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Apteeker Melchior #2
Apteeker Melchior ja Rataskaevu viirastus
Kriminaalromaan vanast Tallinnast
Tallinn anno Domini 1419. Kolm inimest on näinud Rataskaevu tänavas viirastust ja pärast on nad leitud surnuna. Mis ühendab neid kolme – tornipealikku, prostituuti ja flaami maalikunstnikku – kummitava majaga Rataskaevu tänavas, kus aastakümneid tagasi olla toimunud hirmsad mõrvad? Kui apteeker Melchior leiab tolle kurja kuulsusega Unterraineri maja eest tundmatu hulguse kastreeritud laiba, asub ta uurima, mis siis tegelikult selles majas kunagi sündis ja kas tõesti võivad mineviku viirastused oma piinade eest kätte maksta elavatele.
Samal ajal sureb Pirital vaga kaupmees Bruys, kes oli pühendanud oma elu uue kloostri rajamisele. Nähtamatute niitidega näivad kõik need sündmused seotud olevat, ent tõde võib olla uskumatum ja õudsem, kui kõik legendid. Mõistatuse lahendamine viib Melchiori ka Pirita kloostrisse, lõbumajja ja vana eesti soost nõidade juurde, kuni lõpuks peab ta silmitsi seisma Rataskaevu viirastuse endaga.
Tegemist on teise osaga Indrek Hargla gooti kriminaalromaanide sarjas, milles keskaegse Tallinna mõrvu lahendab apteeker Melchior.
Tallinn anno Domini 1419. Kolm inimest on näinud Rataskaevu tänavas viirastust ja pärast on nad leitud surnuna. Mis ühendab neid kolme – tornipealikku, prostituuti ja flaami maalikunstnikku – kummitava majaga Rataskaevu tänavas, kus aastakümneid tagasi olla toimunud hirmsad mõrvad? Kui apteeker Melchior leiab tolle kurja kuulsusega Unterraineri maja eest tundmatu hulguse kastreeritud laiba, asub ta uurima, mis siis tegelikult selles majas kunagi sündis ja kas tõesti võivad mineviku viirastused oma piinade eest kätte maksta elavatele.
Samal ajal sureb Pirital vaga kaupmees Bruys, kes oli pühendanud oma elu uue kloostri rajamisele. Nähtamatute niitidega näivad kõik need sündmused seotud olevat, ent tõde võib olla uskumatum ja õudsem, kui kõik legendid. Mõistatuse lahendamine viib Melchiori ka Pirita kloostrisse, lõbumajja ja vana eesti soost nõidade juurde, kuni lõpuks peab ta silmitsi seisma Rataskaevu viirastuse endaga.
Tegemist on teise osaga Indrek Hargla gooti kriminaalromaanide sarjas, milles keskaegse Tallinna mõrvu lahendab apteeker Melchior.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
December 13, 2023
Kopš 1. grāmatas par aptiekāru Melhioru izlasīšanas pagājuši veseli 7 gadi, reizēm tā gadās, kad lasīt turpinājumu neizvirzi par prioritāti un tā arī par to aizmirsti. Taču samērā nesen noskatījos filmu un atcerējos. Lasu, ka man pirmā kopumā man patikai, tikai likās par maz fona un par daudz detektīva. Nezinu, vai šī tiešām atšķiras - droši vien esmu mainījusies pati (pēdējā laikā man pamazām sāk patikt arī detektīvžanrs), bet šoreiz likās viss ļoti labā līdzsvarā. Viduslaiku Tallina likās ļoti dzīva un pats Melhiors patīkams. Par detektīvintrigu nemācēšu pateikt, cik sarežģīta un vai atrisināma, jo kaut kā ļāvos stāsta plūdumam un neko necentos minēt uz priekšu (parasti man tā minēšana ieslēdzas, kad tādu vai citādu iemeslu pēc ar pašu stāstu nepietiek un prasās papildus izklaidi tā teikt).
January 17, 2018
Set in Tallinn in 1419 this is a crime mystery novel with the highlight very much being the period and the setting. This is the second book in the Apothecary Melchior series, but it really is not necessary to have read the first one to enjoy this. It is therefore something quite different, and hugely enjoyable for it.
Tallinn in the early 1400s is an important and lively city. From Hargla's careful research its inhabitants work hard and enjoy a busy social life that tends to involve beer. In the first Melchior novel my favourite chapter was the one in which the Apothecary and those involved with the case go to a beer tasting - it is key in them solving the mystery. Here, the tavern that they prefer most is in the Nunnery, and run by a older and solidly built nun, who stands no messing around from the clientele. It is great stuff. Of course though, there is crime, though not much as the penalties are the pillory, torture and execution. The novel does contain some pretty violent scenes, as that period did indeed do.
