Fortune Teller

Constantin Vadim #2

by Donald James

The Arctic city of Murmansk, capital of the Kola region of north Russia, early in the new century. Inspector Constantin Vadim is back in his home town after a short and nearly catastrophic appointment in Moscow. But now he is faced with a frightening personal one night his young wife, Natalya, a doctor, answers an emergency medical call -twelve hours later she still hasn't come back. An accident seems the first possibility. Or even a lover. Yet soon a more terrifying answer begins to emerge as Vadim's desperate investigation reveals that a second missing woman, an American consular official, was abducted on the same night. Frustrated by the strange twists and contradictions in the case, Vadim surrenders to the dark power of Russian myth and prophecy. But he is linked in uneasy parnership with a black FBI woman, seconded from Moscow. Locked in a clash of cultures, the ill-balanced pair must confront an abductor who is at once deviously clever and bafflingly deranged.

Genres: Crime, Thriller, Mystery, Russia, Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Donald James (born Donald James Wheal) was a British television writer, novelist and non-fiction writer.

Educated at Sloane Grammar School and Pembroke College, Cambridge (where he read history), James completed his National Service in the Parachute Regiment before returning to London to work as a supply teacher.

He was the author of the best-selling novels Vadim, Monstrum, The Fortune Teller and The Fall of the Russian Empire, as well as non-fiction books such as The Penguin Dictionary of the Third Reich. He wrote under a number of pseudonyms, notably Thomas Dresden and James Barwick (originally in collaboration with fellow writer Tony Barwick, another long-term contributor to the various television productions of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and their company, AP Films/Century 21).

James's career as a scriptwriter included work on TV series such as The Adventurer, The Avengers, The Champions, Department S, Joe 90, Mission: Impossible, The Persuaders!, The Protectors, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), The Saint, The Secret Service, Space: 1999, Terrahawks and UFO. He wrote for a total of 22 titles, including the Century 21 film Doppelgänger, and acted in small three roles between 1961 and 1962.

After spending periods in France and Ireland, he returned to London. His autobiographical account of London life during World War II, World's End, was published in 2005. A second volume of memoirs, White City, was published in March 2007.

James died in London on 24 April 2008. Married three times and divorced once, he is survived by twin daughters

Reviews

[Soho_Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do enjoy a crime thriller novel, but with so many in the genre, it’s hard to find something that offers anything truly different. This means that when I find a novel that seems to suggest something out of the ordinary, I’m always keen to give it a try. More often than not, this also involves finding a new author, as established writers often stick to their tried and tested writing styles, particularly if these have proved successful in the past.

What attracted me to Donald James’ “The Fortune Teller” was not the storyline as much as the setting, as it is set in the Arctic Russian city of Murmansk. In a city where corruption is endemic, Inspector Constantin Vadim is a rare honest man in the police force and one of the few other honest men has offered him a new position. It has some appeal, but as he is considering the offer, his wife has vanished and there are rumours that she may have absconded with her lover. Vadim is arrested as a suspect and has to call on his old contacts, many of who don’t share his integrity, as well as a fortune teller from a local carnival, to find her.

“The Fortune Teller” is a wonderfully layered story, with plenty of false leads and clues appearing from various places. The hints from the fortune teller themselves are always intriguing, but James works in a way that means they don’t always come to fruition immediately, leading to plenty of delayed gratification and the realisation of a throw away clue many pages previously turned out to be relevant, even after the characters had dismissed it as the words of a crank. The mixing of the crime narrative, as well as the political situation at the time and the corruption within the system add further layers and false leads, giving the novel a lot of detail as well as being an interesting look at how the Russian system did or didn’t work.

The characters were well drawn as well, with some of them having layers that you don’t expect. Constantin himself struggles to maintain his honesty and equilibrium as he is so close to the investigation. Although he does descend into the darker side of his nature, you can feel this doesn’t come naturally to him and feel the struggle of him keeping his head above water in terms of maintaining his integrity. His realisation that some of the people he has trusted weren’t deserving of his time or belief and discovering that he perhaps isn’t the person he believed he was when put under pressure was interesting.

Sadly, there were a couple of moments where the standard crime thriller cliches come into play, particularly with the relationship between Constantin and Abby. Admittedly, this is offset by the more interesting relationship between Constantin and V. I. Lenin, but there were moments where things did get slightly predictable. There were also situations which suggested previous relationships, particularly between Constantin and Roy and Constantin and Dronsky which hint towards James’ earlier novel but do cause a bit of an interruption to the flow as the reader has to wonder what they have missed.

This aside, “The Fortune Teller” is a decent novel, with the writing and layering of the plot very nicely done. Add to this the unusual setting and political landscape of Arctic Russia, which makes things a little more varied and also make the weather a witness and an antagonist at points, which are rarely seen in novels. The differences from standard British and American crime thrillers were what first attracted me to the novel and were, ultimately, what made it a success.

[John Hodgkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has been a long time since I first read this book (probably in 2000) and, since this is set in 20917, the world has changed somewhat from how James foretells in this book. Nonetheless, it is a really cracking tale, with quite a few twists and turns, abouyt a post-civil war Russia in Murmansk. The phrase "un-put-downable" is much overused, but in all honesty I got through this in two evenings, reading until late into the night.A thoroughly recommendable read.

[Tuesday's Child · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting enough.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mystery/detective thriller set in Murmansk in the year 2017. A detective battling corruption, warped individuals from Russia’s tortured past, and simple bloody-mindedness, while trying to find his wife’s attacker and uncover a trade in child slavery. Absolutely brilliant. Good storyline, well structured, believable characters. A page-turner with depth, like a young John le Carre.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to say I really enjoyed this book. I didn't think it was on par with Gorky Park, as one blurb suggested, but it was definitely a well written mystery. I'd like to go back and read his first book with the main character, if I can find it over here.

[David Masumba · Rating 3 out of 5]

He should have built the plot more

[Nigel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strangely low average mark for a well written and researched book with a dark and frighteningly real tale. Unfortunately, half way through, I discovered that Mr James is no longer with us. Bugger!