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Graham Brack
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The Josef Slonský Series: Books 1-3 Kindle Edition

by Graham Brack (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 out of 5 stars 521 ratings
Looking for a new series with an unforgettable detective? Get the first three books in the thrilling Josef Slonsky Investigations series now!

Perfect for fans of Ian Rankin, Jo Nesbo and Peter Robinson.

Lying and Dying

The body of an attractive young woman is found strangled by the side of the road. There are no obvious clues to what happened, apart from the discovery of a large amount of cash concealed on her person.

The brilliant, but incredibly lazy, Lieutenant Josef Slonský is put in charge of the case. When fingers start to point inwards to someone involved with police operations, Slonský is put in a difficult position. If what he suspects is true, how deep does the police corruption run? Is he willing to risk his career in his pursuit of the truth?

Slaughter and Forgetting

Thirty years ago a young woman was brutally slaughtered in her home. The police charged and eventually hanged a suspect in what appeared to be an open and shut case. But when a retired police officer, Edvard Holoubek comes to Lieutenant Josef Slonský with memories that have haunted him for decades, it becomes clear that everything is not as it seemed…

Before Slonský can delve any further Holoubek is deliberately targeted in a hit and run. It seems someone doesn’t want the truth to come out… With memories failing and leads running cold Slonsky finds himself in a race against time to find the real killer.

Death on Duty

The Bosnian government has sent an alert out to the criminal division in Prague that some of their ‘most wanted’ men may have escaped into the Czech Republic. Lieutenant Josef Slonský, along with his dynamic officers, Kristýna Peiperová and Navrátil are sent to comb the backstreets and search for informers.

But just as they appear to find one of the men, an undercover police officer is stabbed outside the flat they are watching, in broad daylight. Will Slonský discover how the murder was committed with no witnesses in the middle of the day? Or will his investigations lead to a Death On Duty…?

THE JOSEF SLONSKÝ INVESTIGATIONS BOXSET includes the first three international crime thrillers in this detective series set in the Czech Republic: action-packed police procedurals full of suspense.
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  1. Print length
    540 pages
  2. Language
    English
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  4. Publication date
    January 20, 2019
  5. File size
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07MZ5NC8K
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sapere Books
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 20, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.4 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 540 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 521 ratings

About the author

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Graham Brack

Graham Brack

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Graham Brack has been writing for as long as he can remember, but now concentrates on crime fiction. Three times shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association's Debut Dagger prize (in 2011, 2014 and 2016) he never quite managed to win it.

Graham lives with his wife Gillian in Northamptonshire and has two children and three granddaughters, who are too young to be allowed to read Grandad's books, so he provides other stories for them.

He trained and practised as a pharmacist and has also written about football, rugby, cricket and medical law. He is an ordained priest in the Church of England.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
521 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers praise the book's well-developed characters and clever plots. They appreciate the book's humor.

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Character developmentHumorPlot development
3 customers mention "Character development"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the well-developed characters in the book series.

"...The writing is very good, well plotted and good characterization. A bit of humor, somewhat dark. The Prague setting adds a bit of atmosphere...." Read more

"...Comedy, tragedy, colorful characters, delightful dialogue and well developed plots make for compelling police stories...." Read more

"The books include well developed characters and clever plots mixed with humour and interesting locations." Read more

3 customers mention "Humor"3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the humor in the book series.

"...The writing is very good, well plotted and good characterization. A bit of humor, somewhat dark. The Prague setting adds a bit of atmosphere...." Read more

"...Comedy, tragedy, colorful characters, delightful dialogue and well developed plots make for compelling police stories...." Read more

"The books include well developed characters and clever plots mixed with humour and interesting locations." Read more

3 customers mention "Plot development"3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the clever plots of the book series, with one customer describing them as compelling police stories that offer an entertaining perspective on crime fighting.

