Game
A C Efverman
A C Efverman
ISBN: 9781516979929
Description:
Sydney is hosting the World Cup in soccer in a few weeks’ time, when Detective Sergeant Morgan Callaghan is assigned to lead an investigation of three dead women who have been found in central parts of the city. Morgan’s mother is dying, and his family cannot understand the pressure that Morgan has been put under by his superiors and the FIFA committee. The hunt for a serial killer leads Morgan into a darkness he has never experienced before – and in this darkness he will lose more than he ever thought was possible… This dark, relentless thriller will take you on a journey to Sydney where you will get to know DS Morgan Callaghan, and you will also get a rare insight of what it feels like to work on a murder investigation in Australia.
My View:
This police procedural would make an excellent film script.
AC Efverman writes a book that is heavy on detail, crime and personal tragedies. This book could so easily be read as a script for a TV show – such are the directions and the descriptions provided.
My favourite piece in the book is an observation, a reflection that the protagonist (DS Callaghan) makes about serial killers, “As I said: he is a psychopath. These guys don’t follow any rules. They make up their own agendas. Serial killers have been known to escalate their murdering sprees when they have work experience. (p191, emphasis added) So true!!!
The book is reportedly very successful in Sweden, however I feel the English translation of the book would have benefited from a strong edit by someone who speaks and writes English as a first language – so much of the conversations came across as stilted and unnatural – and some terms of expression were obviously influenced by Swedish rather than colloquial Australian.
A good debut.
Reading, Writing and Riesling 
Oh, and the language and dialogue are so important, aren’t they, Carol? That said, though, it does sound like an interesting premise for a thriller, and I can see why you thought the plot would make a solid film.
Natural dialogue is so important Margot
Agreed, the translator is so important to achieve a nice flow to a novel. I love reading lit in translation but disappointed when the translator is unable to convey the subtleties & nuances of the story.
Have just read another translated book -and this translator got it right – more on that one soon.
Look forward to reading your post, always enjoy foreign book recommendations.
Hi Carol, thanks for your comments about ‘Game’. I’ve recently had the English language edition of ‘Game’ language edited by an Australian publishing professional – to ensure that the book has a ‘more Australian language flow’ – and this edited version of ‘Game’ is now published and available to readers in both eBook and paperback formats: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=efverman
All the best,
A.C. Efverman
Great news