The Bach Manuscript by Scott Mariani

"The story opens in war-time France where we are introduced to the Bach Manuscript, a rare document purported to be signed by the great composer himself. We then jump forward about 75 years to modern day England where Ben Hope, on a fleeting visit, meets up with an old school chum who has acquired the document, believing it to be a fake. However, very shortly afterwards, his friend is murdered and the Manuscript has disappeared. From this point the story focuses primarily on Ben's search for the murderers which takes him on a relentless chase across Europe. What I liked about this story is the melding of history with non-stop action. The book is very informative about various periods of history while not reading at all like a textbook. In fact, more of the book focuses on the search to find the murderers than either Ben's back-story or the different historical periods covered in the novel. The writing is deceptively easy to read, but be aware that the story has some quite violent scenes that are so well written you feel you are in the midst of the action. Many chapters end on a cliff hanger, which kept me turning the pages to find out what happened next. As a result I read this book in just two days! In my opinion, this book should appeal to anyone who enjoys well-written thrillers containing relentless non-stop action, a historical perspective, a dashing war veteran with a highly developed sense of justice and an element of possible romance....."

2차 대전이 끝나갈 무렵에 한 유태인 가족이 수용소로 끌려가는 장면에서 이 작품은 시작된다. 특히 바흐의 악보가 나치의 손에 들어가는 과정에서 남자아이가 죽는 장면은 인상적이고 슬픈 장면이다. 세월은 흘러서 바흐의 악보는 Ben Hope의 친구가 우연히 발견하게 되지만 그 친구는 살인을 당한다. 어떻게 이야기가 전개될지 예측하기 힘들기 때문에 재밌게 읽은 작품이다. 다만 세르비아 조폭하고의 싸움은 좀 식상한 전개였다. 마지막 장면에서 밣혀지는 바흐의 악보가 가지는 의미는 읽는 독자들에게 이런저런 의미 있는 생각을 하게 해 줄 것이다.