"...The writing is very good, well plotted and good characterization. A bit of humor, somewhat dark. The Prague setting adds a bit of atmosphere...." Read more

"...Punishment" meet "Catch-22" resulting in a contemporary collection of tales per the cops & robbers genre; Mr. Brack continues his globe trotting in..." Read more

"The books include well developed characters and clever plots mixed with humour and interesting locations." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • osaka
    5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly quite good
    Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2022
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Have just read the first of the 3 books in this set. 4.5 stars. Picked this up to try something new; the price was certainly a factor. The writing is very good, well plotted and good characterization. A bit of humor, somewhat dark. The Prague setting adds a bit of atmosphere. Moves a bit slow but does not plod. Comparing to a couple of mystery types I've read recently, a Sanford Prey series and a Coben Bolitar series, I would have to say that this is at least as good as, and in many ways better than, either of those best-sellers. The pace may be a bit slower, but the plot, characters, and humor are generally better. I was impressed enough that I also purchased, and am now reading, the first book in Brack's Mercurius series.
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  • E. Long
    5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!
    Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2021
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    "Crime and Punishment" meet "Catch-22" resulting in a contemporary collection of tales per the cops & robbers genre; Mr. Brack continues his globe trotting in offering an entertaining perspective of crime fighting, this time with an Eastern European setting.
    Comedy, tragedy, colorful characters, delightful dialogue and well developed plots make for compelling police stories.
    Kudos for the sausage noshing, beer swilling protagonist (my kinda hero) and his cohort of dubious distinction.
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  • Trudi Stewart
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great characters and clever plots
    Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    The books include well developed characters and clever plots mixed with humour and interesting locations.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Mary Catherine
    5.0 out of 5 stars Quirky series
    Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2022
    Format: Kindle
    It took me a couple of chapters to get used to the pacing and the humor, but I like the characters and the Czech atmosphere. I am already nearing the end of the series and I have enjoyed it a lot. A good balance.
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  • Author VL Stuart
    5.0 out of 5 stars Twisted plots
    Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2020
    Format: Kindle
    This should really be three reviews as I read “The Josef Slonský Series, book 1-3” by Graham Brack, but I got so tied up in the books that I just kept reading when one ended.

    Josef Slonský is a Czech detective of near-retirement age who survived the Communists and now enjoys the Czech police service as a service. He is a curmudgeon, a scamp, a good-hearted soul, with a love for beer and sausages. He can make the hard decisions a man sometimes faces and accept their consequences.

    One of my favorite things in the books? Humor. Brack has a magnificent sense of humor. He also loves twisted plots. If you like that, you will love Slonský.
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  • Michael Drips
    5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic, methodical and humorous Prague detective series
    Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2020
    Format: Kindle
    Great characters, wonderful humor and excellent police work, all set in Prague. All of the books in the series are hard to put down. I’m looking forward to the next one. He can’t write them fast enough!
    READ THEM IN ORDER!!
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  • Cloggie Downunder
    5.0 out of 5 stars brilliant Czech-flavoured crime fiction
    Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2019
    Format: Kindle
    “Nobody speak to me for a while. I have an idea, and I need to think deeply about it. To the untrained eye, it will look as if I am asleep, but actually my brain will be running like a hamster in a wheel.”

    Lying and Dying is the first book in the Josef Slonský Investigations series by British author, Graham Brack. At almost sixty, Lieutenant Josef Slonský is not yet ready to retire. A veteran of some forty years, he has a good case clearance rate and Captain Lukas usually permits him to work alone, but has recently assigned him Jan Navrátil, an eager young officer in Prague’s Criminal Police Force, to mentor. Slonský’s pleased to pass on his wisdom, and they are soon examining the unidentified body of a young woman with a large sum of cash on her person.

    A press appeal for identification yields an anonymously-sent photograph that links the victim to a Government Minister. After his initial denials, trace evidence and financial records prove sufficient for an arrest. But what originally looks like a solved case runs into problems due to lack of evidence. And then an additional photograph, sent subsequently, and apparently from the same source, featuring another prominent figure in a compromising position, has Slonský puzzled about the agenda of this mysterious provider.

