Karolina, or the Torn Curtain

(Paperback)

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Description

"Easter, 1895. The biggest event in the Catholic calendar is a disaster in Zofia Turbotynskas household. Her maid Karolina has handed in her notice and worse, gone missing. When Karolinas body is discovered, violated and stabbed, Zofia knows she has to investigate. Following a trail that leads her from the poorest districts of Galicia to the highest echelons of society, Zofia uncovers a web of gang crimes, sex-trafficking and corruption that will force her to question everything she knows. Set against the backdrop of the womens cause, Karolina and the Torn Curtain refuses to turn a blind eye to the injustices and inequalities of its era and ours."

Reviews

The novel presents a fascinating picture of life in late-nineteenth century Poland...Recommended.

-- Mystery People

Awitty and engaging historical murder mystery, a clever pastiche of British golden-age crime fiction projected onto an earlier time and a distant place Athoroughly entertaining, breezy thriller.

-- European Literature Network

Karolina, or the Torn Curtain has a light feathery touch, it's a witty and engaging mystery that oozes charm. Equally endearing for its clever pastiche of golden age crime fiction and its incisive portrait of the customs and manners of the day that are so revealing of Cracow society and its values... This is a crime story rich in period detail and telling observations on human nature.

-- Crime Time

Szymiczkowa (the pen name of writing duo Jacek Dehnel and Piotr Tarczynski) brings Cracow vividly to life and presents the periods views on women with sly wit. This mystery will please readers looking for an unusual amateur sleuth and a picturesque setting.

-- Publishers Weekly

Vividly steeped in the politics and the life and times of 1895 Cracow, this mystery, with its charming heroine and dry humor, will appeal to fans of Anne Perrys Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series, which also weaves the social issues of the day into the story.

-- Booklist

Pseudonymous partners Jacek Dehnel and Piotr Tarczyski bring both the do-gooders and the criminals of fin-de-sicle Cracow to entertaining life, but their deepest interest is in the unlikely detective lurking beneath the sedate Mrs. Jekyll: "the hidden Mrs. Hyde, the fearless stalker of criminals." A gravely decorous period piece thatvividly evokes its moment while maintaining an archly amused distance from it.

-- Kirkus

Praise for Mrs Mohr Goes Missing:

Strong-minded Zofia is an appealing character and the sprightly narrative and vivid evocation of turn-of-the-century Poland make for an enjoyable tale.Guardian

The unravelling of the mystery is ingenious... Its fun and sparky and the glimpse of turn-of-the-century Polish manners and mores is beguiling.Daily Mail

An ingenious marriage of comedy and crime.Olga Tokarczuk, 2018 winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature

Author Bio

"Jacek Dehnel is a writer, poet and translator. He has written several novels, including Lala (Oneworld, 2018) and Saturn (Dedalus, 2012). Jacek writes crime fiction under the pseudonym Maryla Szymiczkowa with partner Piotr Tarczynski, a translator and historian. They live in Warsaw. Antonia Lloyd-Jones is a prize-winning translator of Polish literature and a mentor for the WCN Emerging Translator Mentorship Programme, and from 2015-17 was co-chair of the Translators Association. Her previous translations of work by Jacek Dehnel include Lala (Oneworld) and Saturn (Dedalus)."