My forays into the action-thriller genre have always been met with some amount of disappointment. They're generally all-right, from my experience, but for something labelled as a thriller I've always found them a little dull for my tastes.
Not so for Venetian Bird! Of all the books of this genre I've ever read, this is undoubtedly the best so far. For most writers, the stock 'exotic locations' where they set their stories tend to feel more like a nice photograph for the story to take place in front of, whereas Canning has provided so much rich detail of postwar Venice that the location is an indespensible part of the story. The characters are all good, each one worth an entire 'cannon-fodder' crew from MacLean, and for a story which is about a man wandering around a city, I thought it was exceptionally good. It took until over half-way through the book before anything really resembling an action-thriller took place, but I was quite happy with this. MacLean was all about the plot and the action, whereas Canning seems to write about more normal, everyday things, which helps his story to be a bit more believeable.
The best part of this book, that thing that puts it head and shoulders above every other thriller I have read, is the way that Canning writes. His observations are gorgeous, describing scenes with a handful of nicely-pruned sentences, painting an incredibly vivid picture of the city that makes it feel quite alive. The characters as well have been given a certain special treatment, being more than a mere stock-face and role to play in the plot - the introduction of the protagonist, Mercer, stands out in my mind because of the way he is presented, absent-mindedly tapping his spoon against a glass, which accidentally summons a waiter who himself is also bored.
Other than that, there's not much more I can say about it. I really liked this book, I like Cannings writing style, I liked the story, I really liked the characters, and the setting was amazing in its presentation.
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