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2.78 AVERAGE
2.78 AVERAGE
Hello, Fellow Book Worms!
This my second book read from William Peter Blatty. Entitled Dimiter, the novel plays upon much of Blatty's strengths when delivering this twisting detective tale. There are many religious elements in this book, however the soul of this book lies within the mystery genre.
In 1970s Albania an attempted assassination of a local politician sparks a manhunt that leads to a mysterious stranger in a cabin in the woods belonging to an old blind man. Many believe the stranger to be a local food vendor, while others identify him as another man altogether. He is silent. When asked if he had anything to do with the assassination, he remains silent. Officials begin to believe him to be guilty. But even through hours of brutal torture and interrogation he never says a word. With all other means failing the authorities decide to take more drastic measures. This leads to the stranger escaping, leaving dead bodies his wake. The stranger is soon identified as Paul Dimiter, a notorious spy. Some call him Agent of Hell.
Flash forward a year later to Jerusalem where we meet Doctor Moses Mayo. He has definitely seen a lot working at Hadassah Hospital. And he has heard a lot from his often scattered nurse Samia, who manages to see unexplained phenomenon in the halls daily. He is a self-proclaimed "unsubscriber" of religion, often referring to God as "Maurice". We go on rounds with him visiting patients, some of which are very intriguing. In the same area of Jerusalem his boyhood friend, Detective Peter Meral, works on several cases that seemingly have ties to one another. The biggest mystery is the identity of a man found in the Tomb of Christ at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Old Jerusalem City. This series of events ultimately leads to the resurgence of Dimiter and his encounter with Mayo and Meral.
The entire story twists and turns, with several letters interjecting between chapters that seem to not hold any place in the book at first. But in the last few chapters we are made aware of their significance. The writing is classic Blatty, with often poetic descriptions of scenes. His characters are very likable, especially Samia, who often adds comic relief. And the scene building is very well done, using actual locations as the center of events.
Dimiter was often confusing to read. I felt that it was started as a supernatural thriller, but was later changed to a mystery-espionage novel. There was somewhat of a disjointed flow to the narrative that had me putting this down several times. It was not until the introduction of Detective Meral that I became more invested in the book. Meral is a great character that I would love to see more mysteries with. But the narrative is often choppy, with the end of the book explained rather hastily through interviews.
I read this book in part with the audiobook narrated by William Peter Blatty. His narration was excellent as usual, with the love for his characters apparent as he read their stories. I found that the book flowed smoothly with the audio edition, with Blatty often adlibbing sections to further extrapolate some scenes. I enjoyed the presentation very much.
I give this book three out of five stars. Regardless of my feelings about its choppy structure, I ended up enjoying how all the plots came together. There is also an opening for a sequel at the end that had me intrigued.
Because there is always time to read,
Xepherus3
All written content (c) Copyright 2016 by Thomas Bahr II
This my second book read from William Peter Blatty. Entitled Dimiter, the novel plays upon much of Blatty's strengths when delivering this twisting detective tale. There are many religious elements in this book, however the soul of this book lies within the mystery genre.
In 1970s Albania an attempted assassination of a local politician sparks a manhunt that leads to a mysterious stranger in a cabin in the woods belonging to an old blind man. Many believe the stranger to be a local food vendor, while others identify him as another man altogether. He is silent. When asked if he had anything to do with the assassination, he remains silent. Officials begin to believe him to be guilty. But even through hours of brutal torture and interrogation he never says a word. With all other means failing the authorities decide to take more drastic measures. This leads to the stranger escaping, leaving dead bodies his wake. The stranger is soon identified as Paul Dimiter, a notorious spy. Some call him Agent of Hell.
Flash forward a year later to Jerusalem where we meet Doctor Moses Mayo. He has definitely seen a lot working at Hadassah Hospital. And he has heard a lot from his often scattered nurse Samia, who manages to see unexplained phenomenon in the halls daily. He is a self-proclaimed "unsubscriber" of religion, often referring to God as "Maurice". We go on rounds with him visiting patients, some of which are very intriguing. In the same area of Jerusalem his boyhood friend, Detective Peter Meral, works on several cases that seemingly have ties to one another. The biggest mystery is the identity of a man found in the Tomb of Christ at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Old Jerusalem City. This series of events ultimately leads to the resurgence of Dimiter and his encounter with Mayo and Meral.
