Four victims. Four different locations. One strange mark on the bodies and one geographical link: all were born in Voineasa.
In this slim Romanian noir novel, trained killer Sergiu Manta and police inspector Marius Stanescu are forced to work together to find out how these four disparate deaths are connected. Sergiu has his orders and Marius has his, but what will happen when these come into conflict?
What’s it about?
Meet Sergiu Manta, trained killer, reluctant loner and highly skilled ladies man.
‘In time one learns how to end a beautiful night. You know the definition of a perfect lover, don’t you?’
‘Go on. Tell me.’
‘A man who makes love all night and turns into a pizza in the morning.’
Although Sergiu and Marius quickly begin to establish links between the victims, the killer’s motives remains opaque, until Sergiu catches a glimpse of their aggressor and has a disturbing realisation.
What’s it like?
Fast paced, dark and ultimately chilling. Ionescu’s story is largely told through dialogue and events unfold at a brisk pace. By the end of chapter one, the four bodies and main investigators have been briefly introduced and the scene is set for further drama!
Reading about life in Romania made an interesting change and although ‘Zodiac’ is apparently the second book featuring Sergiu Manta, this worked perfectly well as a standalone.
Final thoughts
Described as ‘an assassin with a conscience’, Sergiu is an interesting character and the real appeal of this story lies less in the whodunnit and more in the relationship between Sergiu and Marius. Both are very good at their job, but they mostly maintain a truce that almost segues into harmony, until they reach the breaking point…
An excellent spy / noir thriller with an intriguing setting.