The plot is somewhat second-place to the backdrop. Hargla's characters are full of life and form an instant image in the reader's mind. The translator, Adam Cullen, has done a great job and I hope he is soon tasked with the job for the other four (maybe there's more...) Estonian Melchior books, The Hangman's Daughter, The Strangler of Pirita, The Chronicles of Tallinn and The Gotland Devil . This was tremendous fun.
Tallinn in the early 1400s is an important and lively city. From Hargla's careful research its inhabitants work hard and enjoy a busy social life that tends to involve beer. In the first Melchior novel my favourite chapter was the one in which the Apothecary and those involved with the case go to a beer tasting - it is key in them solving the mystery. Here, the tavern that they prefer most is in the Nunnery, and run by a older and solidly built nun, who stands no messing around from the clientele. It is great stuff. Of course though, there is crime, though not much as the penalties are the pillory, torture and execution. The novel does contain some pretty violent scenes, as that period did indeed do.
The plot is somewhat second-place to the backdrop. Hargla's characters are full of life and form an instant image in the reader's mind. The translator, Adam Cullen, has done a great job and I hope he is soon tasked with the job for the other four (maybe there's more...) Estonian Melchior books, The Hangman's Daughter, The Strangler of Pirita, The Chronicles of Tallinn and The Gotland Devil . This was tremendous fun.
February 6, 2017
Unfortunately this is a repeat of the botched job done with the publication of Apothecary Melchior and the Mystery of St Olaf's Church, which was the English translation of the 1st book of the Estonian language Apothecary Melchior mediaeval mystery series by Indrek Hargla. Similar errors of incorrect tense, missing words, doubled words, misspelled words, odd translations and no translations (with no explanations via a glossary) are present throughout and a sample selection is provided below. There were several minor points which I've let slide from the errata (e.g. Brother Hinricus was left with his full name in the first translated book, but is named Brother Hinric here - shouldn't there be some consistency in the supporting character names between books in an ongoing series?)
The translators of the 2 Melchior books are different, Adam Cullen in the case of St. Olaf’s and Christopher Moseley in Rataskaevu. Both translators have been represented by excellent typo-free books translated from Estonian in the past (e.g. Cullen for Mihkel Mutt’s The Cavemen Chronicle, Moseley for Andrus Kivirähk's The Man Who Spoke Snakish) so this really confirms the case of sloppy work by the present Publisher and their Editors.
Rataskaevu somewhat follows the pattern of St. Olaf’s in presenting several murders and mysteries which the inquisitive apothecary is able to solve with his queries and the occasional aid of his Estonian wife Keterlyn and the town magistrate Wentzel Dorn. The town executioner and torturer also makes a (thankfully brief) appearance. It is the often very brutal killings or torments along with the occasional explicit sex scene that takes the Melchior series into more noirish territory than Ellis Peters’s Brother Cadfael series which is probably its closest parallel in mediaeval mysteries. The solution at the end of Rataskaevu may seem like quite a stretch, but Hargla does drop all the appropriate clues along the way, often in a single, easily overlooked sentence. I gave the original Estonian a 4 rating, but my continued distress and distraction with the typos here are the reason for a 2 this time.
I have heard that the current plans are for only the first 2 books of the Apothecary Melchior series to be translated into English. More may come if the first 2 are successful, but based on the lack of care that went into them, I’m not very hopeful. Meanwhile the French are zipping along with No. 4 L'étrangleur de Pirita (Apothecary Melchior and the Strangler of Pirita) released early in 2016, topped only by the Finns who are completely up to date with No. 5 Apteekkari Melchior ja Tallinnan kronikka (Apothecary Melchior and the Chronicles of Tallinn).
Stray Observations
• This book jumps to the year 1419 from book 1’s 1409 which was necessary to stay historically accurate with the preliminary building dates of the St. Bridget's Convent which is a subplot of the book. See an English language history of the St. Bridget's Convent at http://www.piritaklooster.ee/index.ph...
• The 3D City Map seen in cut-out squares on the cover has nothing to do with the Tallinn (Reval) of 1419. The excerpts are actually redrawn from the 1561 “Woodcut” map of London, England (once attributed to Ralph Agas), specifically the City of Westminster in the extreme lower left hand corner. See the full 1561 map here https://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/agas.htm (you can zoom in on the City of Westminster).
• Similarly, the sketch portraits shown on the cover have no relationship to the characters in the book. The source of the sketches is unknown to me.
• The Curse of the Wakenstedes update: There is no further clarification in this book about the occasional inherited pains that Melchior refers to as the curse of the male line in his family. The pain is throughout his body though and is not specifically localized, so my idea of migraine headaches based on reading book 1 seems to be a non-starter.
