the novel, but William Brodrick succeeds in keeping the suspense up and throwing a few surprises in masterfully.

So, it's a gripping yarn. But what sets this apart from other current mysteries, is the wonderful language. I must admit, it took a few pages to settle into, but once you're there you are hooked for good. Beyond the straight tale, we also see into our character's lives, feel for them, watch them grow. In short, we have real believable characters within a wonderful story.

William Brodrick has also created a character - a monk named Father Anselm - seemingly losely based on himself, who could well become a great mystery character if Mr. Brodrick so chooses. William Brodrick was a monk before returning to lay life as a lawyer; Father Anselm is an ex-lawyer turned monk but he isn't completely satisfied with that life either. This conflict is (I'm sure deliberately) unresolved by the novel's end leaving room for growth. I certainly look forward to meeting him again.

This book reminded me a little of Donna Tartt's "The Secret History". Both books are by first time novelists, both have secrecy as a major theme and both are, what we might term, literary thrillers. It's a comparison I hope neither of the authors would mind because these are both great books. I highly recommend "The 6th Lamentation" to anyone interested in well-written books and/or great mysteries.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: On the surface the 6th Lamentation may seem like another Nazi resistance story, only with a twist. However this book deservers much praise. There are two different stories that evetnaully meet up, one being of Lucy and her grandmother Agnes, the other being that of a Monk, Anselm. Each is trying to uncover the past,and eventually they will meet one another.

Without going too many details... Lucy's grandmother who has been silent for most of her life finally speaks (writes) about her past, and her involvement with a group known as the Round Table, a ring in France that helped Jews escape. She (Agnes) also writes about how she saw the man that broke this ring on TV. A Nazi war criminal. Eventually Lucy becomes involved into uncovering the details of how the ring was discovered. That same Nazi war criminal claims sanctuary at Larkwood, where Father Anselm resides. He conducts his own investigation into the matter, and that leads him to Rome, France and many other places.

The story is a wonderful mystery, and slowly both stories come together to reveal what exactly happened and who was involved. A very interesting twist for a WWII book, especially one that is related to a resistance group. Enjoyable and thrilling to the end.

Rating:
Summary: Reward Your Patience
Review: Part historical fiction, part detective story, part courtroom drama, this Dickensian tale about the lives connected to a Nazi war criminal will reward your patience. The introductory chapters move slowly at first, but nothing is as it first appears. The intrigue builds to an amazing conclusion. This is a great story about relationships and the human condition. As bonuses, the story never becomes formulaic nor descends into vulgarity. I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Close, but no cigar...
Review: The suggestion by a reviewer appearing on the back cover that Mr. Brodrick might follow in the footsteps of his renowned countryman David Cornwall, known to lovers of spy fiction as John le Carre, prompted me to read this book. Immediately after finishing The 6th Lamentation, I began reading Absolute Friends, the latest book by Mr. le Carre. As an act of kindness I won't compare the efforts of these two authors.

I have great patience when reading but I have to admit feeling put off by the disjointed structure of this book. Movements of the main character, Father Anselm, at many points made no sense whatsoever. What appeared to be compelling leads for him to pursue were mysteriously set aside as we find the Father, once again, meandering through the grounds of his monastery conversing with various and sundry characters. The convolutions of the structure and the torpid pace of the inquiry by Father Anselm made it difficult for me to stay engaged with the story, which, in my opinion, is unnecessarily complex. It is also told in such a fragmentary way that it was difficult to hold the pieces together sufficiently to engage one's curiosity. I felt as though plot devices were set up intentionally to jerk me around, whether the fact of a primary character who is unable to talk or a significant finder of fact who stumbles at his table in a cafe and dies from the fall, or the abundance of people telling lies for reasons that escape me.

As a fan of historical fiction with a strong element of intrigue I really wanted to love this book but simply couldn't. Reading the autobiographical notes on the author I can appreciate how the various threads of this book came into being. His experience as a monk, attorney and son of a woman with a rare disease all managed to find expression in this piece of fiction. Perhaps next time, having exhausted the store of experiences of his lifetime up to this point, he will be able to sharpen his focus and bring us a story of greater subtlety that will engage and entertain us.

And now back to Absolute Friends...

(As a footnote I'll observe that people tend to rate most highly those reviews that are laudatory. I'm not certain whether this phenomenon is the product of folks who love the book in question and are offended that someone would think otherwise, or a belief that if you can't say something nice you should say nothing at all. I would like to believe that a well thought through assessment of a product, whether positive or less than positive, is of value to a prospective buyer of that product. But that's just one man's opinion...)

Rating:
Summary: A Dazzling Debut for William Brodrick
Review: There are a chosen few in this world blessed with the talent to craft a good story. William Brodrick has not only the talent but also a graceful way with a pen. While this is his first book, he writes with the polish of a veteran author and brings his readers a story filled with tragedy, love, redemption and forgiveness. His background as an Augustinian friar lends his prose a certain beauty, and his current persona as a lawyer infuses his tale with high intrigue. He spends the first half of the book slowly building the framework of an intricate mystery, then deliciously unravels it piece by piece in the second half. His pace is measured --- so much so that the urge to look ahead was almost irresistible. But that would spoil the surprises.

Agnes Aubret survived the German occupation of Paris in 1942. She survived the death camp and its aftermath. Now she is dying --- unfairly, she believes --- of a disease that will take her quickly from her family. She remembers one man from her horrific past who she has waited a lifetime to see account for his crimes. As her time nears an end, she notices him on the television news. To her horror, she realizes he has sought sanctuary at nearby Lakewood Priory. She is stunned and wants answers. But she has precious little time.

Lakewood's Father Anselm, barrister turned monk, is asked to handle the delicate situation for the church. The church, it is feared, will be set in a bad light if the Nazi now living within the monastery walls is guilty of the allegations. The monk tracks down leads all over England, and some in France, trying to sort out the truth. It is elusive, however, and often appearances are deceiving. In fact, most of the characters are not what --- or who --- they initially seemed to be.

While Father Anselm works to uncover the truth, Agnes's granddaughter Lucy is doing a little investigating of her own. Agnes has recounted her awful history, telling Lucy about The Round Table, a group formed to smuggle Jewish children to safety in Switzerland, and about its ultimate demise. Someone within the small organization betrayed them. Agnes always thought she knew who it was. But maybe she was wrong. Lucy's love for her grandmother thrusts her into a fervid hunt to find out what really happened, so Agnes can die in the peace that has eluded her for so long.

Nearly overflowing with characters, THE 6TH LAMENTATION keeps its readers rapt with personalities in addition to action. Aside from Father Anselm, the monks are all distinct individuals, rich with quirky behaviors and odd traits. The cast from Agnes's time in Paris comes alive with their own pasts and motives. The face of evil fades with the years, blurring the hatred that once resided there. Fifty years later, an old man standing before his accusers simply looks frail, not like a murderous barbarian. But who is he inside?

Brodrick handles an ugly subject with just the right mix of disgust and gentleness. He blends the utter repulsiveness of that hideous time in history with the compassion due the victims and their families. The wronged are well treated by this author. The guilty are given little sympathy. While Brodrick claims this is a novel, it reads like nonfiction --- fast and true. This is a dazzling debut.

--- Reviewed by Kate Ayers