The Information Officer

Apparently I'm reading about small islands in the Mediterranean, specifically during wartime. In the wake of Sadie Jones' Small Wars, I picked up Mark Mills' The Information Officer which taught me a lot about Malta, a country I'm not sure I could have placed with any degree of confidence just a week ago. This is a different war and different place from Smith's Cyprus novel. Also it was a different style and genre.

As if the story of a small island being bombed to bits (in spite of the Maltese and their "indominable spirit") during WWII didn't offer enough drama, Mills drops in a couple of murders, a psychopath, and hints of secret and secretive agents. In some ways I liked that the war was "just" a backdrop to every day matters (such as murder) because it fit along with the image we have of Malta, a country that has apparently resisted one onslaught after another. The Germans are the current attackers in this book, along with the apparently half-hearted Italian neighbors, but it's also (as in Smith's Cyprus) the British presence that is causing some of the trouble.

As in any mystery, I became extremely paranoid about every character, including the protagonist, Max, who is the titular propagandist for the British. He's a nice character and interesting in a dull, heroic way, but no one was safe from my suspicions once "sherry girls" start getting murdered. In a mystery, it can go one of two ways. Either it's the obvious bad guy and it's just a matter of why and how, or it's out in left field, a sort of the-butler-did-it scenario. If you're lucky, the author brings you along for the ride whichever way he or she chooses to go. I wasn't totally satisfied with the killer in The Information Officer. I suppose authors who choose to "surprise" you almost have to write the early chapters as if they have no idea who the killer is, but then it's hard to accept the result. I guess I like hints, though Mills is decent enough at red herrings--as I said, I became suspicious of everyone--but I'm not sure I'm convinced by the results.

Still, The Information Officer was a good glimpse into a country I knew nothing about, a good example of life in wartime, and the writing was good so I'd probably read another book by the author.