ERRATA
pg. 34 “a woman can been an alleviator”
pg. 38 “and it wouldn’t be long before didn’t have enough money”
pg. 47 “…, but this boy really in too poor a shape.”
pg. 68 “Those had been the Dorn’s words,…” (translates “kohtufoogt” (which is translated in the rest of the book as “magistrate” or occasionally as the old high german “vogt”) as “the Dorn” as if Magistrate Wentzel Dorn’s last name was his position or title)
pg. 74 “once could access the strip of land” (should be “one could access…”)
pg. 74 & 80 inconsistently capitalized “Apothecary” sometimes written simply as “apothecary” even on the same page.
pg. 81 “...heard that thge Master of Jackewolde…”
pg. 86 “…and the she had been to the saun…”
pg. 115 “…where crew were needed…”
pg. 116 “kogge ships” is left untranslated (“kogge” is German), could have been translated as “cog ships”. There is no glossary to explain this.
pg. 145 etc. “But Dorothea was insane.” (translates the Estonian “nõdrameelne” as “insane”, which is technically a correct translation, but seems very harsh in the context of the story, where the daughter is portrayed as more of a simple-minded soul)
pg. 149 “cheeseparers” (translation of the Estonian “peenikesed”?)
pg. 151 “…for where would a holy brother being going in the morning…"
pg. 166 “dörnse” not translated, Old High German?. No web translation found, but in the context this seems to be a living room which the merchant is also using as a bedroom. No glossary to explain this.
pg. 166 “diele” not translated, Old High German “hallway in a private residence”. No glossary to explain this.
pg. 177 uses the archaic “horary prayers” instead of “hourly prayers” for the translation of the Estonian “tunnipalvuseks”, technically correct, but just seems off. There is nothing archaic about the Estonian wording.
pg. 181 “The brothers at my biscuits last night, did they?” (should be “ate my biscuits”)
pg. 182 “They Swedes used to call it Mariendal,…” (“Swedes” wasn’t even in the original Estonian, this could have been “They used to…” or “The Swedes used to…”, but not both)
pg. 183 “…was deeply rutted by wagons wheels..."
pg. 188 “…, be he decided that he was invited...”
pg. 188 inconsistent spelling of “Bridget”, sometimes as “Brigit”.
pg. 190 “...some of these men went Rome and to the Council of…”
pg. 194 “…and they had hang back even further…”
pg. 267 “…taken to a prison cell in the in the Bremen Tower."
The translators of the 2 Melchior books are different, Adam Cullen in the case of St. Olaf’s and Christopher Moseley in Rataskaevu. Both translators have been represented by excellent typo-free books translated from Estonian in the past (e.g. Cullen for Mihkel Mutt’s The Cavemen Chronicle, Moseley for Andrus Kivirähk's The Man Who Spoke Snakish) so this really confirms the case of sloppy work by the present Publisher and their Editors.
Rataskaevu somewhat follows the pattern of St. Olaf’s in presenting several murders and mysteries which the inquisitive apothecary is able to solve with his queries and the occasional aid of his Estonian wife Keterlyn and the town magistrate Wentzel Dorn. The town executioner and torturer also makes a (thankfully brief) appearance. It is the often very brutal killings or torments along with the occasional explicit sex scene that takes the Melchior series into more noirish territory than Ellis Peters’s Brother Cadfael series which is probably its closest parallel in mediaeval mysteries. The solution at the end of Rataskaevu may seem like quite a stretch, but Hargla does drop all the appropriate clues along the way, often in a single, easily overlooked sentence. I gave the original Estonian a 4 rating, but my continued distress and distraction with the typos here are the reason for a 2 this time.
I have heard that the current plans are for only the first 2 books of the Apothecary Melchior series to be translated into English. More may come if the first 2 are successful, but based on the lack of care that went into them, I’m not very hopeful. Meanwhile the French are zipping along with No. 4 L'étrangleur de Pirita (Apothecary Melchior and the Strangler of Pirita) released early in 2016, topped only by the Finns who are completely up to date with No. 5 Apteekkari Melchior ja Tallinnan kronikka (Apothecary Melchior and the Chronicles of Tallinn).
Stray Observations
• This book jumps to the year 1419 from book 1’s 1409 which was necessary to stay historically accurate with the preliminary building dates of the St. Bridget's Convent which is a subplot of the book. See an English language history of the St. Bridget's Convent at http://www.piritaklooster.ee/index.ph...
• The 3D City Map seen in cut-out squares on the cover has nothing to do with the Tallinn (Reval) of 1419. The excerpts are actually redrawn from the 1561 “Woodcut” map of London, England (once attributed to Ralph Agas), specifically the City of Westminster in the extreme lower left hand corner. See the full 1561 map here https://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/agas.htm (you can zoom in on the City of Westminster).
• Similarly, the sketch portraits shown on the cover have no relationship to the characters in the book. The source of the sketches is unknown to me.
