The Torqued Man: A Novel

'The Torqued Man' is the best novel I've read in quite some time. First, it functions wonderfully as a straight-up spy thriller. The two main characters have unique narrative voices and real emotional depth. The narratives are entwined seamlessly. In addition to those looking for a page-turning spy novel, this book will also please people who appreciate the historical gravitas of Thomas Mann, Flann O'Brien's narrative sleight of hand, and John Barth's grotesque slapstick. Entertaining, touching, funny, historically insightful all the way through.

I read a review for this book and instantly decided to read it because one of the main characters was named Finn McCool. That was it for me, I just had to read a book where the author gave a character a name like that. It’s possible that a serious reader of books should give more thought and consideration to which books she reads other than just the name of the main character, but sometimes you just gotta go with your gut! Despite my dubious reasons for selecting this book, it’s pretty fun. I think this is one of Peter Mann’s first books so you gotta hand it to the guy, he did a good job. The plot centers on two men, one a German intelligence officer named Adrian de Groot, an anti-Nazi who is too scared to express his views, an the other Frank Pike, code name Finn McCool, and Irish spy and rebel, with a mission to find and destroy high ranking Nazi officers. The plot spirals around itself and climaxes in a fairly spectacular manner. Does the world need yet another novel set in WWII, decidedly not, but does the setting work very well for the plot of this book? In my opinion that is a definite yes. Mann’s story telling feels fresh enough that I didn’t mind the WWII setting too much, however, I hope in his next novel he tries something else. As with some of the other books I read this year, only pick this one up if you don’t mind some scenes with very graphic descriptions of violence and torture.

I wish I knew more German for it was hard to translate in my brain while reading I'm glad I read it though