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After the incidents in last year's SILVERMEADOW, Detective Sergeant Kathy Kolla is prepared to call it quits from New Scotland Yard. She is headstrong and impetuous jumping into situations without looking, getting hurt more often than not. She has taken a leave of absence working at a travel agency pondering where she would want to go with her life. She will not get much time to meditate because by the time she gets to relax, she is going to be embroiled inside a headline-making investigation where nobody will leave unscathed. Detective Chief Inspector Brock is investigating the killing of an outspoken and controversial professor that was caught live on tape. There is evidence that the shooting involved a militant Middle Eastern group and the police are threading carefully to avoid creating a ruckus on the streets of England. A news reporter is not convinced and she approaches Kathy with some evidence that would help her find the truth in the murder. The DS reluctantly agrees to investigate the information and give her findings to her superiors, even though she is not sure if she wants to return to active duty. What it will uncover is a sinister plot leading to the road of hell paved with good intentions no matter what the cost. In the book's opening pages the author reveals that the story was written and takes place before the events of September 11, 2001. If it were not for those events BABEL would be a great mystery and a good sociological novel, unfortunately, recent events overshadow the pages in the book. The investigation provides interesting twists inside the life of the professor as well as some local Middle Eastern groups involved in the school. It is a good learning experience leading with themes of prejudice and intolerance as well as acceptance. BABEL was published either too early or too late; still the impact is there. The book's timing was bad, but it should not be taken on the story. The story's resolution is a bit disturbing and a lot can be created out of it, however, one should read for reading's sake and not for anything else.
Reviewed by Angel L. Soto, November 2003
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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