• The Curse of the Wakenstedes update: There is no further clarification in this book about the occasional inherited pains that Melchior refers to as the curse of the male line in his family. The pain is throughout his body though and is not specifically localized, so my idea of migraine headaches based on reading book 1 seems to be a non-starter.
ERRATA
pg. 34 “a woman can been an alleviator”
pg. 38 “and it wouldn’t be long before didn’t have enough money”
pg. 47 “…, but this boy really in too poor a shape.”
pg. 68 “Those had been the Dorn’s words,…” (translates “kohtufoogt” (which is translated in the rest of the book as “magistrate” or occasionally as the old high german “vogt”) as “the Dorn” as if Magistrate Wentzel Dorn’s last name was his position or title)
pg. 74 “once could access the strip of land” (should be “one could access…”)
pg. 74 & 80 inconsistently capitalized “Apothecary” sometimes written simply as “apothecary” even on the same page.
pg. 81 “...heard that thge Master of Jackewolde…”
pg. 86 “…and the she had been to the saun…”
pg. 115 “…where crew were needed…”
pg. 116 “kogge ships” is left untranslated (“kogge” is German), could have been translated as “cog ships”. There is no glossary to explain this.
pg. 145 etc. “But Dorothea was insane.” (translates the Estonian “nõdrameelne” as “insane”, which is technically a correct translation, but seems very harsh in the context of the story, where the daughter is portrayed as more of a simple-minded soul)
pg. 149 “cheeseparers” (translation of the Estonian “peenikesed”?)
pg. 151 “…for where would a holy brother being going in the morning…"
pg. 166 “dörnse” not translated, Old High German?. No web translation found, but in the context this seems to be a living room which the merchant is also using as a bedroom. No glossary to explain this.
pg. 166 “diele” not translated, Old High German “hallway in a private residence”. No glossary to explain this.
pg. 177 uses the archaic “horary prayers” instead of “hourly prayers” for the translation of the Estonian “tunnipalvuseks”, technically correct, but just seems off. There is nothing archaic about the Estonian wording.
pg. 181 “The brothers at my biscuits last night, did they?” (should be “ate my biscuits”)
pg. 182 “They Swedes used to call it Mariendal,…” (“Swedes” wasn’t even in the original Estonian, this could have been “They used to…” or “The Swedes used to…”, but not both)
pg. 183 “…was deeply rutted by wagons wheels..."
pg. 188 “…, be he decided that he was invited...”
pg. 188 inconsistent spelling of “Bridget”, sometimes as “Brigit”.
pg. 190 “...some of these men went Rome and to the Council of…”
pg. 194 “…and they had hang back even further…”
pg. 267 “…taken to a prison cell in the in the Bremen Tower."
July 29, 2019
Really nice book set in medival Tallinn. Was visiting, so I read this to get in the mood of the time. Worked, and a nice story too.
December 1, 2022
Rakstīšu īsi, mums ir savs (igauņu) Umberto Eko- Indreks Hargla, kura "Rozes vārda" vietā - "Aptiekārs Melhiors un Akas ielas rēgs" !
May 10, 2018
Rāms viduslaiku detektīvgabals ar patīkamu sapratīgu 'detektīvu' aptiekāru.
December 3, 2019
"Apteeker Melchioril" ilmus juba 7. osa, kuid minul oli vaid 1. osa loetud ja seegi kunagi ammu. Vaatasin siis veebist järele, mis on 2. osa, ja asusingi lugema. Pean ütlema, et mul meeldis. :)
Tallinnas sureb lühikese aja jooksul mitu inimest, kes on kummitust näinud. Kuigi need surmad tunduvad pigem õnnetustena, ei usu seda Melchior ja hakkab uurima, mis lugu selle Rataskaevu kummitusega siis on. Lõpplahenduseni jõudis ta muidugi alles viimastel lehekülgedel ja mina kui lugeja ei osanud varem kedagi kahtlustada, kuigi oli selge, et tegemist oli mõrvadega.
Mulle meeldib selline rahulik jutustamisstiil, mis hoiab siiski pinevust. Hea on lugeda vanast Tallinnast, tuttavad kohad tulevad silme ette ja apteeker paigutub justkui iseenesest sellesse pilti. Eelkõige sobib sellise rahulikuma krimi austajatele. :)
Tallinnas sureb lühikese aja jooksul mitu inimest, kes on kummitust näinud. Kuigi need surmad tunduvad pigem õnnetustena, ei usu seda Melchior ja hakkab uurima, mis lugu selle Rataskaevu kummitusega siis on. Lõpplahenduseni jõudis ta muidugi alles viimastel lehekülgedel ja mina kui lugeja ei osanud varem kedagi kahtlustada, kuigi oli selge, et tegemist oli mõrvadega.
