Inspector Anders And The Ship Of Fools

Inspector Anders #2

by Marshall Browne

Inspector Anders is back.

Across Europe, a terrorist group opposed to globalisation is killing executives who retrench large numbers of staff. The Italian Anders, with his extensive experience of terrorists, is called in to assist the French police.

It is not an assignment he welcomes. Anders is still recovering from the trauma of his recent success against the mafia, and is himself opposed to many of the practices of big corporations. Moreover, the terrorists are capable of feats that appear impossible.

In the process of uncovering the methods and identity of his foes, Anders finds himself driven beyond all his experience and to the edge of sanity.

Genres: Italy, Mystery, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Fiction

317 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Browne was an international banker - he racked up 37 years with NAB - and one of his forebears was a founder of Australia's first bank. But the former paratrooper who once hankered for a spell in the French foreign legion loved writing and had three books published in Britain in the early '80s when writing was still ''an occasional Sunday activity''. Then came a couple of historical novels about Melbourne in the late 19th century, The Gilded Cage and The Burnt City. It was with The Wooden Leg of Inspector Anders, published in 1999 and featuring his one-legged policeman investigating the murder of a magistrate who was himself investigating the killing of an anti-Mafia judge, that he really struck a chord with readers. It won the Ned Kelly award for a first crime novel and was shortlisted in the 2002 Los Angeles Times book awards. Browne then turned his attention to Nazi Germany, writing three novels starring Franz Schmidt, an auditor, as their hero. Schmidt has only one eye, and Browne told Bookmarks he was interested in damaged heroes. He included Hideo Aoki, the hero of his 2006 novel, Rendezvous at Kamakura Inn, a disgraced Japanese policeman intact physically but not psychologically. Browne wrote three novels about Anders, and Australian Scholarly Press, which published The Gilded Cage in 1996, will bring out the fourth later this year. The book was at the editing stage when Browne died. But only 10 days earlier he had a bookshop signing for The Sabre and the Shawl, the novella published by ASP last month that The Age review described as ''a romantic evocation of the historical time and place, with great characterisation and an exploration of the creative process''. Publisher Nick Walker said Browne was delighted by the queue of people who bought books but exhausted by the time he got home. When people assembled for a celebratory drink he told them in his characteristic self-deprecating way, with a smile on his face, that they were looking at the ghost of Marshall Browne.



Series:
* Inspector Anders
* The Melbourne Trilogy
* Frank Scmidt

Reviews

[Steve Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sequel to the Wooden Leg of Inspector Anders. This time, Anders is battling an international terrorist organisation -- or is he? While not quite as credible as the previous tale (which actually wasn't that credible either, now that I think about it), this is still an engaging read from beginning to end. Oct 2001

[Rena Nowacoski · Rating 5 out of 5]

intriguing continuation of an intriguing mystery series

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable second novel featuring Inspector Anders, now working for Interpol. Sadly, Marshall Browne's books are hard to find, so I'm not too hopeful I'll be able to read the third book in this series, and I've heard he was working on the fourth when he died unexpectedly in 2014.

[Maddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspector Anders, Interpol senior inspector, was introduced in The Wooden Leg of Inspector Anders, where he cleverly solved a situation involving the Italian Mafia. World weary, introspective, an amputee who lost a leg as a result of a bombing earlier in his career, Anders is once again involved in a highly complex case which originates in Frankfurt, Germany. A drug company is in merger talks, and their joint boards are meeting to finalize the arrangements. Somehow, a bomb has been planted in the conference room, and the 16 board members are now nothing more than DNA fragments. It's a horrific scene, and the message is quite clear—companies considering mergers that will result in widespread unemployment will be targeted for similar treatment.

A group going by the name of "Judgment Day" claims responsibility for the deaths, although it's also possible that this was the work of a very deranged individual. The local and national law enforcement agencies come together to allay the threat, and Interpol is called in as well with Anders and his dapper partner Matucci investigating the situation. Interpol's main contribution in cases like this is its computerized criminal file and database of major crimes. There are 3 other mergers between various companies in various countries in the works, and it's a guessing game as to which of these will be next. The perpetrator(s) provide some guidance by contacting a local reporter and, using a synthesized voice, giving information on the possible next hits. The most tantalizing clues are snippets of quotes from the 15th century work, Ship of Fools, which lead Anders and Matucci to locations in France, Belgium and Germany.

Further acts of terrorism occur. It's very puzzling how there are generally people in the vicinity of each of these acts who have no recollection of anything strange occurring before the actual killings. It appears that a master hypnotist may be using his talents to wipe out their memories of the events; and that Anders is not impervious to his tactics, teetering on the edge of sanity at some points. This to me was a weak element of the book and a too convenient a device for creating an invisible evil force. The resolution of the book really stretched credulity as this was inconsistently played out.

Although there was a lot going on in the book, the pace seemed slow to me. The book is actually a locked room mystery, with several rooms involved, each with their own set of associated puzzles and red herrings. Politics and greed create some interesting bedfellows, and there aren't too many individuals in this book who could be labeled "good guys".

Anders is an interesting character. He's a bit older, rather introspective and highly intuitive, although some of his hunches are horrendously wrong. He is very enamored of women who have vulnerabilities and life experience. In spite of that, it's difficult for the reader to feel that they "know" Anders (what IS his first name?). On many occasions, his politeness is noted—he is of the urbane, philosophical mold created by authors such as Donna Leon and Michael Dibdin, although he is lacking some of the humor and warmth of their creations.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sequel to the Wooden Leg of Inspector Anders. This time, Anders is battling an international terrorist organisation -- or is he? While not quite as credible as the previous tale (which actually wasn't that credible either, now that I think about it), this is still an engaging read from beginning to end. Oct 2001

[Pauline Moncrieff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspector Anders is working for Interpol to solve a series of violent terrorist acts against big companies throughout Europe. He is a flawed and troubled character, whose personal characteristics and idiosycrasies help him in some way to find out the truth.

[Rosemary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Aussie writer is not as famous as he should be for his mysteries. Inspector Anders, an Italian, works for Interpol and solves some difficult murders, flitting around Europe with his trusty underling.

[Peter Metcalfe · Rating 3 out of 5]

tightly held till the end

[Betty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this 4 stars except that I just didn't believe the villain's skill set was credible. If you are willing to suspend disbelief, then this is an excellent read.