Whereas the two other mentioned works are actually epic (although seemingly tell the story of an individual), this is a real lyric novelle telling the story of one man fighting the doomed fight against all that is impersonal in progress.

In addition to some sf/fantasy ideas you get great fiction and high art so I guess it's a good deal.

I bought this book to get away from the normal stuff that I read. Good choice, as it is both historical gives one a glimpse of the days of German-occupied city of Prague during the twilight of World War II. The story opens with the gruesome murder of Baroness of Pomerania, the widow of a German Wehrmacht general, by a serial killer. The coroner's report determines that the victim did not resist and was not raped. Mysteriously, her heart was removed and vanished with the killer.

The mismatched pair of Jan Morava, a Czech detective, and Erwin Buback, a Gestapo agent who is questioning his loyalty to the Nazis, set out to track down the killer before he can strike again. But as Morava and Buback follow the killer's bloody trail through Prague, it becomes clear that he is not a political radical or a wartime dissident but a tormented psychopath.

In the final days of the Third Reich, as the war proceeds to its gruesome end, the narrative sinuously shifts perspectives, taking us deep into the emotional maelstrom of each of the characters: young Morava, struggling to find love and approval in a war-torn city; the disillusioned Buback, haunted by the ghosts of his beloved wife and daughter; and the tormented killer, sent on a bloody rampage to please "her whom he obeys."

As the story comes to the end, it grips you yearning the know what will happen next. A gripping tale of human struggle under a thrilling murder, Pavel Kohout creation of a memorable work of fiction, as one of the last important novels from one the war's direct eyewitnesses.

Highly recommeded, text refers to hardcover edition.

Kohout's novel works on two levels. First, it's an excellent, gripping, historical murder mystery. The characters are well-rounded and interesting, the killer mysterious and frigtening, and the plot taught and fast-moving. Second, it's a thoughtful examination of issues of loyalty and personal morality, revolving primarily around the efforts of a Gestapo officer and a local, partisan Czech police detective to cooperate in capturing a sociopath while balancing their respective commitments to their own consciences, and their loyalties to their own countries, as the Reich falls around them.
A very good read.

Combining historical accuracy and vivid storytelling through the eyes of three disparate characters, THE WIDOW KILLER is an extraordinary read. Set during the final months of the Nazi occupation of Prague, THE WIDOW KILLER follows a naive Czech detective who must partner with an experienced Gestapo agent. Together, they track a serial killer as he butchers widows throughout the city. But as the Nazi regime crumbles and the Prague uprising begins in May 1945, the power hierarchy crumbles and both men are forced to carefully examine their own patriotism and courage ... and, in the case of the Gestapo agent, his willingness to accept moral responsibility for the actions of his fatherland, and for the Nazi Reich to which he once proudly pledged allegiance. Author Pavel Kohout has written a suspenseful mystery, an intriguing exploration of wartime morality, and a compelling historical account of Prague during the last months of the Second World War. Both main characters are flawed and complicated; they suffer not only for their own decisions but for the larger historical context in which they find themselves. The story's elements of nationalism, sexual passion, accountability and professional ambition remain universal and important. The translation, despite a clumsy word choice here and there, serves the story well; I was moved by Kohout's obvious passion for this era in Czechoslovakia's history, and by his skill in evoking both its widely-known events and the nuanced conflicts of the occupiers and the occupied. Highly recommended.

The book is filled with descriptions, excerpts, quotes etc from the rich history of "lawfull" homicide. Every method of execution or torture, are minutely explained. Do not mistake, this is not a reference book. All the above comes within a story about an aficionado hang-man opening a school for executioners. There is much more to tell, of course, mainly about the feminine student that gives the book its title, but I will let you read for yourself. If you ever read another Kohout, you will like this one, if not, it's as good as any to begin with. Enjoy.

I was so excited after reading the first 75 pages of this novel. Petra was intriguing and hilarious. Her thoughts in paranthesis are priceless. However, the novel seemed to become entangled in a plot that couldn't save itself. Perhaps I simply missed something! I had a hard time keeping up with the characters, their motivations, and their actions. By page 200, I was lost. Petra was a complex character and the events in her head should have been discussed more fully. I loved the idea of the book - mystery, romance, intrigue, political scandal.... However, the book fell short and I inevitably lost interest.

Pavel Kohout is among the best and best-known of modern Czech authors, but he is not at his best here. As a compelling story of characters living in a post-socialist society, the book belongs on any list of good modern Central European fiction. The problem is (pace another Amazon reviewer) that Kohout is utterly unconvincing as a woman, and it is a genuine puzzle why he chose to write as a female narrator.

Probably the most surprising thing about this book is that author Kohout is not a woman. That's surprising because he has been able to create a main character, Petra, who is the epitome of womanhood, with all the attendant glory and confusion that such a designation entails. I Am Snowing's plot is masterful in its page-turning abilities; the reader keeps flipping not only to find out what's going to happen in Petra's ultra-chaotic lovelife, but to get to the bottom of the web of intrigue spun in this tale of post-Communist Prague. At bottom, it is a classic whodunit, but Kohout writes with such elegance that the feel is more highbrow than that. In short, the only thing that ruins this book is a clumsy ending. But don't let that keep you from picking this up at the first opportunity.