Mulle meeldib selline rahulik jutustamisstiil, mis hoiab siiski pinevust. Hea on lugeda vanast Tallinnast, tuttavad kohad tulevad silme ette ja apteeker paigutub justkui iseenesest sellesse pilti. Eelkõige sobib sellise rahulikuma krimi austajatele. :)
May 8, 2021
Igauņu rakstnieka Indreka Hargla romāns “Aptiekārs Melhiors un Akas ielas rēgs” ir romāns, kas pāris minūšu laikā lasītāju izrauj cauri laika lokiem un iemet viduslaiku Tallinas nakts melnumā. Nē, tā nebūs romantiska tikšanās vai pastaiga, jo pirmais ko sajūti ir smaka, kas liecina par kaulainās tuvumu. Notikumu pavērsiens ilgi nav jāgaida, jo dīvainos apstākļos mirst cilvēki, kuru nāvē vaino Akas ielas rēgu. Tallinas aptieķnieku Melhioru tādi māņi nepārliecina un tā aizsākas aizraujoša izmeklēšana īstenā viduslaiku stilā.
Šī grāmata ir aizraujoša un interesanta ne tikai tās sižeta dēļ. Apbrīnojami ir tas, cik prasmīgi Hargla apraksta Tallinu konkrētajā laika posmā. Jau pats pilsētas apraksts vien. Lasot burtiski var ieraudzīt pilsētu, aplūkot namus, pagalmus, izstaigāt tās un ieelpot tās senatnīgo elpu, kas ietver visu iespējamo smaržu buķeti. Arī pilsētas iemītnieku un tā viesu apraksts ir ļoti dzīvs. Tas, kā viņi uzvedās, ko domā, kas viņus satrauc – viss atbilstoši laikmetam un ne mirkli nav sajūtas, ka stāstā iemaisījies kas no sveša laikmeta. Taču lieta par ko es tiešām autoru apskaužu, ir viņa prasme parādīt senās Tallinas iedzīvotāju valodu, to kā viņi sarunājās par dažādām lietām, kā komunicē savā starpā. Šajā komunikācijā nav liekas jaunāko laiku klīrības. Vismaz manuprāt, tieši varoņu sarunas un izteiksmes veids ļauj vislabāk sajust aprakstīto laikmetu un atklāt romāna varoņus visā to daudzveidībā. Vislielākie cieņas apliecinājumi autoram par viņa talantu, viņš tiešām ļoti sajūtami spēj uzburt pagātnes realitāti. Nav nekāds brīnums, ka pagājušo vasaru uzsākta šī romāna ekranizācija. Šis romāns ir ļoti pateicīgs materiāls aizraujošas kinofilmas radīšanai. Tā kā Tallinas vecpilsētu darba dēļ nācies izstaigāt krustu šķērsu, varu pavisam droši apgalvot, ka atrast atbilstošu namu vai ielu konkrētas epizodes uzfilmēšanai nebūs grūti.
Man šis ceļojums laika patika un ja man reiz atkal radīsies vēlme pēc piedzīvojumiem viduslaiku stilā, es noteikti lūkošu pēc kāda no Indreka Hargla darbiem.
Šī grāmata ir aizraujoša un interesanta ne tikai tās sižeta dēļ. Apbrīnojami ir tas, cik prasmīgi Hargla apraksta Tallinu konkrētajā laika posmā. Jau pats pilsētas apraksts vien. Lasot burtiski var ieraudzīt pilsētu, aplūkot namus, pagalmus, izstaigāt tās un ieelpot tās senatnīgo elpu, kas ietver visu iespējamo smaržu buķeti. Arī pilsētas iemītnieku un tā viesu apraksts ir ļoti dzīvs. Tas, kā viņi uzvedās, ko domā, kas viņus satrauc – viss atbilstoši laikmetam un ne mirkli nav sajūtas, ka stāstā iemaisījies kas no sveša laikmeta. Taču lieta par ko es tiešām autoru apskaužu, ir viņa prasme parādīt senās Tallinas iedzīvotāju valodu, to kā viņi sarunājās par dažādām lietām, kā komunicē savā starpā. Šajā komunikācijā nav liekas jaunāko laiku klīrības. Vismaz manuprāt, tieši varoņu sarunas un izteiksmes veids ļauj vislabāk sajust aprakstīto laikmetu un atklāt romāna varoņus visā to daudzveidībā. Vislielākie cieņas apliecinājumi autoram par viņa talantu, viņš tiešām ļoti sajūtami spēj uzburt pagātnes realitāti. Nav nekāds brīnums, ka pagājušo vasaru uzsākta šī romāna ekranizācija. Šis romāns ir ļoti pateicīgs materiāls aizraujošas kinofilmas radīšanai. Tā kā Tallinas vecpilsētu darba dēļ nācies izstaigāt krustu šķērsu, varu pavisam droši apgalvot, ka atrast atbilstošu namu vai ielu konkrētas epizodes uzfilmēšanai nebūs grūti.
