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Tejada #3
The Watcher in the Pine
The third Carlos Tejada investigationSpain, 1940: Potes, a remote northern mountain village, is Carlos Tejada’s first independent Guardia Civil command. He soon discovers that this “promotion” is a mixed blessing. The villagers are unwelcoming. He and his pregnant wife, Elena, have no place to live but the jail, and his own men seem strangely hostile. Is it just their suspicion of his wife’s Republican sympathies? Or is there more going on in the beautiful but bleak area, recently devastated by the civil war? Tejada discovers that there may, indeed, be a new outbreak of that war with Potes as its epicenter. And he must find a way to reconcile his love for his wife with his duty.
330 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2005
17 people are currently reading
118 people want to read
About the author
Rebecca Pawel
10 books24 followersRebecca Pawel was born in 1977 and was raised in New York City. She spent a summer studying in Madrid in 1994 and fell in love with Spain. She also majored in Spanish language and literature at Columbia University.
Death of a Nationalist was nominiated for Best first Novel for both the 2004 Anthony and 2004 Macavity, and won the 2004 Edgar Best First Novel. It was also a finalist for the LA Times Best Mystery.
She is currently a teacher at the High School for Enterpirse, Business and Technology in New York City.
Death of a Nationalist was nominiated for Best first Novel for both the 2004 Anthony and 2004 Macavity, and won the 2004 Edgar Best First Novel. It was also a finalist for the LA Times Best Mystery.
She is currently a teacher at the High School for Enterpirse, Business and Technology in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
August 10, 2015
As a Spaniard living in far away Alaska I took "The Watcher in the Pine" with a little bit of incredulity. I couldn't picture somebody from a different culture being able to portrait accurately the day to day life of a small town in the Picos de Europa. Moreover the time period is one of political unrest and strong division in the country.
Also, I lived for a number of years in Oviedo, the capital of one of the provinces divided by the Picos de Europa. So it was a pleasant surprise when I started to recognize pretty accurate portraits of local types. The bar tender, the priest, the guardias themselves, have an air of authenticity. Not only that, he landscape is true to the area. It was with a certain familiarity that I read rhe encounter of Tejada with the priest, who's fishing on the river. The time of day, the scenery, even the repetitive casting while talking, were something I have experienced myself, and that I only got exposed to once I started living in that area.
From the point of view of the story, the unraveling of the plot seems flawless and not over predictable, which is a problem that I find in many whodonnits.
If you like the stile of Donna Leon or Andrea Camilleri, you'll probably find "The Watcher in the Pine" interesting at the very least.
Also, I lived for a number of years in Oviedo, the capital of one of the provinces divided by the Picos de Europa. So it was a pleasant surprise when I started to recognize pretty accurate portraits of local types. The bar tender, the priest, the guardias themselves, have an air of authenticity. Not only that, he landscape is true to the area. It was with a certain familiarity that I read rhe encounter of Tejada with the priest, who's fishing on the river. The time of day, the scenery, even the repetitive casting while talking, were something I have experienced myself, and that I only got exposed to once I started living in that area.
From the point of view of the story, the unraveling of the plot seems flawless and not over predictable, which is a problem that I find in many whodonnits.
If you like the stile of Donna Leon or Andrea Camilleri, you'll probably find "The Watcher in the Pine" interesting at the very least.
March 21, 2018
If I felt that the previous book was simply Pawel's response to readers wanting more of the Tejada/Elena dynamic, then this one was more what I wanted - lots of intrigue & mystery. Tejada proves to be a fast worker as Elena is now pregnant as the book opens & she has given birth by the end, but not without a heated exchange in which Tejada makes a very cruel threat. In the preface to "The Summer Snow:, Pawel dedicates the book as follows: "For all the people who told me they loved Tejada and wanted me to reform him, and all the people who hated Tejada and begged me to kill him off in the last book." I am more towards the former, although reform would weaken his character, but I can certainly understand why people would be passionate about his demise. In this book, he proves to be a deeply conflicted person. He wants to be a loving husband & father; he is highly educated; & yet, he is an officer in a (literally) Fascist goon squad. This book posts the two in a remote northern locale in Spain, pitted against the maquis/guerrillas & I have to admit, I found myself sympathizing with the Reds & not Tejada. 'Nuff said.
