The Magician's Accomplice (Commander Jana Mantinova Series #3) Book

"Trust no one" should be Slovakian Police Commander Jana Matinova's
motto as she finds herself both the hunter and the hunted in a rollercoaster of an adventure that takes her from her home city of Bratislava to The Hague and elsewhere. This is the third novel by Michael Genelin featuring Jana Matinova, and this review coincides with its release in paperback just as a fourth novel, "Requium for a Gypsy" is release in hardcover.

The story begins with the shooting death of a student trying to cadge a free breakfast at a swank hotel, an event quickly followed by the murder of someone very close to Jana. The two crimes appear unrelated, but no sooner has she begun her investigation than she is pulled off the case and sent into exile, tasked with serving as the new Slovak representative on a multi-country team at Europol's (The European Police Office) headquarters in The Netherlands. It seems someone with high political connections wants Jana out of the way and out of the investigation.

But what has happened to her predecessor on the Europol team? Martin Kroslak appears to have walked away from his job, his lover, and his apartment without a word of warning'and why is there so little official curiosity about it? But of more immediate concern to Jana is the problem of staying alive. It seems that no day is complete without someone trying to kill her. Fortunately, in addition to being a capable detective, Police Commander Jana Matinova has a talent for sensing danger'nor is she reluctant to use deadly force when it is needed.

In his previous novels Michael Genelin proved himself adept at making real modern life in countries once hidden behind the Iron Curtain, skillfully mixing mystery and intrigue with the routine of daily life. In "The Magician's Accomplice" he continues his success as he tells a tale of double-cross, deception and death.

Reviewed by Andrew MacRae for Suspense Magazine