Man šis ceļojums laika patika un ja man reiz atkal radīsies vēlme pēc piedzīvojumiem viduslaiku stilā, es noteikti lūkošu pēc kāda no Indreka Hargla darbiem.
February 22, 2020
Esimene Melchiori raamat meeldis mulle rohkem, sest seal jätkus põnevust ühtlaselt terve raamatu peale. Selles raamatus aga hakkas minu jaoks lugu jooksma alles viimases kolmandikus. Lõpp lahendati päris tormilisel kiirusel, nii et selle ilu ei saanudki nautida vaid pidi ainult järge pidama.
October 26, 2018
Nu viens gabaliņš bez kauliem! Uh! Jā, nu žēl, ka dienasgaismu latviskā tulkojumā ieraudzījuši daudz vājāki gabali par šo. Žēl, tiešām žēl, ka Melhiora turpmākās gaitas man neuzzināt...
April 20, 2020
Clearly these Apothecary Melchior novels are becoming my go-to feel-good read, because I enjoyed this a lot. I read this in 10 chapter installments with my friend and had a lot of fun discussing the plot and coming up with theories on what has happened and why. (Suffice to say, I was pretty off. Like, I had picked one thing that turned out to be significant, but missed quite a lot of others.)
Two men die and soon after a 3rd body turns up as well in the city of Tallinn and it seems like all of them saw a ghost before their death. Melchior with his friends starts to look into things. There are a lot of rumours and folktales (which might have had more truth in them than anyone thought) which were actually pretty interesting. I found the plot overall good, though at times it did feel there was some repetition and focus on irrelevant things a bit too much.
These books seem to have a similar structure every time, so I wasn't too frustrated when the story only got going after 100 or so pages. After all, a lot of foundation was laid before that, you just kind of missed it if you didn't pay attention. And that's what I like about these books, you need to pay attention to what you read if you want to figure out what happened and why. I think reading and discussing this with another person definitely helped that, because this is also one of those books you can easily read in a weekend and then feel stupid at the end when you realize you missed some obvious hints.
Would love to read the entire series so far, but also holding back because what would I then read? Maybe one every few months until the latest novel comes out in Finnish as well.
Two men die and soon after a 3rd body turns up as well in the city of Tallinn and it seems like all of them saw a ghost before their death. Melchior with his friends starts to look into things. There are a lot of rumours and folktales (which might have had more truth in them than anyone thought) which were actually pretty interesting. I found the plot overall good, though at times it did feel there was some repetition and focus on irrelevant things a bit too much.
These books seem to have a similar structure every time, so I wasn't too frustrated when the story only got going after 100 or so pages. After all, a lot of foundation was laid before that, you just kind of missed it if you didn't pay attention. And that's what I like about these books, you need to pay attention to what you read if you want to figure out what happened and why. I think reading and discussing this with another person definitely helped that, because this is also one of those books you can easily read in a weekend and then feel stupid at the end when you realize you missed some obvious hints.
Would love to read the entire series so far, but also holding back because what would I then read? Maybe one every few months until the latest novel comes out in Finnish as well.
March 25, 2014
Ma ei tea kuidas Hargla seda teeb, aga ta tegi seda jälle. Olin jõudnud juba eeviimasesse peatükki ning polnud suutnud kurjategijaid ära arvata, kui Hargla nad paljastas. Ning ma polnud oma kahtlutega isegi ligilähedal! Ja ma lugesin raamatut teist korda ja ikka ei suutnud antud niidiotsi kokku viia. Minus ikka pole Hercule või Sherlocki verd. See keskaegne Tallinn hakkab ikka kodusemaks ja kodusemaks muutuma, mis sellest et pervedid, nekrofiilid ja kastreeritud mungad mööda tänavaid ringi jooksevad. Ikka on tunne nagu viibiks kodus.
October 23, 2021
Honestly I liked this one even more than the first book of the series. It is very very dark and I loved it! Also love how once again all the pieces come together in the end. Even if it was a translated version, I could still see it was a very well written book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 29, 2015
3,5 zvaigznes. Sākums dikti lēns, bet uz beigām iešūpojās uz aizraujošu un šaušalīgu atrisinājumu.
https://gramatas.wordpress.com/2015/1...
https://gramatas.wordpress.com/2015/1...
January 8, 2024
“ta küsis endalt, kas hauatagused jõud saavad elavatele viga teha.
imelikult kirjutatud ja boriiiingggg
imelikult kirjutatud ja boriiiingggg
June 14, 2021
Hát ez durva volt.