October 27, 2021
The novel is noteworthy for its depiction of the bitter animosity between the Falangists and Republicans - universally identified as Reds whether communist or not - that permeated Spain following the end of the Spanish Civil War. Other than interesting descriptions of the surroundings, the story moves forward at a glacial and workman-like pace.
Lieutenant Carlos Tejada Alonso y Leon has been assigned the small Guardia command in Potes, a village in the mountains 40 odd kilometers inland from the Spanish northwest coast and 100 plus kilometers from Santander (a name I recognize because the Dornier 12-engined DOX stopped there in 1930). He brought his bride of less than a year to this remote, barely hospitable, and rather primitive place less than a month away from delivering her first child. He's faced with unfriendly residents, an obstinate and prickly sergeant, a mayor who's little help, and a reconstruction administrator who lets drop his supplies have been pilfered now and then, by the way including a case or two of dynamite.
Part of the difficulty is that it is nearly impossible to feel sympathy for Lieutenant Tejada as we learned in the very first novel, he is an unrepentant murderer for the cause. He has no qualms regarding brutalizing prisoners, is a chauvinist, and mostly pig-headed with few if any redeeming characteristics. If we didn't feel sorry for his wife, having his sergeant shoot him would have seemed appropriate regardless of that fellow's motives. That said, to portray a member of the Guardia in any other way would be ingenuous and it remains to be seen if the Lieutenant will sufficiently change his fascist mind-set. The penultimate scene with his wife and baby contemplating the future not as a Guardia didn't convince me a change had begun.
Lieutenant Carlos Tejada Alonso y Leon has been assigned the small Guardia command in Potes, a village in the mountains 40 odd kilometers inland from the Spanish northwest coast and 100 plus kilometers from Santander (a name I recognize because the Dornier 12-engined DOX stopped there in 1930). He brought his bride of less than a year to this remote, barely hospitable, and rather primitive place less than a month away from delivering her first child. He's faced with unfriendly residents, an obstinate and prickly sergeant, a mayor who's little help, and a reconstruction administrator who lets drop his supplies have been pilfered now and then, by the way including a case or two of dynamite.
Part of the difficulty is that it is nearly impossible to feel sympathy for Lieutenant Tejada as we learned in the very first novel, he is an unrepentant murderer for the cause. He has no qualms regarding brutalizing prisoners, is a chauvinist, and mostly pig-headed with few if any redeeming characteristics. If we didn't feel sorry for his wife, having his sergeant shoot him would have seemed appropriate regardless of that fellow's motives. That said, to portray a member of the Guardia in any other way would be ingenuous and it remains to be seen if the Lieutenant will sufficiently change his fascist mind-set. The penultimate scene with his wife and baby contemplating the future not as a Guardia didn't convince me a change had begun.
May 22, 2017
When Carlos Tejada, a lieutenant in the Guardia of Franco’s Spain married Elena, whose sympathies were on the other side of the civil war, he knew life was going to get difficult. However, when he is posted with a very pregnant Elena to a ruined village in the mountains in the middle of winter, things could not get much worse. It becomes clear that there is still a strong Republican sentiment in the village because, as explained by one of the inhabitants, they gave books to the schools. A little contrived at the end, but an intriguing read.
February 13, 2021
The 3rd in the series and more a portrait of an isolated Republican-sympathising town in northern Spain, where guerillas still operate in 1940. Lt Tejada and his heavily-pregnant wife, Elena, a former-Republican, find it hard to be accepted by the people devastated by war. Tejada’s predecessor was killed and that is the central mystery although that is very much subordinate to a range of convincing characters. There are a few issues; Germany wasn’t fighting Russia in 1940 and two massive coincidences with a tree and a necklace detract but it is very involving
July 13, 2024
I enjoyed this book so much!
