A colleague introduced me to Ariana Franklin's work, and I've been grateful ever since. She is an astounding writer. Each of her books in the Mistress of the Art of Death series has been excellent, so when I found she has a standalone mystery it was inevitable that I would read it.

City of Shadows is set in Berlin. The first part is set in 1923, the second part in 1932-33, ending on the day that Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany.

In 1923 Berlin is suffering hyperinflation. People are starving, unable to find work. Esther Solomonoa, a Jew who has suffered through a pogrom in Russia, is glad to have a job as secretary to a Russian man who claims to be a prince and owns several nightclubs among other rather shady businesses. Nick hears of a woman in an insane asylum claiming to be Grand Duchess Anastasia. He rescues her from the asylum, and sets her and Esther up in an apartment with another girl, Natalya, who had worked for the czar and can train Anna to become Anastasia. Nick expects to earn a share of Anastasia's inheritance. Anna is afraid, saying the Russian secret service is out to assassinate her, and when Natalya is murdered Esther begins to fear she is right. A Berlin police investigator, Seigfried Schmidt, becomes convinced as well, but is unable to convince his superiors. He is assigned to other cases, and there things lie until 9 years later, when he is re-assigned to Berlin and gets back together with Esther at the news that Nick has been murdered.

The book starts out slowly, but builds into something magnificent. The plot has a number of twists that all work brilliantly, and the final major twist is quite a surprise. There are a few too many coincidences scattered through the plot, but the power of whats being unfurled is too enthralling for the reader to care. The characters of Esther and Schmidt are excellent. But what makes the book so outstanding is the picture of Berlin during two periods of great historical significance, and how the author uses the history to build a story and uses the story to make the history alive.

Whenever Ariana Franklin publishes a book, I'll rush out and buy it. She is an amazing talent. ( )

The stunning and unusual setting of this book makes it a great read. Berlin in the 1920's is so vivid and well-researched here, it adds to the already-fascinating plot. Add the mystery of the Romanov massacre, and the awful dread of the rise of Hitler, and it's hard to put this book down. My only quibble is that in the last third, the politics and atmosphere somewhat take over the plot, and even the author seems to think the murder mystery is not so interesting anymore. The reader is left hanging a long time, wondering whodunit, while the author takes us for an extensive view of Europe at the time. But I loved the main characters and truly rooted for them. Their romance is realistically slow to develop, and very tender. Great characters. Overall an excellent read. ( )

Set in Berlin in the 1920s and early '30s, as Hitler and his storm troopers are coming into power. Esther, a survivor of Russian pograms, finds herslf in the position of protecting and coaching Anna Anderson, the real-life woman claiming, and perceived by many, to be the the Grand Duchess Anatasia. An unknown enemy is pursuing Anna and people around her are being murdered. The very honest, very decent police detective who becomes involved in the case is Schmidt. A beautiful love story develops betweem him and Esther as they try to unravel the mystery behind Anna and the man who wants to murder her.

I enjoyed the mystery and the romance of this book, as well as gaining insight into the Germany that existed between the two World Wars. This book was written and published before the recent discoveries and DNA studies that proved that none of the Tsar's family escaped the executions of 1918. That knowledge colors somewhat the ultimate plot and ending of the book, but it's still a wonderful novel, a great read. ( )

This a a very good historical thriller taking place in Berlin in the 1920's and 1930's. ( )

This beautifully written thriller is one of the most satisfying books I've read in some time. Set in a vividly depicted Berlin between the wars, it revolves around Esther Solomonova, a scarred Russian Jewish refugee with a tragic past; Siegfried Schmidt, a kind and honest man who is also a clever and relentless investigator; and the real-life Anna Anderson, who claims to be the Grand Duchess Anastasia. Is someone trying to kill Anna? Is it because she is Anastasia or because she isn't? Why do people around her keep dying instead? The solution to the mystery is never obvious, and the climax of the book, on the day of Hitler's accession to power, is nail-bitingly suspenseful (with the minor quibble that since Anderson lived until 1970, the reader knows that she, at least, won't be killed). Esther and Schmidt's partnership is tender and convincing, and I would be happy to think there was a sequel in the works for them. ( )