    Slonský is one of those characters who, for all his flaws, instantly appeals. He’s obviously very smart and there are times when his actions will seem inexplicable, but the reader quickly learns to be patient: Slonský’s logic and brilliance will be revealed. His supporting cast, too, are characters the reader will look forward to meeting again. Brack deftly provides back stories (more of which on Brack’s website) for the whole company without any tedious information dumps.

    Brack gives the reader a believable plot that proceeds at a steady pace, containing some excellent detective work and a great twist, before reaching a jaw-dropping conclusion. The dialogue is a rich source of humour, often laugh-out-loud (and blackly) funny. Brack also manages to include some snippets of Czech history in easily digestible bites, and some of his word usage gives the story a distinctly Eastern European feel.

    To give some idea of Slonský’s priorities, it will be noted that most chapters feature him eating and/or drinking, often multiple times. Unless Slonský is extremely distracted by concurrent events or discussion, coffee, beer, párek (sausage), or pastry will be consumed. We can only hope that Brack has given his protagonist a hardy constitution because: “Slonský took a mouthful of roll. To his horror, it proved to contain salad. ‘Hell, that’s like eating a hedge. Give me a napkin so I can spit it out.’” and we do want him to survive the next few instalments (of which, readers will be pleased to know, there are at least three more) in good health. Fans of Mick Herron’s Jackson Lamb series are likely to find Brack’s work equally entertaining. Outstanding crime fiction.

    Slaughter and Forgetting is the second book in the Josef Slonský Investigations series by British author, Graham Brack. Despite his age, it’s just been established that Lieutenant Slonský won’t be retiring yet, so he gets stuck into a case. Retired cop, Edvard Holoubek draws his attention to a cold case from almost thirty years back, in the bad old days when the StB (security police) struck fear into the hearts of many. Now ninety, Holoubek feels guilty because he knows the wrong man was “tried” and hung for the murder of a teenaged girl back in 1976.

    Involving the StB as the case does, Slonský is likely to step on a few toes, so he asks his Captain for the go-ahead: “I would back you to find the killer of Jana Válková if anyone can. You’re an obstinate, insubordinate, disorganised nuisance and the bane of my life much of the time, but you’re also the best detective I’ve got.”

    But soon after Holoubek has delivered some pertinent papers to Slonský, he is struck down and killed, after stepping off the tram, by a dark blue VW Multivan. Definitely hit-and-run, so now there are, effectively, two cases. That needs a lot of searching through the archives and files, as well as legwork; luckily, Slonský currently has extra manpower (well, woman power) in the form of Officer Kristýna Peiperová, who is very intelligent as well as being attractive. And as long as he keeps them separated, Navrátil gets some work done instead of gazing besottedly at Peiperová.

    And then Slonský’s wife turns up, with a disturbing revelation for Josef, who has believed himself divorced from Věra Slonská for thirty-five years. Handily, a chance remark she makes pings an idea in Slonský’s mind, but before a lot of smart detective work puts the guilty parties safely behind bars, there will be a kidnapping, a rescue, several dramatic arrests and revelations of thirty-year-old (somewhat dis-)organised crime, corruption, cover-ups, rape, torture, drugs, and some interesting cat-burglaries.

    Readers by now familiar with Josef Slonský are still repeatedly reminded of his established priorities (food and drink): “Although Slonský had never been one for flattering any authority figure he laid it on with a trowel where the canteen ladies were concerned since, in his view, the canteen was the hub of the Czech police force and it was impossible to detect on an empty stomach; or, indeed, a stomach filled with lettuce, which was more or less the same thing.” The regular cast is again there to be ordered about, insulted, admonished, cajoled and, very occasionally, praised, as the reader gets to know each of them, with all their virtues and their very human flaws, a little better.

    The dialogue, as ever, provides plenty of humour, as do some of Slonský’s distinctly irregular methods for getting co-operation and confession. And even when his plan isn’t clear to the reader, let alone to his team, his proven track record and understated brilliance ensure confidence in the result. Still clueless, Navrátil‘s jaw may drop when Slonský casually remarks “I suppose we might as well go and arrest the killers” but the reader can trust that he has it all in hand.

