Liberation Movements

by: Olen Steinhauer

Published by: St. Martin's Minotaur

Reviewed by Sharon Broom

It's 1975 and Libarid Terzian is an Armenian homicide investigator for the People's Militia. He is on a plane to Istanbul to attend a conference. That's the official version; he's actually running away from his wife and son. Also on the plane are Armenian terrorists who have hijacked the plane--and a strange and intriguing woman, Zrinka Martrich, who seems to know what will happen before it does.

The Turkish police are unable to meet the terrorist's demands before the plane inexplicably explodes in midair. Gavra Noukas (a secret policeman) and Katja Drdove (a homicide detective) are assigned to the case. The investigators believe their immediate boss is keeping them in the dark for unknown reasons. The two begin to dig into the case and ultimately connect the explosion to a murder that occurred in 1968.

Steinhauer's premise is compelling. However, he travels between 1968 and 1975 continuously, and it is distracting, especially when you couple that with numerous characters with names that are confusing and unfamiliar to English-speaking readers (for whom this novel is directed). Steinhauer also presents different times and different character perspectives within 1975. All in all it makes for a tedious read, when it should have been exciting and fast-paced.

Armchair Interviews says: A well-written story that could have been a better book than it is.