Review of A Simple Investigator | An Israeli Wallander

If you like exotic thrillers, which make you discover complex and seemingly opaque societies from the inside, don’t wait before immersing yourself in Commissioner Avraham’s series. Since we discovered his first title a few years ago, the Israeli Dror Mishani is one of the authors of detective novels whose new publications are eagerly awaited.

Halfway between Commissioner Wallander of Mankell and Erlendur of Indridason, Avi Avraham got involved in the police by nurturing the dream of fighting against the cruelty, violence and evil that corrode society. But at nearly 44, he’s already tired of what he calls his “usual investigations.” An avid thriller reader, he compares himself to a bleak version of Kurt Wallander: “a guy who hunts down grieving parents, bruised children; who carries out sad little investigations whose resolution only adds a little more suffering to this world, ”he muses as he feels unable to return to work after the summer holidays.

Back at his police station in Holon, a suburb of Tel Aviv, the commissioner finds himself investigating the disappearance of a tourist in a hotel along the seaside. Avraham quickly fears that he has set foot in a delicate case, presumed links between the victim and the Mossad appearing very early in the investigation. But his fixation on this story prevents him from letting go of the piece, pushing him to continue his research while his superior encourages him to a prompt resolution of the file.

At the same time, his colleague tries to get a woman accused of having abandoned a newborn baby to speak and who refuses to reveal what she is hiding. Against all expectations, the two cases collide and end up leading the policeman to Paris.

Using a subtle and tenacious suspense, A simple investigator immerses us in these gray areas of justice, while Avraham plagued with doubts fails to satisfy his quest for truth while respecting his principles. His questions, his doubts and his search for meaning effectively recall a young Wallander haunted by his ghosts and anxious to give meaning to the dramas and tragedies that cross his path. Without hesitation, this is a detective novel to put in the hands of all fans of the genre – and an excellent gateway to discover the series.