BALTIC SHADOWS

In just over 300 pages, Gustavs Ziedinš has his world view of his beloved Canadian Latvian immigrant community flipped on its head.

Set in the 1980s during the Cold War, the Baltic nations continue to strive for independence from the Soviet empire. But that Soviet control has a longer reach than the Latvians in Toronto had ever imagined. Filled with wonderful descriptions and celebrations of Latvian heritage, from foods and traditions to close knit relationships, Baltic Shadows paints a very beautiful image of solid community.

As Director of English Studies at the Parkdale English Academy, Zeidenš is a respected member of the community. He becomes involved in a murder investigation of a local political leader, Imats Baron. The crime leads to connections in Riga, and the Ziedinš’ low stress existence vanishes overnight. An unlikely spy is born, and the tensions and suspicions get pretty extreme.

A very enjoyable Cold War historical fiction and murder mystery, with elements of spy craft, Baltic Shadows is a fine book. I would like to thank NetGalley, Matejs Kalns, and Friesenpress for the opportunity to read and review this book.

It took a little while to get into this book, but perseverance paid off. The juxtaposition of the USA based sections and those set in Eastern Europe was clunky at times but the story, once under way, rattled along nicely and most of the characters were relatable and believable (though not all!)

this is a well-written story that opens a window into a less-known European culture and the tragedy of a small nation crunched between two racist, imperialist ideologies. Both the Canadian and the Latvian threads are interesting, and the spy-story is well crafted. The details are fascinating, but they are abundant where they are not really so necessary (Latvian cuisine) while I’d have liked more where they are really important for setting the reader into the action: for example, the already good prologue could have been excellent if its location was more clear because (for example) both the chanteuse and the pianist in the very first scene could have been playing in any piano-bar around the world. My second concern is about the speed of the action, which was a little slow for my taste. So it could just be my personal opinion, but I can’t give the full five-star review I would have liked. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC and good luck to the author!

I find the Cold War to be a fascinating era in history, and one I don't know as much about as I'd like to. The Latvian expats in Canada is an intriguing angle that the author explores in Baltic Shadows.