    Brack gives the reader an easily believable plot and deftly demonstrates one of the main problems with solving cold cases and seeing justice done: that witnesses and perpetrators grow old, and forget, and die. Some of his word usage gives the story a distinctly Eastern European feel. As there are spoilers for Lying and Dying throughout the story, reading this series in order is advisable. Similarities to Mick Herron’s writing have been mentioned by reviewers and the comparison is indeed a valid one: fans of Herron’s work are in for a delightful treat here too. Readers will be eager for Death on Duty, the third instalment of this brilliant Czech-flavoured crime fiction.

    “Bluff and double bluff, lass. Maybe he was banking on us being dim enough to think a real criminal would place more distance between himself and the scene of the crime, whereas actually if he was on the other side of Prague we’d wonder why he just happened to be so far away. Oh, I wish criminals wouldn’t lie to us! It just makes a hard job completely impossible.”

    Death on Duty is the third book in the Josef Slonský Investigations series by British author, Graham Brack. Advised by Sarajevo of Bosnian criminals operating in the Czech Republic, Slonský and Navrátil head for a certain riverside red brick building on the word of an informer. Navrátil shows great initiative in obtaining information, and among the building’s tenants is an importer of tinned plums who appears to have links with the Bosnians of interest. It soon becomes apparent that plums are not his only import.

    But then the murder, nearby, of an undercover policeman, in broad daylight, in a public place, has them puzzled. Attached to the Organised Crime Squad, his covert surveillance of the red brick building surely ties in with their Bosnian case, yet his reports are strangely absent. Nor was his equipment Police issue.

    In this instalment, Slonský is called upon to stand in for others on two occasions. The one, as an impromptu judge at the All-Moravia Artisan Sausage-Making Championship, he likens to being in heaven without first taking the distasteful step of dying. Even having to exercise his detective skills does not mar the experience, amply compensated as that is by an evening filled with plentiful párek (sausages) and rather too much beer.

    The other occasion, as Acting Captain for Josef Lukas, he considers much closer to hell, although he smartly delegates much of the administrative work to an officer on whom Slonský bestows the rank of Acting Acting Captain, so he himself can get on with the real work of solving crimes. Meanwhile, his non-quite ex-wife, Věra Slonská makes her presence felt in Slonský’s flat: uninvited, but perhaps not entirely unwelcome…

    The dialogue is blackly funny, as always, in particular when Slonský suggests that the pathologist could tend the ailing Lukas. Kristýna Peiperová proves herself resourceful on numerous fronts while Navrátil is in two minds about a certain reputation he acquires. Slonský finds himself challenged on some of his out-dated attitudes by his young interns, but continues to impress upon them the need for sustenance: “When in doubt, eat. Let’s find somewhere for lunch. We can think at the same time.”

    It’s not all fun and games: occasionally, Slonský holds forth on a subject about which he feels strongly, and he doesn’t hesitate to berate where necessary: “It’s just as well for you you’re only terminally stupid, because if I thought you were corrupt as well you’d be dangling over the stairwell hoping your shirt collar is well attached. And the only thing that would stop me dropping you is that I’d be worried some poor innocent would be minding his own business in the basement when you landed on him.”

    Brack highlights the plight of those young women, tempted by the prospect of work in the entertainment or hotel industry, who are then caught in the web of the criminals trafficking women for immoral purposes. He also makes use of an anomaly in the law on restitution of confiscated property.

