Originally published in Hungarian in 2008 (and translated into English by Paul Olchváry), this novel is the first in a series featuring Zsigmond Gordon, a crime reporter turned amateur detective. But don’t let the “amateur” fool you—Gordon is as hard-boiled as they come, with a moral compass pointing due north in a city spinning south. The year is 1936 . Budapest is a city of contradictions: grand Art Nouveau bathhouses, elegant cafés, thriving Jewish intellectual life—and a rising tide of fascism, poverty, and police corruption.
This isn’t just a whodunit. Kondor meticulously weaves real historical figures and events into the plot—the rise of the Arrow Cross Party (Hungarian Nazis), the fragile life of Budapest’s Jewish community, the corruption of the police force, and the quiet desperation of journalists trying to tell the truth. You’ll learn a lot, but you won’t feel lectured. Kondor Vilmos Budapest Noir.pdf
If you think Nordic Noir has a monopoly on atmospheric, politically charged crime fiction, let me introduce you to a hidden gem of Central European literature: . Originally published in Hungarian in 2008 (and translated
He’s not a super-spy or a broken alcoholic cliché. Gordon is a former university scholar, a man of words, who uses logic, stubbornness, and a growing network of unlikely allies (prostitutes, booksellers, off-duty cops) to chase the truth. He’s principled in a world that has abandoned principles. Budapest is a city of contradictions: grand Art