Az első rész után gondoltam, minél előbb kézbe veszem a folytatást, nehogy elfelejtsem az eseményeket. Igazából annyira nem kellett emlékezni, de legalább a nevekbe kevésbé gabalyodtam bele, mert már néhány ismerős volt.
Ebben a részben azért durvább dolgok történtek, ami így a könyv végére kicsit megrázott. Mind a bűntény maga, mind az, ahogyan a középkorban bűntettek.
Mindenesetre, ha már bennem van a lendület, akkor rövidesen szeretném folytatni a maradék két résszel.
Az első rész után gondoltam, minél előbb kézbe veszem a folytatást, nehogy elfelejtsem az eseményeket. Igazából annyira nem kellett emlékezni, de legalább a nevekbe kevésbé gabalyodtam bele, mert már néhány ismerős volt.
Ebben a részben azért durvább dolgok történtek, ami így a könyv végére kicsit megrázott. Mind a bűntény maga, mind az, ahogyan a középkorban bűntettek.
Mindenesetre, ha már bennem van a lendület, akkor rövidesen szeretném folytatni a maradék két résszel.
June 1, 2021
Kesäkuun vieraskielinen kirja oli viroksi. 1400-luvun Tallinnaan sijoittuva dekkari, jossa kuollut tulee kummittelemaan ihmisille hiukan ennen kuin heidät surmataan, ja tapansa mukaan apteekkari Melchior astuu lestinsä ulkopuolelle eli lähtee ratkaisemaan rikosta. Kävin viron alkeiskurssin yliopistossa 20 vuotta sitten, ja siltä pohjalta tämän lukeminen sujui oikein mallikkaasti. Siellä täällä vastaan tuli kyllä sanoja, joita en millään osannut arvata, mutta ei se oikeastaan ymmärtämistä haitannut.
January 29, 2024
Tallinn, 1419. Hirmsad mõrvad, hirmsad saladused.
Ma vist hakkan natuke sõltuvusse jääma sellest keskaja vaibist.
Mõistatused on endiselt natuke üle võlli, aga õhustik ja tegelased kisuvad ikka kaasa. Tempo on hea. Filme ma näinud ei ole, aga vähemalt raamatud on küll hea õhtune lugemine (kuigi vahepeal on hirmus).
Ma vist hakkan natuke sõltuvusse jääma sellest keskaja vaibist.
Mõistatused on endiselt natuke üle võlli, aga õhustik ja tegelased kisuvad ikka kaasa. Tempo on hea. Filme ma näinud ei ole, aga vähemalt raamatud on küll hea õhtune lugemine (kuigi vahepeal on hirmus).
January 18, 2026
Minu esimene Melchior, kuigi tean, et see on tegelikult teine osa. Ja sain aru, et kahe esimese vahele jääb 10 aastat. Taustaks Tallinna ajalugu ja olustik 15. sajandi alguses, mille kohta niisama ilmselt lugema ei hakkaks aga tore lisandus kindlasti. Järgmine kord kui pealinnas ja võimalus tekib, käin tegevuspaiga juurest läbi :)
Rahulik tempo, kohati nii rahulik, et avastasin ennast lehekülje lõpust, teadamata, mida just lugenud olin. Seda päris mitu korda. Tegelased kippusid mõnikord segamini minema, eks need võõrapärased nimed. Aga täiesti loetav krimi. Lahendus oli õõvastav. Mulle meeldis Melchiori suhe oma naisega.
Rahulik tempo, kohati nii rahulik, et avastasin ennast lehekülje lõpust, teadamata, mida just lugenud olin. Seda päris mitu korda. Tegelased kippusid mõnikord segamini minema, eks need võõrapärased nimed. Aga täiesti loetav krimi. Lahendus oli õõvastav. Mulle meeldis Melchiori suhe oma naisega.
August 27, 2025
Tää oli juoneltaan paremmin kirjotettu ja moniulotteisempi ku edellinen kirja. Tykkään kans, miten tän sarjan tapahtumat perustuu väljästi oikeisiin tapahtumiin ja ihmisiin. Loppuratkasu oli kuiteki tosi yllättävä ja groteski, en oo hetkeen lukenu mitää nii hirveetä:D
March 18, 2022
Paremmin kirjoitettu kuin ykkösosa, mutta jälleen kerran suorastaan karnivalistista mässäilyä. Ei todellakaan mitään elävöittävää tekstiä, mutta viihdyttävää. Tässä saa mitä tilaa.
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August 29, 2024.......jatke rahule ma prg transitionin vaixelt oma suure-aju raamatutele tagasi..
August 18, 2022
Raamat viib jalutuskäigule keskaegsesse Tallinna. Esialgu on jalutuskäik tempokas, aga siis jääb pisut aeglasemaks, kohati ekslevaks. Lõpp on aga niivõrd rutakas, et kergest jalutusest saab spurt. Aga eks selline üks kriminull olema peabki, parajalt pinget ja hingamisruumi.