    There is nothing static or formulaic about this series: no character inhabits a rut, and in each successive book, all are developing and moving forward. The changing situations mean readers are eager for the following book to see where next Brack will take the story and the cast. Field of Death is the fourth instalment: Yes, please!!
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Rosemary Campbell
    5.0 out of 5 stars Slavic noir, cynicism and laughter - a wonderful combination!
    Reviewed in Australia on August 8, 2023
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Graham Brack’s books are a magnificent blend of Slavic noir and wry humour! His lazy, disillusioned, sausage-guzzling detective Slonsky, so lovingly observed, is a Czech twin to Ian Rankin’s Rebus. As his Master Mercurius series also shows, Brack writes some of grungiest, wittiest, crime novels around!
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  • Jackie I.
    5.0 out of 5 stars brilliant
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 18, 2024
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I’ve all this series so far. Entertaining, funny, great plots that aren’t predictable. Wonderful. I highly recommend this series. Interesting insight into Prague history too.
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  • GayeK
    5.0 out of 5 stars Well crafted and engaging
    Reviewed in Canada on May 21, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I found that, once I started this series, I was reluctant to stop. The characters are well rounded, the plots well researched and plausible. I enjoyed very much the sense of humor of the main character, Slonsky, and his crony Mucha, especially. A good read! Can't wait to read more!
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  • Mandrek Larl
    5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent set of unusual whodunnits with laugh out loud comic dialogue ...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 13, 2023
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I came to Graham Brack's Josef Slonsky via "Death in Delft" the first of his Master Mercurius historical whodunnit thrillers, but other than the author's name [are there two Graham Bracks?] that's where the similarity ends because Slonsky is a Detective Inspector in modern day Prague two hundred plus years and 570 miles away from Master Mercurius' Delft.

    Josef Slonský is a veritable Falstaff, a man of immense appetite who when he's not searching out coffee, beer and sausage turns insubordination into an art form, weaponises his stubbornness, and who's professed modus operandi is to do the minimum while doing sufficient to avoid a push into early retirement, in short a loveable rogue. But what Slonský does do is solve crimes.

    "Lying and Dying" (previously published as "The Outrageous Behaviour of Left-Handed Dwarves) sees Slonský faced with the body of Minister of the Interior's mistress and his only suspect is the Minister and that means there needs to be some careful handling of the situation and the suspect and careful handling is not Slonský's forte. Aided by his wet-behind the ears assistant graduate police officer Navrátil Slonsky get his man but his methods while effective are non-PC, old fashioned and decidedly suspect and the ending is surprising, provocative and controversial. (5 stars)

    "Slaughter and Forgetting" (previously published as "The Book of "Slaughter and Forgetting") the second Slonsky book is better than the first even if the ending is not as surprising or controversial. This time Slonsky has his hands full with what appears to be a thirty-year-old miscarriage of justice, the improbable "accidental" death of the disgraced investigating police officer, and the murder of a pensioner and former police officer who brings these cold cases to Slonsky's attention, as well as two trainee detectives. The dialogue is still just as funny but elsewhere Brack's writing has more maturity, the pace is faster and tighter and the story is more rounded. (5+ stars)

    And third book "Death on Duty" is even better. With Slonsky temporarily promoted to acting captain there's less opportunity for him to demonstrate his talent for insubordination. But he still manages to find a way to buck the system as he gets out of the office and back into the field to solve the murder of an undercover police officer and investigate a complex web of murder, people trafficking, corruption, and arson in this clever story that twists and turns until Slonsky finally gets all of his men. (6 stars)

    I've rarely enjoyed a set of books as much as this book Brack's writing is clever, the stories are engaging and the setting in modern day Prague is unusual. But it's the comic brilliance of the dialogue and Slonský's actions that set these books apart, comparable perhaps with Mick Herron's Slough House books although while both Jackson Lamb and Josef Slonský are sardonic, where the former is vicious in his putdowns and unpleasant in his habits Slonský's an all-round nicer guy who looks out for his mates and takes his young assistants under his wing, but he's driven by a need to see justice done.

    Highly recommended.
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  • brent g jakobson
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great read
    Reviewed in Canada on December 12, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Graham Brack has created a quirky cadre drawn together in a police station in post communist Czech Republic. The landscapes are interesting, the dialogue is crisp and witty providing each character a unique voice. The mysteries easily carry the reader along just one step behind the sausage loving inspector Slonsky.
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