Increasingly, authors are creating plots based on the domestic noir genre, which is new to the reading world. I've read a few of these before and Animal Trap is another one. I will admit to you right away that it scared me. The book starts innocently enough, but as I went further into the woods, or rather the cabin in the woods, the tension grew. Piotrowski skilfully keeps the reader in the dark until the final pages. I wasn't sure where the plot was headed. I had my suspicions, which turned out to be true; however, I was very impressed by the book. Above all, by the subject matter. For me, as a mother, it made a connection and I cannot imagine what I would do in such a difficult situation. The main character is but naïve, but that's not surprising given her situation. The surrounding darkness, the strange neighbourhood and the misdirection all made me fall into a kind of madness in anticipation of the evil hiding behind the window. The plot is slow and trance-like, focusing on Zuza's feelings, which is enhanced by the first-person narrative. The only respite from the tension is the character of Agata, whom I liked as much as Zuza. Once again, the author surprised me with something new and showed that he is finding his way in a genre that is becoming increasingly popular with readers. I'd love to see a film based on it.

What if someone were to appear suddenly and start digging around and looking into the whole way the country works? What is someone pointed a finger at those big and small political scoundrels for whom the greatest values are power, money and lucrative jobs, and their method is political subservience and dilettantism? Someone who will expose political ideas as pipe dreams, empty platitudes and "wallowing in the swamp of human meanness". Someone who will show the political scene as a rotten system of deals and politicians as hiding behind masks of lofty slogans to hide their "unbridled hunger for power". Possible? This is how the JUDGE enters the Swamp. In a brutal but also effective way, he wipes away the "fumes of pervasive political absurdity" with the blood of his victims. He calls a spade a spade - who is a puppet and who is just an effigy forever dancing to the rhythm of lofty slogans, who is a wolf and who is a sheep. He calls Polish political reality a "grotesque circus" and the authorities a "caricature of the Polish state". The Judge is both a madman and a criminal genius. His duel with Brudny will be a thrilling showdown, full of twists and turns. Igor Brudny is also unique - a man of principle who walks his own path, with honour, morals and courage looking truth straight in the eye. . In 'Swamp', the author has created a political spectacle that is brutal, vulgar, full of meanness, acrimony and the macabre. At times it is exaggerated and caricatured but thought-provoking nonetheless. You can disagree; you can be appalled, but the truth often hurts. A lot. All the allusions and references are extremely clear. Here there is no room for niceties or subtleties. Swamp also features a strong criminal plot. This is fast-moving, masculine crime fiction with a touch of horror and plenty of 'meat'. Exciting and shocking, you won't be able to put it down. It will evoke distrust in politicians, but also faith in the integrity of ordinary people. A criminal feast that I heartily recommend.

"When I was writing Swamp, I didn't think that its message would become so topical." Is this an actual news story from parliament? I'm joking, of course, although anyone who has read the book knows it's not far from the truth. The plot? For me, it is a snapshot of power in today's Poland. This time the author is taking on not only the clergy but politicians as well. A bottomless pit!!! It's a wonder that the book is ONLY 440 pages long. "Politics is a swamp. A swamp in which it is very easy to drown when you are guided by your conscience." Politics and morality. They don't go together, do they? The Church and morality arouse no less emotion. Proof of which is the recent news from the church in Białystok. So, the story is not so far from reality. Do we still believe that the people at the top (or those in cassocks) are righteous, honourable and act following moral values? It doesn't matter if they are to the right or the left, on top or at the bottom. Are there still people who believe the talking heads on TV? If there are, I don't know whether to envy or sympathise with them. I didn't read this book like a normal detective story. My emotions were already boiling inside me as I was reading. Pissed off immensely at people, how they are and how they act. How power and money determine what is right and wrong, how they create their own boundaries of what is allowed and what is not. Reading the book raises difficult moral questions. Who is bad, and who is good? Who is the reader rooting for? I have no problem answering the question... "This country needs cleansing." It is impossible to disagree. What is the saddest thing? That it won't happen in practice. I managed to read it in two evenings! And even though Piotrowski writes to the same template, even though the ending did not surprise me in the slightest, I will still willingly read the next, sixth novel with Igor Brudny.

Igor Brudny is one of my favourite crime series. Although the author already set the bar high in the first novel, in my opinion, he has kept it high with each successive one. When I started Swamp, I already had expectations. After the first chapters, the first pages even, I was already sure it was going to be good. The author does not spare the reader, serving up brutal and gory descriptions, giving the book character. This time, much of the plot centres around politics. This is not a theme I like, either in real life or in literature. By the end of the book, the author had guided everything so that I didn't lose interest at all. And the coincidental resemblance to real people ;) appealed to me and made it easier to catch on to all those names. The action in the book does not offer a moment's rest. Everything rushes forward, which makes it a fast read. Did I guess the ending? I tried, I thought I had it figured out, but the author surprised me, and I like that. As well as the cover, which perfectly matches the scary content. I thoroughly recommend the book as I'm sure it will provide you with a tremendous experience.