I've never been to Spain, but I feel that I know a certain part of it and it's history now, thanks to this excellent mystery by Rebecca Pawal! Sharply drawn characters, an intriguing plot, and building tension all compelled me to stay up reading just to see what was going to happen next! I cannot wait to read more of Ms. Pawal's work!
I've never been to Spain, but I feel that I know a certain part of it and it's history now, thanks to this excellent mystery by Rebecca Pawal! Sharply drawn characters, an intriguing plot, and building tension all compelled me to stay up reading just to see what was going to happen next! I cannot wait to read more of Ms. Pawal's work!
December 18, 2018
Although devotees of traditionally structured mysteries may be put off the seeming absence of a real mystery, I found the strong characters and the fascinating background of the post civil war Spanish mountains an acceptable substitute. And then bang--there it is!
December 5, 2017
See my review of Summer Snow
October 14, 2019
One of the 12 best mysteries I read in 2005.
February 17, 2023
Three stars because of the interesting view of Spanish life a few years after their Civil War ended. The story...meh. Not much of a mystery, if it was meant to be a mystery.
May 5, 2024
Easy read but still captivating with historical tidbits.
Good for a long plane ride :)
Good for a long plane ride :)
August 12, 2007
WATCHER IN THE PINE (Pol.Proc-Spain-1940) – VG
Pawel, Rebecca – 3rd in series
Soho, 2005- UK Hardcover- ISBN: 156947379X
*** The Civil War is over and Lieutenant Carlos Tejada has received his first independent command so he, and his very pregnant bride, Elena Fernandez, move to the small mountain village of Potes. It quickly becomes clear this was not the idyllic posting they’d hoped. Arriving in a snowstorm, there is no one to meet them. There are no quarters suitable for a couple so they rent an apartment in a less than friendly tavern. The officers of the small Guardia Civil post are anything but welcoming to Tejada, especially as the Sergeant broadly hints of his knowledge regarding Elena’s Republican sympathies. But are events leading to a new outbreak of the War? Guerilla activities are increasing, dynamite has disappears, a cache of weapons is found and attacks soon become very personal to Tejada.
*** I so enjoyed this book. Although written in the third person, we are allowed to listen in on Tejada’s and Elena’s thoughts showing us their very human insecurities, fears and frustrations. The relationship of Tejada and Elena wonderfully exemplifies a newly married couple, with different personalities, still getting to know each other. The inequality of women during this period in Spain, particularly in a small village, adds interest to the plot. Although the situation of civil unrest is the mystery in the story, it’s the characters who kept me involved.
Pawel, Rebecca – 3rd in series
Soho, 2005- UK Hardcover- ISBN: 156947379X
*** The Civil War is over and Lieutenant Carlos Tejada has received his first independent command so he, and his very pregnant bride, Elena Fernandez, move to the small mountain village of Potes. It quickly becomes clear this was not the idyllic posting they’d hoped. Arriving in a snowstorm, there is no one to meet them. There are no quarters suitable for a couple so they rent an apartment in a less than friendly tavern. The officers of the small Guardia Civil post are anything but welcoming to Tejada, especially as the Sergeant broadly hints of his knowledge regarding Elena’s Republican sympathies. But are events leading to a new outbreak of the War? Guerilla activities are increasing, dynamite has disappears, a cache of weapons is found and attacks soon become very personal to Tejada.
*** I so enjoyed this book. Although written in the third person, we are allowed to listen in on Tejada’s and Elena’s thoughts showing us their very human insecurities, fears and frustrations. The relationship of Tejada and Elena wonderfully exemplifies a newly married couple, with different personalities, still getting to know each other. The inequality of women during this period in Spain, particularly in a small village, adds interest to the plot. Although the situation of civil unrest is the mystery in the story, it’s the characters who kept me involved.
December 1, 2014
Watcher in the Pine is my favorite book so far in the Tejada series. I enjoyed the other two, but this one demonstrates additional complexity in both plot and character. I actually guessed part of the truth about the situation, but Pawel skillfully revealed the novel's intricate relationships.