Mind võtab lugejana võhmale aga see, kui kogu sündmustik seletatakse lahti viimase paarikümne lehekülje jooksul. Kogu virvarri sisse peab siis üksi pärast raamatu lugemist jääma ja välja sellest saada on üpris keeruline.
Mind võtab lugejana võhmale aga see, kui kogu sündmustik seletatakse lahti viimase paarikümne lehekülje jooksul. Kogu virvarri sisse peab siis üksi pärast raamatu lugemist jääma ja välja sellest saada on üpris keeruline.
May 16, 2015
Pidän historiallisista dekkareista, ja niinpä tämäkin sarja herätti mielenkiintoni. Keskiajan Tallinnaan sijoittuva Rataskaivonkadun kummitus on apteekkari Melchiorin seikkailujen toinen osa. Pidin kyllä Tarinan asetelmasta. Saksalaisen ritarikunnan hallitsema Tallinna on kiehtova paikka, ja päähenkilönä apteekkari tarjoaa monta tilaisuutta keskiajan lääketieteen ihmeellisyyksien esittelyyn.
Melkein puoleenväliin päästyäni kirja uhkasi kuitenkin jäädä kesken turhanaikaisen jaarittelun takia. Juoni ei tuntunut etenevän ja kaikenlaista nippelitietoa oli ujutettu tekstiin vähän väkinäisen oloisesti. Dialogi toisteli jo kertaalleen selitettyjä asioita ja aikamuoto hyppeli kappaleiden välillä preesensistä imperfektiin ja takaisin. Suomennoskin tuntui paikoitellen hiukan takeltelevan, joissakin lauseissa ei tuntunut olevan mitään tolkkua.
Melkein pari kuukautta vierähti ja luin sivun tai pari kerrallaan aina silloin kun jaksoin. Loppua kohti tarina alkoi kuitenkin tiivistyä ja kirjan viimeisen kolmanneksen luin aidolla mielenkiinnolla. Makaaberista kostotarinasta huolimatta tiputan puolikkaan tähden kankean tekstin takia. Saakoon kaksi ja puoli.
Melkein puoleenväliin päästyäni kirja uhkasi kuitenkin jäädä kesken turhanaikaisen jaarittelun takia. Juoni ei tuntunut etenevän ja kaikenlaista nippelitietoa oli ujutettu tekstiin vähän väkinäisen oloisesti. Dialogi toisteli jo kertaalleen selitettyjä asioita ja aikamuoto hyppeli kappaleiden välillä preesensistä imperfektiin ja takaisin. Suomennoskin tuntui paikoitellen hiukan takeltelevan, joissakin lauseissa ei tuntunut olevan mitään tolkkua.
Melkein pari kuukautta vierähti ja luin sivun tai pari kerrallaan aina silloin kun jaksoin. Loppua kohti tarina alkoi kuitenkin tiivistyä ja kirjan viimeisen kolmanneksen luin aidolla mielenkiinnolla. Makaaberista kostotarinasta huolimatta tiputan puolikkaan tähden kankean tekstin takia. Saakoon kaksi ja puoli.
July 12, 2013
Indrek Hargla on minu ideaalseks kirjanikuks. Tema teosed pakuvad emotsionaalset ja intellektuaalset naudingut ning viimast just mulle sobival määral. Kriminaallood apteeker Melchiorist ei käi mulle üle mõistuse, ent pakuvad piisavalt auke, mida kogu lappida. Pidevalt keeran mitmekümneid lehekülgi tagasi, et kontrollida fakte ja saada vastus oma küsimusele "kas see tõesti oligi nii?". "Rataskaevu viirastus" on sarnaselt eelkäijale, "Oleviste mõistatuselegi" pingeline ja põnev. Kui nuriseda, siis ainult selle üle, et kuigi Hargla on oma žanri kindlaks määratlenud ja tunneb seda, võiks Melchiori jubedate müsteeriumite kõrval esineda teostes ka mõnevõrra humoorikamat külge.
July 2, 2019
I enjoyed reading this book, mainly for the historical aspects. There was definitely some clumsy writing (or translating/editing?) But overall I enjoyed the story and I thought it gave a nice glimpse in the life of a person living in Tallinn in the middle ages.
February 16, 2015
krimkana törts kehvem, rõhk pigem sellel, et mõnd õrnema hingega lugejat šokeerida
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December 7, 2015Nemhogy belejött volna a Szent Olaf óta, inkább még gyengébb. Harmadik esélyt nem kap, pedig amúgy jó hely lenne a tizenötödik századi Tallinn, hogy ott csángáljon az ember.
June 13, 2017
4,5 tähteä
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