Visibility: Boris Starling

"It’s the height of the Cold War, and as the Great Fog rolls in over London, a man meets his death in the icy shallows of the Long Water. Some say he was just drunk, wandering through Hyde Park. But for Scotland Yard’s new detective, Herbert Smith, the body will lead to a far more interesting trail when it’s discovered that the young victim’s death was no accident. He was a biochemist, and just hours before he died he had claimed to be in possession of a secret that could change the world..."

All stories begin with a framework, a skeleton if you will; in Visibility, Boris Starling does a credible job of clothing his skeleton with a number of clichéd premises. Former intelligence agent, military turned local cop trying to settle down into a “normal” life. Whatever that may be, Inspector Smith will never seem to know. The intrepid protagonist guides our jaunt through London’s infamous fog leading us through this metaphor for shades of gray; into a labyrinth of intrigue almost too deep for even the blind diver Hannah to follow.

His use of historical events lends a suspension of belief needed to see the events unfold in my mind. The beginnings of the cold war, a glimmer of genetic sciences, history of WWII, a film noir sense of drama, all come together to take the clichéd wardrobe of the used up detective and the trail of breadcrumbs to the earth-shattering secrets of life itself sought by the typical mad scientist.

The author shows an interesting, though in my opinion perhaps simplistic, grasp of the politics of the time period. Showing the usual rivalries and shadowy aspects of the detective’s former life, finding he was used as the fall guy for a mission gone wrong. Yet one more clichéd item in the wardrobe of our storyline skeleton.

For all this, could I put the book down? Yes, briefly. The story is told well enough and leads you smoothly enough; I had to come back to it. It did not compel me to sit from start to finish with it, but the author did a good job in wanting me to identify with the character and supplied the old clichés with enough twists I just had to come back to see if I was right.

Would I rush out to add more Boris Starling to my collection? No. Would I recommend him to others who like this genre? Yes. If I were on a business trip, needed something to read and saw another Starling novel, it is very likely I would pick it up.
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Publisher: Dutton Adult (March 1, 2007)
ISBN-10: 0525949968
ISBN-13: 9780525949961
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