Responsibility is a darkly comic thriller set in contemporary Berlin. Martin Rumsfield, an international museums expert from New Zealand, is feeling hemmed in by the pressures of work and the demands of family. When a shady character from his past turns up with a sure-fire plan to scam the scammers, Martin is seduced by the glamour of a walk on the wild side. Then, in a shattering moment, he realises that he has put what he values most at deadly risk.
Responsibility is written with ironic awareness of the hardboiled detective fiction cliches which lie behind every twist and turn. But a darker undercurrent of moral consequence is never far from the surface, and it is this that finally returns Martin from self-indulgent fantasy to a deep appreciation that in steady embrace of his responsibilities lies the promise of a richer, truer life.
A darkly comic thriller set in contemporary Berlin, this novel finds Martin Rumsfield, an international-museums expert from New Zealand, feeling hemmed in by the pressures of work and the demands of family. When a shady character from his past turns up with a sure-fire money-making scheme, Martin is seduced by the glamour of a walk on the wild side.
