The Good Friend

A good friend and reading buddy recommended "The Good German" by Joseph Kanon to me at a dinner we shared a while ago. I quickly grabbed a copy from my local book store and started to read. I have a rule that if a book doesn't grab my attention in the first 110 pages, I stop reading. I started with the best intentions, since my friend has wonderful taste, but I immediately got bogged down. I usually like a good mystery, but couldn't seem to get into it. I set it aside and moved on to something else, but picked it up during one of the many storms we have been subjected to recently. I am glad I did. If only the first 300 pages were as good as the last 200 it would have been a wonderful read. The descriptions of postwar Germany, were amazing, but the characters left me cold. I found myself not caring if the murder was solved, not caring if the husband was found, and not caring if the lovers lasted. Even with George Clooney, I think I will skip the movie version.