Paul Adam (1) (1958–)

I really enjoyed this book. It is in that lovely sub-category of mysteries that includes a bit of well-researched historical trivia as part of the plot, in this case a bit of biographical trivia about Paganini and his violin, il Cannone, along with stuff about violin-making and about Paganini's music. The characters are nicely crafted and the murder mystery blends well with the historical elements. I looked up some Paganini videos on youtube to listen to while reading, and it was especially fun to watch concerts where real violinists were playing il Cannone, while I was reading about this famous violin (though I prefer a richer, less whiney tone than that of Paganini's violin, it turns out).

I was a bit annoyed at how old-fashioned and sexist the protagonist is, despite his attempts at egalitarian chore-sharing with his girlfriend, but it does fit with the fact that he is supposed to be an older Italian man.… (more)

Knife Edge is a thriller that fails to settle on a single theme. One chapter deals with illegal immigrants; the next explores the criminal use of out-of-date carcasses at meat packaging plants. These themes are too powerful to sit side by side, and the result is the impression that Paul Adam is trying to preach about these problems. This seriously diminishes the reader’s involvement in the story and breaks the magic.

Another problem with Knife Edge is that it isn’t clear until over half way through who is intended to be the main character. The book starts from the viewpoint of illegal immigrant Irena Hourami, who goes on the run after her husband is murdered during their illegal entry into the UK. She is a worthy protagonist – her character is brilliantly portrayed, and the reader is soon sympathetic with her plight, and becomes emotionally involved in her struggle to survive in a strange county while hunted by two killers.

Disappointingly, she then disappears from the narrative, and we instead meet journalist, Ellie Mason. She starts an article about the sale of old and infected meat after an elderly friend dies of typhoid from contaminated chicken. Her story is interleaved with that of another journalist, Joe Verdi, who is writing a feature about illegal immigrants, and who goes undercover posing as an Albanian labourer. The story follows him as he is smuggled into Dover and is given farm jobs without a work permit.

Although not immediately obvious, Verdi is meant to be the main character. Unfortunately, he is never painted as strongly as Irena, and because he struggles to become a living three-dimensional character, I failed to associate with him.

When we briefly met Verdi at the start of the book, we were introduced to him as an asthmatic, and much play was put upon his reliance on an inhaler. We therefore expect this to give him problems later in the book, yet it is rarely mentioned again. This confused me, especially when he somehow races round farmyards and fields at the end of the novel: at the beginning he could barely cross the street without wheezing. This suggests his asthma was introduced ready to be important, and yet the author forgot to develop it later. While only a minor point, this did contribute to the overall failure of Verdi to truly come alive in my imagination.

When Ellie Mason wants help to gather information from inside meat packing facilities, she persuades Verdi to help. Through both characters, we vividly witness the consequences of the low prices supermarkets impose on their farmers, and the illegal reintroduction of imported out-of-date meat back into the food chain. Unfortunately, Paul Adam tries too hard to ensure we fully understand how bad this situation is. The result is that readers lose their involvement in the story, and the narrative spell is broken.

The story concludes with Verdi and Ellie Mason on Irena’s trail, trying to reach her before the killers. The conclusion is well written and totally absorbing.

Paul Adam’s writing style is very easy to read, and all the scenes are clearly painted. Knife Edge delivers an interesting story, but one that is spoilt by a weak lead character and an attempt by the author to cover two very powerful themes in a thriller that can only cope with one.

Other books by this author are exceptionally brilliant – Enemy Within, for instance, demonstrates his ability to write a powerful main character with whom we associate while dealing with a single powerful theme. With Knife Edge, however, he fails to deliver his normal excellence.… (more)