Zagreb Cowboy

August 3, 2015
Mattich's marvelous neo-noir debut begins in 1991. Balkan war is in the air, the weather is grim, and Marko Della Torre is in the backseat of a Mercedes saloon, sandwiched between Elvis-lookalike Bosnian hit men, on his way to a shallow grave. Marko is an anticorruption officer with Yugoslavia's much-feared secret police, but he isn't above making some cash on the side selling files to Strumbic, a crooked cop. After escaping the Bosnian hoods, Marko realizes Strumbic set him up. Now wanted for crimes against the state, he goes on the run across Croatia and Slovenia, through Italy to London, following the dirty money Strumbic stashed and trying to unravel why Strumbic, the Bosnians, and a mysterious old-guard Communist all want him dead. Morals are murky and loyalties confusing, and Mattich gives the novel a nihilistic yet sprightly sardonic tone. He includes some terrifically funny hard-boiled dialogue, a nice backdrop of Balkan politics, and a few wonderful secondary characters, such as Marko's lovably forlorn boss, Anzulovic, who's giving chase while still hoping that Marko is innocent. The action loses a bit of steam once the story moves to London but promisingly opens the door for a follow-up. Agent: Hilary McMahon, Westwood Creative Artists.

July 1, 2015
Recommend that readers set aside a substantial chunk of time to read this delightfulbut extremely slow-movingbit of Euro noir. It has intrigue and even some action. And a significant setting: 1991 Yugoslavia, just as that country is about to crumble from the chaos created by Bosnia's and Serbia's liberation movements. Savvy policemen, secret and otherwise. A couple of smart, sexy babes. But readers might find themselves paging through the thriller stuff to concentrate on the real pleasure here. The novel is wildly, hysterically funny. All these policemen are crooked as corkscrews, their main marks are each other, and their conversations as they struggle for advantage turn into a series of fast-paced comedy routines. Lovers swap one-liners, while married couples square off like verbal pugilists. Now and then the plot catches the author's interest, and he has to move it to its conclusion. The long finale, as the corrupt ones chase each other through the darkened woods, is rather like the Marx Brothers going after the Three Stooges. And it all, improbably, works.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)