Comment: In 2024 I've read the first book in the White City trilogy by this Spanish author, and I liked it enough that I felt compelled to read the sequel. Finally, that became a possibility and this is it.
Months after the events of the first book, detective Unai is still recovering from a bullet to the brain but a new case makes him want to speed up his healing process. A pregnant woman was murdered but the shocking fact is that she was Unai's first girlfriend back when they were teenagers, someone he met while he and his three best friends were also participating in an archaeological campaign during the summer. As the pieces are put together, Unai and those close to him realize there's more to this story than rituals and an insane mind. What is the killer doing and for what purpose? Can this be related to what the friends saw happening all those years ago?
I confess I didn't remember many details anymore when I started this book. I still had a general idea about the events from that book, but some things had already been forgotten. Despite this, it was quite easy to go back to this world and the characters. I think this sequel wasn't as thrilling for me as the first one was, however, simply because of plot's structure.
This isn't a simple story where the police investigates a case. There is a lot which is related to detective Unai "Kraken" and his past, which is great, it's always good to peel off the layers of complex characters, but it also meant a few time jumps into the past, and while I understand these segments for clarification and setting, it made me loose focus sometimes, and made many things seem more confusing - to me - than what was, perhaps, necessary.
The case is closely linked to the events of Unai's summer while he was a teenager and the interactions between the present victim and all the people who were part of archaeological campaign, including an alluring but mysterious professor. This means that the author was able to use a lot of historical information about the Basque region, about myths and legends, and this was all used to give mood to the story and a motif for why the crimes being committed now might have a link to those summer days.
I won't share much about the crimes because explaining some things requires context and, to be fair, I think some revelations weren't as amazing because some things just have to be shared for understanding. This is necessary for the plot to make sense, of course, but it also made me see some patterns much sooner than, I imagine, was the author's intention. I was half way through when it clicked who the killer was, even though the reasons why weren't that obvious.
For many readers, certainly the most interesting part is the development of Kraken and his close relationships. I like him as a character, he has enough complexity that mixes his vulnerable and his competent sides. I like how close he is with his brother and his grandfather, but I'm not really seeing the appeal of his love interest. I can't explain it, but the whole thing feels it provides more shock factor for who she is professionally than because the vibe between them is actually that strong.
I also think some sequences of events, namely when the investigation leads them to Unai's friends, was a bit confusing in how things played out. I mean, in most crime books where the police investigates, there are some things which are the same no matter where the crime takes place but here I kept having this feeling that some things just weren't as established. Things were described a certain way, but if it was a different one, no real impact would be given.... some things did sound a little out of sync.
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