The entire story twists and turns, with several letters interjecting between chapters that seem to not hold any place in the book at first. But in the last few chapters we are made aware of their significance. The writing is classic Blatty, with often poetic descriptions of scenes. His characters are very likable, especially Samia, who often adds comic relief. And the scene building is very well done, using actual locations as the center of events.
Dimiter was often confusing to read. I felt that it was started as a supernatural thriller, but was later changed to a mystery-espionage novel. There was somewhat of a disjointed flow to the narrative that had me putting this down several times. It was not until the introduction of Detective Meral that I became more invested in the book. Meral is a great character that I would love to see more mysteries with. But the narrative is often choppy, with the end of the book explained rather hastily through interviews.
I read this book in part with the audiobook narrated by William Peter Blatty. His narration was excellent as usual, with the love for his characters apparent as he read their stories. I found that the book flowed smoothly with the audio edition, with Blatty often adlibbing sections to further extrapolate some scenes. I enjoyed the presentation very much.
I give this book three out of five stars. Regardless of my feelings about its choppy structure, I ended up enjoying how all the plots came together. There is also an opening for a sequel at the end that had me intrigued.
Because there is always time to read,
Xepherus3
All written content (c) Copyright 2016 by Thomas Bahr II
I don’t often read genre fiction (mysteries, horror, sci-fi, fantasy). It’s just not my thing. I prefer fiction where the story is moved forward by characters and character development. Genre fiction, in my experience, is often more plot-driven where characters are there to service the plot rather than the plot being driven by the characters.
So when my Rock & Roll Bookclub suggested we read Dimiter by William Peter Blatty I immediately started protesting via farty noises and gagging. Once that subsided I began working through the five stages of reading genre fiction.
Read more.
So when my Rock & Roll Bookclub suggested we read Dimiter by William Peter Blatty I immediately started protesting via farty noises and gagging. Once that subsided I began working through the five stages of reading genre fiction.
Read more.
I tried reading this one twice...both times it lost me. So this may not be the right time for this book. Perhaps some day.
Despite being written by the author of The Exorcist, “Dimiter” is not really a horror story. Nor is it a supernatural religious thriller. It’s more of a mystery/suspense tale, with a policeman in 1970s Jerusalem investigating a series of related crimes. Before the main plot kicks in there’s a really interesting section set in Albania in 1973 concerning the interrogation of a nameless prisoner. Eventually it ties into the policeman’s story, but I thought those opening chapters were more interesting than where the book ending up going.
Throughout the novel there are transcripts of police interrogations and government debriefings that fill in some back story, as well as personal correspondence from characters who aren’t identified until later in the book. It’s a bit confusing at times, but the confusion is intentional and things fall into place by the end.
“Dimiter” was well-written and enjoyable overall, but I think it is the kind of book that would really benefit from a second reading.
Throughout the novel there are transcripts of police interrogations and government debriefings that fill in some back story, as well as personal correspondence from characters who aren’t identified until later in the book. It’s a bit confusing at times, but the confusion is intentional and things fall into place by the end.
“Dimiter” was well-written and enjoyable overall, but I think it is the kind of book that would really benefit from a second reading.
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I feel a bit ambivalent about this book; I both liked it and disliked it. It has a very powerful story that is weighted by an over-complicated and terribly convoluted narrative. Although it drew me along it was, at times, utterly exhausting. The characters, though compelling and even likable, are all too similar, with the guilt and loss all having a sameness that weakens the empathy one could have for them. The viewpoints are legion; to the point where note-taking is a good idea. I enjoyed the last third of the novel much more than the rest. I don't think I would read this again, but I am glad I read it once through.
Anyone looking for a page-turning thriller in the style of Blatty's previous efforts, The Exorcist and Legion, will probably be disappointed with Dimiter. Though it's also set up as a who-done-it, it has a quiet and contemplative tone and is much slower-paced. Blatty once again turns to explorations of faith and of the goodness and evil in man. I enjoyed it.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don’t think any of his will top the exorcist. This one was a bit confusing with characters coming in and out with little to know explanation.