I really love the time and place of this novel: 1940 in Northern Spain. Lieutenant Carlos Tejada and his wife Elena have moved to the town of Potes, where the lieutenant assumes his first command. It's a bleakly isolated place and unsympathetic to the Guardia Civil. The Civil War has ended but the town of Potes is a hotbed of Resistance and police corruption. Tejada's wife is sympathetic to the guerrillas, which adds interesting tension to their relationship. She's also pregnant. Tejada is conservative and controlling. Some readers came to loath him, but not me. I definitely twitched when he struggled to suppress Elena's desire for relevance in the world. Not my kind of marriage. However, Tejada grows and develops during the novel, realizing that he can be wrong and that not Guardia Civil are to be trusted. Plus, when Elena is endangered, he realizes that he madly loves his strong and independent wife, despite their political differences and the difficulties this creates.
I have another pile of books to read for now, but I will return to this series and finish it up with Book 4.
I really love the time and place of this novel: 1940 in Northern Spain. Lieutenant Carlos Tejada and his wife Elena have moved to the town of Potes, where the lieutenant assumes his first command. It's a bleakly isolated place and unsympathetic to the Guardia Civil. The Civil War has ended but the town of Potes is a hotbed of Resistance and police corruption. Tejada's wife is sympathetic to the guerrillas, which adds interesting tension to their relationship. She's also pregnant. Tejada is conservative and controlling. Some readers came to loath him, but not me. I definitely twitched when he struggled to suppress Elena's desire for relevance in the world. Not my kind of marriage. However, Tejada grows and develops during the novel, realizing that he can be wrong and that not Guardia Civil are to be trusted. Plus, when Elena is endangered, he realizes that he madly loves his strong and independent wife, despite their political differences and the difficulties this creates.
I have another pile of books to read for now, but I will return to this series and finish it up with Book 4.
January 5, 2008
Tejada and Elena's relationship is much more developed in this book. It's a classic case of not living happily ever after. They both knew going into their marriage that they'd have differences of opinion, and it may be a challenge to overcome them. Though some spats were inevitable, I thought that they both made some mistakes in how they dealt with each other. I was not enamored of the prisoner that Elena befriended, or the fact that she wasn't upfront with Tejada about her visits, no matter how lonely she may have been due to the townspeople's lack of friendliness. However, when Tejada flew off the handle and yelled at her, I was upset with him. It's unfortunate that they both had to make so many concessions to each other, but it was their choice. I'm glad that it worked out in the end (as I expected it would), and hopefully they both learned some important lessons.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 26, 2012
Unexpectedly delightful! I now wish I'd started at the beginning of the series, but sometimes when I do that I wish I'd just tried a book from somewhere in the middle. Can't win really.
I had to look up the background to this book, set in the aftermath of the Spanish civil war, as I was entirely hazy on the whole concept. I was surprised to find the main character, Tejada, on Franco's side (sort of). But it becomes clearer as the book goes on that there is more to it than that. I'm guessing that the relationship with his wife Elena, which adds a lot to the political balance of the story, was built up in the previous books. This would have been a poorer book without Elena.
I'll have to look up the other books in the series.
I had to look up the background to this book, set in the aftermath of the Spanish civil war, as I was entirely hazy on the whole concept. I was surprised to find the main character, Tejada, on Franco's side (sort of). But it becomes clearer as the book goes on that there is more to it than that. I'm guessing that the relationship with his wife Elena, which adds a lot to the political balance of the story, was built up in the previous books. This would have been a poorer book without Elena.
I'll have to look up the other books in the series.
March 16, 2022
well drawn characters with lovely environmental set ups. The 2 main characters were fully developed and seemed adequately appropriate to the time. I liked the fact that i did not know the time period before i read the book and the opening chapters were misleading. The book illustrates well the issues of a marriage of passion with idiological differences. It also gave me a good feel for a country still in the passions of a civil war, even though one side has now won.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly reccomend it.
I usually do not want to read books out of order, but i was really wanting a good read and this looked like one and i do not regret my choice at all. However, now, i will go back and read the rest!
