I have always been a big fan of Jonathan Kellerman but for some unknown reason, I have never been able to get into his wife's books. But when I discovered that Faye wrote a book about 1920's Munich (my favourite period of history), I decided to try again with her work.

Now that I have read it, what is my conclusion? My conclusion is that it is a well-written, in-depth detective story. Lots of twists and turns and a shocker of an ending. This book will make me seriously re-consider Faye Kellerman's other work.

The main character is Inspector Axel Berg, head of the "Mordkommision"(Murder Squad). Bear in mind this is the 1920's and so the Murder Squad back then was nothing to what it is today.

The time period is interesting. The 1920's was the time between recovering from the First World War and Hitler coming to power. Germany had the Great Inflation, influenza and just as the book is starting, it is approaching the end of the 1920's. Hitler's Nazi Party is slowly but surely gaining influence and power. The chief of Munich's police is a Nazi supporter and whenever Berg's enquiries lead him to the Nazi party or supporters of the party, the police chief is always there to lead him off in another direction. Berg relentlessly pursues the murderer, even though the Munich police are keen to arrest an innocent Jew for the crime. Finally he comes face-to-face with the killer...and the final showdown.

Well worth the money! A fantastic read and well worth your time. Get it now! ( )

I thought this was quite good, and a departure for Mrs. Kellerman. Axel Berg is not the morally sound police detective you're used to seeing as the main character in a novel like this. Berg is flawed and imperfect and realistic, much like Munich itself in 1929. The roiling political climate makes an excellent backdrop to the story. The end is unexpected, but not unthinkable. ( )

Homicide detective Axel Berg is a troubled man. He sees his beloved city of Munich being hauled ever deeper into chaos by the hate mongering of an Austrian. Increasingly the city is being overrun by brown shirted thugs hurling stones and insults at anyone suspected of being a degenerate. His son is asking some hard questions, his wife wants him to quit work at the department and move, his daughter is afraid and his mistress is getting beat up. Life was difficult enough in the glum, downtrodden city without having a serial killer on the loose causing panic among the local populace as well as providing additional fuel for Hitler rallies. So when the carefully arranged bodies of well dressed young women turn up in one of the city parks, Berg is called in to make some headway on the case.

Berg begins the thankless task of trying to determine what link the women shared and stumbles upon some unexpected surprises with possible ties to the art world and beyond. As the paranoid city and its officials look for easy answers, Berg’s superiors begin pressuring him to make an arrest, any arrest. Find a likely suspect, if it’s a Jew with no political ties that’s even better and haul him in, anything to assure the general public that progress is being made thus averting panic. But things seldom go according to plan and this is no exception as an innocent man is stoned and beaten to death in the street, a fate Berg barely escapes. More murders, few clues, snarled bureaucracy and additional beatings stymie the investigation at every turn.

Against all odds Berg begins closing in on the perpetrator endangering his life as he draws nearer to the truth. Before this investigation is through he will taste the bitter dregs of a betrayal so heinous it will force him to make a deal with the devil in order to save his family.

If you are looking for a light, breezy read then go find a different title. Kellerman crafted this story as a way of connecting with her father as she worked the plot around some of the few stories he related to her when she was growing up. This dark tale set in Germany just as Hitler makes his bid for leadership is a powerful albeit, depressing read which took me several chapters to get into. The storyline is solid enough and all the usual elements of a murder mystery are there though with a bit less suspense then one might expect given the setting. There’s only one major plot twist that might catch the reader by surprise. The different spellings such as inspektor and kommissar along with a fair amount of German sprinkled in kept the reading pace slower then usual but add a layer of authenticity to the story. If you are a fan of Kellerman, you will enjoy this work; if you haven’t discovered this author yet you’d be better off trying one of her other books. ( )

Interesting concept. Hard to follow characters (names) Interesting history of pre Nazi Germany from a citizen standpoint. ( )

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