The Papyrus Trilogy by Zoran Živković - Book Review

Zoran Živković’s witty and intriguing Trilogy circles around a Police detective, mysterious deaths, shady sects and an attractive damsel in distress, but if you think his stories follow the traditional lines of crime thrillers, you are in for one happy surprise.

The first book in the Papyrus Trilogy is titled “The Last Book” and it is the best acclaimed of all three books. The Last Book starts at the Papyrus book shop, owned by a beautiful lady named Vera Gavrilovic who is shocked by the sudden death of one of her customers and that is when detective Dejan Lukic comes to investigate, and together they face a strange series of deaths with no apparent cause and with nothing in common but one elusive blue book.

In The Last Book, Živković utilizes his literary background, his love of books and his undeniable storytelling skills to weave this mysterious and engaging story with a surprise ending that will keep you on your toes until the last line. The characters of the book are well written, with depth and personality, and each with something substantial to add to the story.

The second book in the trilogy is The Grand Manuscript, and the third one is The Compendium of the Dead. Both books follow in the footsteps of The Last Book but are not at the same level. The main plot of The Last Book is essentially the same in the other two books with minor alterations, and the same goes for the character and even most of the places visited by them.

The Papyrus Trilogy is characteristically smart. It has mystery, fiction, metaphysics, literary references, romance, and a dedication to teashops!

Although the trilogy is translated from the original Serbian text, Živković’s mother tongue, the author’s unique and easy to read style is still clear, and the translation into English by Alice Copple-Tosic and  Vuk Tosic is worthy of praise.

This book is definitely one to add to your reading list for leisure reading and an enjoyable ride.