I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly reccomend it.
I usually do not want to read books out of order, but i was really wanting a good read and this looked like one and i do not regret my choice at all. However, now, i will go back and read the rest!
September 20, 2008
So I think Pawel finally stumbled a bit with this one, but I still enjoyed reading it. It seemed as though the whole who done it aspect of the story was a little forced.
I didn't mind the slow pace of the writing, I rather enjoyed getting to know these characters a bit more fully. That said, I I still wanted a little more 'action' as it were with the Maquis and the Guardia. I continue to appreciate how Pawel has yet to back away from having Tejada do some rotten things as a guardi, I like the honesty. I think Elena has also, finally, become a more complex and likable character too, although there were hints of that in The Law of Return.
I didn't mind the slow pace of the writing, I rather enjoyed getting to know these characters a bit more fully. That said, I I still wanted a little more 'action' as it were with the Maquis and the Guardia. I continue to appreciate how Pawel has yet to back away from having Tejada do some rotten things as a guardi, I like the honesty. I think Elena has also, finally, become a more complex and likable character too, although there were hints of that in The Law of Return.
October 11, 2012
Having skipped the second book in the series, things have changed mightly for Lt. Tejada, as he moves with his pregnant wife to a rural posting in 1940 Spain. Elena, his wife, is a major and welcome character in the book, humanizing the Nationalist guardia even more with her Republican sympathies and allowing a deeper connection to the new place. The rural setting moves slower than the city, but the war's violence has touched here as well. The characters are well drawn and the mysteries and the action, involving political and personal matters, are compelling. But the personal development in Tejada as he wrestles with ethics, politics, and morality is even more compelling.
October 15, 2011
Lt. Carlos Tejada of Franco's Guardia Civil and his bride, Elena Fernandez, from a completely different background, travel to the mountain village of Potes as the war in Europe heats up and Loyalist guerrillas are still fighting in the mountains. Although Carlos' and Elena's politics are different, they share a basic integrity that allows them to be together. This episode in their story was more interesting for the characters than for the plot, but still very much worth reading.
May 15, 2010
I read this for book group. What I liked was the sense of time and place. Northern Spain, post civil war. The protagonist is a policia, his wife, a liberal. Their relationship was very interesting; the mystery, less so. The book I read just before, City of Thieves was far more beautifully written.
July 26, 2016
A city-dwelling, communist sympathizer marries fascist Civil Guard officer at end of the Spanish Civil War (before WW2) and has a hard time finding happiness until she has a baby and gets kidnapped. A perfect anti-fem book with spunky gal getting spelunked.
Found as a last minute airplane read. Tries to detail some north Spain history (gets one star for trying, another because I am a nice guy).
Found as a last minute airplane read. Tries to detail some north Spain history (gets one star for trying, another because I am a nice guy).
August 4, 2011
a not bad mystery/fiction from viewpoint of a guardia civil in a little picos de europa village (read hillbilly country) who is a thinking man so this cop has to try and hold back the natural redneckedness of the town and fight the "terrorists" too
September 11, 2012
Another in the series by Rebecca Pawel, who does a good job with the exotic setting of a remote village in the recently war-ravaged Spain of the 1940s and the improbable husband (Falangist) and wife (Republican/Communist) pair.
April 6, 2016
Because the premise of the relationship between Red and Gardia is clear, this book isn't as exciting as the first in the series but still a fascinating picture of Spain at the end of the Civil Wa in the form of a murder mystery.
July 28, 2009
This should actually get 3.5 stars -- it's better than your average decently-written book, but not quite as good as Rebecca Pawel's debut novel.
October 17, 2009
Aftermath of the Spanish Civil War.
December 15, 2010
Another compelling read
April 27, 2017
More of a 3.5, but a fine book. I started with book 3 because that was the only one at the bookstore. It is well written, good characters, semi mysterious plot. The mood and setting are the real stars. Not that I'm an expert in Spanish Civil War, but Pawel is able to give the sense of place and time that few books are able to do successfully. Looking forward to more books in the series.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews