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The Broom of God: A Novel of Patagonia
Patagonia. Chile. A world famous mountaineer is found murdered in basecamp near an unexplored group of mountains on the edge of the Patagonian Icecap.
Inspector Juan Antonio Paz is sent from the capital city of Santiago to investigate, an investigation that will pit him against the wild landscape of Patagonia, the tumultuous and violent political history of Chile, and the dark secrets of an isolated village. And will test him in ways he never knew possible.
a land of myth, of soaring granite towers, tremendous glaciers, vast lakes, of rugged beauty and hidden cruelty, and a wind so strong it is called the Broom of God.
Inspector Juan Antonio Paz is sent from the capital city of Santiago to investigate, an investigation that will pit him against the wild landscape of Patagonia, the tumultuous and violent political history of Chile, and the dark secrets of an isolated village. And will test him in ways he never knew possible.
a land of myth, of soaring granite towers, tremendous glaciers, vast lakes, of rugged beauty and hidden cruelty, and a wind so strong it is called the Broom of God.
414 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 20, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 22, 2019
Patagonia, 2019. I have just finished reading this book, set mainly in the northern districts, as I have travelled around. The rain is falling (8 hours worth so far) as I rest up in a small town by a forested lake after a walk to a glacier yesterday, and the depiction of natural scenery from the book feel close to what I am experiencing. It is a remarkable part of the world. But in a way the scenes are a bit too real - the menace created in the book regarding the dark past and grim present of the characters involved, casting a slight shadow over the journey....in capturing something of the mood of the south it is well done.
As crime fiction goes, there were too many crimes going on to provide a realistic poise that I think works best. Pulling up the skeletons in people's personal shortcomings is an inevitable aspect of police investigation, but in most cases they are not crimes or at least not major ones. This was a bit heavy on this for my liking, almost as if the author felt every idea about chile, Patagonia and possible crimes needed to be packed into a single book - indeed there were some components left a little unresolved that might have been unpacked in another story or two, with the unfolding background of the main PIs interests in chile's dictatorship past also allowed time to unfold. It also felt a little like the story was being written as a prelude to a film. While this meant there was plenty of action at every point, it requires the author to choose entertainment value over gritty reality in many cases.
I doubt there are many crime fiction novels set in this part of the world so it was good company for the journey. It was good enough that I would have liked more...
As crime fiction goes, there were too many crimes going on to provide a realistic poise that I think works best. Pulling up the skeletons in people's personal shortcomings is an inevitable aspect of police investigation, but in most cases they are not crimes or at least not major ones. This was a bit heavy on this for my liking, almost as if the author felt every idea about chile, Patagonia and possible crimes needed to be packed into a single book - indeed there were some components left a little unresolved that might have been unpacked in another story or two, with the unfolding background of the main PIs interests in chile's dictatorship past also allowed time to unfold. It also felt a little like the story was being written as a prelude to a film. While this meant there was plenty of action at every point, it requires the author to choose entertainment value over gritty reality in many cases.
I doubt there are many crime fiction novels set in this part of the world so it was good company for the journey. It was good enough that I would have liked more...
November 9, 2021
Sweep This One Away
John Bragg wrote Exit 8, a taut single minded tale that lends itself well to the mentality of a mountaineer. Based on his success in that novel, I bought The Broom of God, knowing that as a first novel it probably wasn’t going to be as good, but the murder of a mountain climber in Patagonia was too intriguing. Unfortunately, Broom of God starts falling apart and unravelling around page 150. The mediocre writing before that was easy enough to overlook because of the locale and story. But then it flounders with too many unnecessary characters, poorly executed POV transitions, inexplicable tense shifts, and repetition. Too many scenes and characters with little to no purpose and you can just feel the author stumbling along trying to find his narrative drive, relying on cliché. Too bad, because Exit 8 is mostly excellent writing.
John Bragg wrote Exit 8, a taut single minded tale that lends itself well to the mentality of a mountaineer. Based on his success in that novel, I bought The Broom of God, knowing that as a first novel it probably wasn’t going to be as good, but the murder of a mountain climber in Patagonia was too intriguing. Unfortunately, Broom of God starts falling apart and unravelling around page 150. The mediocre writing before that was easy enough to overlook because of the locale and story. But then it flounders with too many unnecessary characters, poorly executed POV transitions, inexplicable tense shifts, and repetition. Too many scenes and characters with little to no purpose and you can just feel the author stumbling along trying to find his narrative drive, relying on cliché. Too bad, because Exit 8 is mostly excellent writing.
January 16, 2018
Fun to read while traveling Patagonia, but plot unravels.
Decent characters. Competent writing. Good sense of place. Enjoyed it while on a trekking vacation to many of the places mentioned. But the plot threads do not weave together for a satisfying conclusion. Alas.
Decent characters. Competent writing. Good sense of place. Enjoyed it while on a trekking vacation to many of the places mentioned. But the plot threads do not weave together for a satisfying conclusion. Alas.
January 10, 2020
As a murder mystery it was a three star read, as for the way some of the settings and the atmosphere were brought to life & some of the depicted relationships it was a five star read so I’ve picked four to meet myself half way on this one.
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October 1, 2025Various story lines expertly tied together.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews