January Window
By Philip Kerr
3.5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
Everyone knows football is a matter of life and death.
But this time, it's murder.
Scot Manson is the team coach for London City FC and an all-round fixer for the lads. Players love him, bosses trust him.
But now the team's manager has been found dead at their home stadium.
Even Scott can't smooth over murder... but can he catch the killer before he strikes again?
Philip Kerr
Philip Kerr is the bestselling author of the Bernie Gunther thrillers, for which he received a CWA Dagger Award. Born in Edinburgh, he now lives in London. He is a life-long supporter of Arsenal. Follow @theScottManson on Twitter.
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Reviews for January Window
32 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5„Der Wintertransfer“ ist ein Buch für ein sehr spezielles Publikum. Fußballfan allein zu sein, reicht hier nicht, man sollte Fan der Premier League, der englischen Fußballliga sein – dann, und nur dann, wird man dieses Buch lieben. Der Roman ist voll mit Fakten und Details aus der momentan reichsten und möglicherweise stärksten Liga der Welt. Philip Kerr ist entweder ein riesiger Fußballfan oder hat herausragend recherchiert. Mein Gefühl sagt mir, dass ersteres zutrifft und diese Geschichte mit ganz viel Liebe zum runden Leder geschrieben wurde. Falls man hier einen packenden und actionreichen Thriller erwartet: nope. „Der Wintertransfer“ ist keineswegs ein klassischer Thriller, eher ist es ein Buch über Fußball und ein bisschen Detektiv spielen.Die Geschichte und Personen rund um London City ist bzw. sind, wie Kerr im kurzen Vorwort schreibt, frei erfunden. Der Rest ist allerdings – mit leichten Abstrichen – wahr, was den Wintertransfer in doppelter Hinsicht zum Geschichtsbuch macht. Man schlüpft im „Wintertransfer“ in die Rolle des Co-Trainers Scott Manson und muss gleich zu Beginn die erste Hiobsbotschaft entgegen nehmen, wo man sich dann fragt: „Ist das jetzt eine Nebelkerze? Kommt da noch was?“ - es kommt noch was, der Mord passiert nämlich erst sehr spät für einen Thriller. Was dem Buch aber nichts ausmacht, denn es dauert eine Weile, bis Kerr einem London City und Scott Manson, der selbst eine bewegende Vergangenheit hat, vorgestellt hat. Was aber keineswegs langweilig ist. Kerr zeigt vor allem Abseits des Falles, den Manson untersucht, immer wieder, was unter dem grünen Rasen im Fußball passiert und welche negativen Auswirkungen vor allem der moderne Fußball hat, den der Autor, neben der FA, durchgehend kritisiert.London City scheint dabei selbst eine Ausgeburt dieses modernen Fußballs zu sein. Der Klub dürfte entweder 2004 oder erst danach gegründet worden sein, da er die Farbe der orangenen Revolution in der Ukraine trägt – dazu kommt, dass City nur ein paar Jahre später schon in der höchsten englischen Liga spielt, was ohne Geld – viel, viel Geld – schier unmöglich ist. Gegen Ende wird das Buch leider etwas zu kitschig und Hollywood-Like, was mir persönlich nicht wirklich gefallen hat. Dazu kommt, dass Manson mit einem iPad auf der Trainerbank sitzt, was im Fußball – in Zeiten, in denen man sich gegen jede elektronischen Hilfsmitteln auf dem Platz sträubt – verboten ist.Über zu wenige Übersetzungsfehler darf man leider auch nicht beklagen. Weder hätte ich das Buch „Der Wintertransfer“ genannt, denn dafür müsste ein einziger Spielertransfer von oder zu City im Mittelpunkt der Geschichte stehen, noch hat das Wort „Relegation“ im deutschen Fußball-Sprachgebrauch die selbe Bedeutung wie im englischen – nämlich den Abstieg in eine tiefere Liga. Im deutschen geht es dabei um die Phase nach der Meisterschaft, in der der Abstieg zwischen zwei Mannschaften ausgespielt wird. Den Abstieg selbst bezeichnet hier keiner als Relegation, auch wenn es sprachlich korrekt wäre. Aber der größte Übersetzungsfehler ist aber die durchgängige Bezeichnung Manchester Uniteds als „ManU“. Mir ist schon klar, dass die Medien diese Abkürzung gerne verwenden und sich diese Bezeichnung dadurch auch in den Sprachgebrauch eingebürgert hat, aber sie ist unter United-Fans (der ich übrigens keiner bin) absolut verpönt, weil sie auf einen Flugzeugabsturz im Jahr 1958 in München anspielt, bei dem 23 Spieler und Clubverantwortliche von Manchester United ums Leben kamen. Da ich nicht davon ausgehe, dass Philip Kerr so pietätlos ist, werfe ich diese und vor allem diesen Fehler dem Übersetzer Axel Merz und dem Tropen-Verlag vor. Man hätte vielleicht jemanden für die Übersetzung beauftragt, der zumindest einen Hauch von Ahnung von Fußball hat.Wenn man ein glühender Fußballfan ist, kann man dieses Buch lesen, interessiert man sich zudem für die Premier League, sollte man es vielleicht sogar lesen. Es wird darin Gnadenlos mit den Machenschaften hinter den Kulissen des Fußballs aufgeräumt, die man vermutlich auf alle großen Ligen und mit Abstrichen auch auf kleinere umlegen kann. Der Rest der Geschichte ist nett, wird aber nicht in die Krimigeschichte eingehen.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5crap , didnt even read a quarter of the book , not really a "thriller" more a detailed novel about soccer , way too much information about soccer , the teams , name dropping of "famous" soccer people, rubbish , sorry but didint like it at all
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Well, credit where it's due: Philip Kerr is nothing if not versatile. But this one is not up to his standard. Kerr writes context with clarity and authenticity (or, the appearance thereof), but the "thriller" element is missing here. The crime plot is clever but unfolds without the need for a reader's epiphany. The resolve stretches credulity and has a "Murder in the Caribbean" feel. I really liked the Günther books, but this one feels like it was written in a bit of a hurry. Another rewrite or two were needed.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Philip Kerr has a track record of versatility. His first three novels introduced Bernie Gunther, a former cop turned private investigator operating in Berlin before and then immediately after the Second World War. He then switched tack completely, earning the title of Britain's Michael Crichton through his dabblings in futuristic crime novels such as 'A Philosophical Investigation', 'Esau' and 'The Second Angel'. These were followed by some more orthodox science fiction (such as 'Gridlock') before he resumed his chronicles of Bernie Gunther, taking him through the post war years with a series of well-crafted novels mingling historical verisimilitude with deft plotting.Kerr obviously relishes new departures because his latest novel is bang up to date, set in the feverish world of English Premier League football. Scott Manson, his latest protagonist, is the football coach and assistant manager of London City, a newcomer to the English League formed from the financially drained remnants of four East London clubs. Kerr is not reluctant to embrace cliché, but he handles it very suavely. London City is owned, and financed, by Viktor Sokolnikov, a Russian billionaire, the questionable provenance of whose fortune was recently the subject of a special episode of 'Panorama'. The team's manager is Joao Zarco, an immensely self-assured Portuguese with a penchant for exceptionally expensive suits, now in his second stint at the club (though any resemblance to Jose Mourhino is purely intentional!).Manson has his own demons, but is himself far from a footballing cliché. Half-German and quarter black, he is a university graduate and fluent in French, German, Spanish and Italian in addition to his mastery of English. He is also independently wealthy (though on a hugely more modest level that Sokolnikov). As the novel opens, he is preparing to help London City emerge from the hectic Christmas and New Year programme, by things start to go wrong on a drastic scale.I have often wondered why there haven't been many novels set against the world of football. There is, after all, so much potential material. This was, however the first successful one that I have read. Kerr clearly understands the game well, and captures the excitement and the frustration and despair that it so often brings. He even takes the opportunity to make a passing reference to himself as ghost writer of Zarco's autobiography: 'that loser, Phil Kerr!' The timing of its paperback release was almost immaculate, coinciding with the arrest by the FBI of several high ranking FIFA officials. Kerr, or at least his characters, have a lot to say about the vagaries of FIFA financing and administration.All together, very enjoyable, though readers of a sensitive disposition should be warned that it features fairly robust language throughout - at times I almost felt as if I was back in my office!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5January Window – A Great Football MysteryPhilip Kerr in the January Window introduces to Scott Manson, who for an ex-footballer now coach of London City. Unlike other coaches he has a degree he can speak a number of languages and is popular with players and management alike. This is a change of direction for Kerr who is aiming to be the new Dick Francis with crime and sport.Scott Manson really is the fixer at London City FC he keeps everyone at bay especially the WAGs and press. It is game day and the manager Joao Zarco has disappeared and not turned up for the team talk prior to the game and Scott is concerned. He has everyone looking for him but unfortunately he is found murdered. Viktor Sokolnikov, the shady Ukrainian oligarch owner of London City, asks him to investigate the murder while taking on team management duties.Slowly he uncovers the truth well before the police who seem to be on a completely different track which does not surprise him. At the same time he has a massive game with West Ham to prepare for and when the team take to the field they seem to forgot what they are doing.For many fans of Philip Kerr this radical departure from the Bernie Gunther as he takes on the Premier League and its many twists and turns. Coming to this book you need an open mind and not put it along side Kerr’s Berlin Noir Series. This is topical and relevant to the present day and a very enjoyable book.