The Bridge of Sighs: A Novel [Hardcover]

Olen Steinhauer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 13, 2003

It's August, 1948, three years after the Russians "liberated" the nation from German Occupation. But the Red Army still patrols the capital's rubble-strewn streets, and the ideals of the Revolution are but memories. Twenty-two-year-old Detective Emil Brod finally gets his chance to serve his country, investigating murder for the People's Militia.

The first victim is a state songwriter, but the facts point to a political motive. Emil would like to investigate further, but his colleagues in Homicide are suspicious or silent: He is on his own in this new, dangerous world.

The Bridge of Sighs launches a unique series of crime novels featuring a cast of characters in an ever-evolving landscape, the politically volatile terrain of Eastern Europe in the second half of the 20th century.

 

The Bridge of Sighs is a 2004 Edgar Award Nominee for Best First Novel.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Set in 1948 in a small, unnamed Eastern European country devastated by WWII and still occupied by Russian troops, Steinhauer's promising debut introduces 22-year-old homicide inspector Emil Brod of the People's Militia. Brod's police academy training has prepared him for neither the rude reception he receives from his homicide comrades nor the difficult and risky assignment handed him as his initiation. The brutal murder of a moderately successful writer of patriotic songs enmeshes the bewildered Brod in an investigation hampered by his inexperience and lack of support from above as well as by other forces unknown but soon felt. Brod's trial by fire takes him through city and village, from small bars and tenements to streetwalkers and party officials. Steinhauer deftly presents minor characters, while he richly renders the country's travails as war is followed by occupation, suspicion, corruption and betrayal. The trail of murder, blackmail and wartime secrets even leads Brod to a divided Berlin, where he observes the non-stop activity at Tempelhof Airport during the Allied airlift. Perhaps the novel's weakest element is the amorphous Brod, though his appeal grows as the story progresses. One looks forward to Brod's developing into a fully realized character in future books in the series.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In 1948, in a small, unnamed Eastern European country, homicide detective Emil Brod has been assigned a case that no one wants him to solve. To make matters worse, he's only 22 years old, this is his first case in the People's Militia, and his colleagues think he's a spy. The victim, a state songwriter, appears to have been blackmailing a politicos, a man formerly known as Smerdyakov the Butcher who has connections to the highest levels of the state and a past that includes wartime atrocities for the Nazis and then the Russians. In his attempt to uncover the truth, Brod soon finds himself battling a host of obstacles (including the murder of his best witness). At the same time, he finds himself attracted to the songwriter's wife, who becomes his lover and a possible victim herself. This is an intelligent, finely polished debut, loaded with atmospheric detail that effortlessly re-creates the rubble-strewn streets of the postwar period in an Eastern state "liberated" from German occupation by the Russians. Highly recommended for mystery collections.
Ronnie H. Terpening, Univ. of Arizona, Tucson
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (February 13, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312302452
• ISBN-13: 978-0312302450
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,092,927 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Olen Steinhauer grew up in Virginia, and has since lived in Georgia, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Texas, California, Massachusetts, and New York. Outside the US, he's lived in Croatia (when it was called Yugoslavia), the Czech Republic and Italy. He also spent a year in Romania on a Fulbright grant, an experience that helped inspire his first five books. He now lives in Hungary with his wife and daughter.

http://www.olensteinhauer.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Edgar nominee historical mystery, February 26, 2004

By 

Larry Gandle (Tampa, Florida) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bridge of Sighs: A Novel (Hardcover)

In Eastern Europe, 1948, twenty two year old detective Emil Brod is given his first murder case for the People's Militia. A famous patriotic songwriter is killed in his home. As Emil investigates the murder he realizes there may have been a political reason for the killing. While questioning the upper hierarchy of the party, he is suddenly suspected of being a spy. With death being the penalty for a convicted spy, Brod now finds his own life in danger. He can expect no help from his colleagues in the People's Militia. Emil, with so much at stake, cannot abandon his search for the truth.
THE BRIDGE OF SIGHS is a period piece historical novel with a major strength being the descriptions of the locale- the exact location of which is unknown. Characters almost play a supporting role to their surroundings. The author keeps things in proper perspective, however, as the plot moves quickly to its clever ending. With the strong reliance on the almost unbearable oppression of the people, one immediately recalls the historical dramas of J. Robert Janes and LIE IN THE DARK by Dan Fesperman. Very well done.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Try "The Tourist" First, December 2, 2009

By 

T. Stroll (Oakland, Calif., USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bridge of Sighs: A Novel (Paperback)

It shows the continuing genius of "Casablanca" that a single verse from that movie can encapsulate the atmosphere of "The Bridge of Sighs." It comes from Annina, the young Bulgarian refugee who tells Rick Blaine, "We come from Bulgaria. Oh, things are very bad there, monsieur. A devil has the people by the throat." That's "The Bridge of Sighs" in a nutshell, and therein lies the challenge to the reader: how to enjoy such a relentlessly cheerless plot.

Moreover, neither the main character, Emil Brod, nor his love interest were particularly engaging. Brod's grandfather, a logorrheic simpleton, drove me to distraction with his tedious and tendentious bromides about the glories of socialism.

The novel was undermined further for a reason that's not the author's fault. I listened to the audio version and found it irritating. The reader made a number of characters sound like Grandpa Simpson, whose voice on "The Simpsons" cartoon television show is perhaps the most grating on television. There's a gay character who the reader caused to sound like the stereotypical mincing homosexual--with an overlay of Grandpa Simpson! The women, young and old, tended to sound octogenarian.

But Steinhauer is a talented writer. If you start by reading "The Bridge of Sighs," you may stop there, which would be a shame. Read Steinhauer's "The Tourist" first. It's a fine thriller, worth five stars. Then turn to "The Bridge of Sighs" and see if you like it. People's tastes vary, and the written text may be easier to absorb than was the audio version.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars No sighs here, May 11, 2005

By 

CEB (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bridge of Sighs: A Novel (Hardcover)

This novel takes place in 1948 in an unnamed Eastern European country. World War II has come to an end, the country has been liberated from the Germans, and Russian soldiers still occupy the war-ravaged city. Main character, Emil Brod, recent graduate of the police academy, now begins his career as a homicide detective with the People's Militia. Brod, for no reason he can fathom, is shunned by his fellow detectives. After several days of inactivity, Brod is finally given a case--his co-workers wait expectantly for him to fail. A patriotic songwriter for the state has been brutally murdered, and political ties are evident.

The Bridge of Sighs is wonderfully written, rich in vivid and detailed description. Characters are complex in their development, and the book has an overall sense of foreboding.