Flight of the Storks

"Those gleaming creatures, above all that misery and cruelty, were a vision that gave me courage." It is an unusual premise, a thriller that follows the migration of the stork, east through Europe, across the Balkans, through Israel, and then south west across Africa. Grange's narrator Louis Antioch, is a bored academic and amateur ornithologist. As the storks, and their trustees, a network of bird enthusiasts, begin to disappear in mysterious and grisly circumstances, Max Bohm, chief stork guardian, hires Louis to investigate. Shortly afterwards we learn of Bohm's own bloody death in a stork's nest.

Originally published in France during 1994, the novel examines the political landscape of the time. Antioch and the storks traverse a world racked with the insecurities about burgeoning nationalism which sprang up following the collapse of the Soviet sphere of influence. The implication of the storks disappearance is that evil is at work and that the hope created by the collapse of the old world order is under threat.

Grange has a rich feel for the landscape and culture of the nations in which the novel is set, and Ian Monk does a fine job in translating the prose. It is, however a pity that the character of Louis Antioch isn't better developed. He is an emotionally cold man, numbed by childhood traumas which are slowly revealed as the novel progresses. However, his reactions to the events that surround him seem at times clichéd and shallow, at odds with the narrative tone. Iain Robinson

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Flight of the Storks... FLIGHT OF THE DIAMONDS... - Rated
Storks... everybody know that storks fly from one country to another when season are changing, but not everybody know that storks can carry under their legs a big amount of valuable diamonds while flying.

Max Bohm, a real stork-lover is found killed and massacred in storks' nest.

Louis Antioche, a man at his early thirties who has just started to work for Max Bohm, will investigate his death by following flight of the storks.

In the other hand in 4 different countries in the world, 4 same killing styles where victim's heart is robbed.
Who is behind these crimes, serial killer or a doctor?

A long journey from Switzerland including Czech Republic, Bulgary, Israel, to diamonds' homeland - Middle Africa.

An increasing tempo adventure book is waiting for you... Enjoy it!

do not judge a book by its cover - Rated
I strongly advise against judging Flight of the Storks by its cover. This book totally took me by surprise and proved to be and outstanding thriller.

The main character, a French history scholar, embarks on an adventure to uncover the mystery of disappearing storks. This might not seem like the most gut-wrenchingly scary task to begin with but it does not take long before the suspense really picks up as the story takes you to the most sinister places and our hero is confronted with all sorts of evil characters. Especially, the unveiling of the many hidden secrets lurking in the main character's own haunted past is exhilarating.

One thing though; I must confess that I had a slight problem with the credibility of the main character. Given the fact that he comes directly from school and apparently had real no combat training I find it a little hard to believe in his incredible survival skills.

Dark, sinister and uncompromising - Rated
Having read 'The Blood Red Rivers' prior to this novel, I was positively surprised that my high expectations were more than met.
Although 'Storks' starts out fairly slow, the story quickly unfolds to involve much more than just ornithology, forcing the protagonist to fight for his life and reveal the secrets behind a trail of gruesome murders along with the true reasons for his mission.
In my opinion, 'Storks' is an even better read than 'The Blood Red Rivers' and should not be missed by anyone interested in unique and intelligent thrillers.
Dark, sinister and uncompromising - definetely not for the faint at heart.

it's a crime - Rated
It's a crime!

The central problem with this book is that it badly translated from the original French. If you're the sort of person who likes far-fetched action and intrigue novels (and who wouldn't) you might be able to put up with it. I struggled with it, mainly because the dialogue was so bad. The voices of the characters come across like an episode of Mind Your Language. It's kind of hard to believe in these dynamic movers and shakers when they speak in such a stilted manner. If you can read French you'd probably be better off reading it in it's un-translated form. It can't be any worse.

That aside though the narrative itself is engaging and involving. The ending is a bit wobbly so you might feel a bit cheated at the end. If you're a first time reader looking to get into the genre there are better examples (Elmore Leonard springs to mind) but if you're a fan of the you'll probably enjoy it anyway, despite it's short-comings.

Slow to start - but a 'gem' of a storyline once you get into - Rated
Initialy I found the main character in the story difficult to gage, as he seemed to be fairly vague. However once you get reading the plot quickens at a rapid rate and unfolds with some excellent twists. The storks hold the key to, two sinister intertwined mysteries that streach across two continents, both of which leave a trail of bloodshed! Perhaps not as initialy gripping as Blood Red Rivers, but if you give it a fair chance it is a cracking book.