Stasi Child

East Berlin, 1975, a murdered child, a staged crime scene.

You know how sometimes you're not completely sure about something, but you take a punt and you LOVE IT? That's my relationship with this book.

-- What's it about? --

When Oberleutnant Karin Muller is summoned to investigate a young girl's body, found at the foot of the Berlin Wall, she's shocked that the available evidence suggests the girl was trying to escape from the West to the East. It quickly becomes clear that the 'evidence' is staged, and that Muller's power as a member of the People's Police is restricted by the omnipresent grip of the Stasi - the Ministry for State Security. Muller is instructed to ascertain the identity of the victim while making no attempt to identify show more or apprehend the culprit/s. Can she bear to limit her role in this way? What will happen to her if she doesn't?

Meanwhile, Karin's marriage is disintegrating and her relationship with her Underleutnant, Wener Tilsner, is shifting, but this is the least of husband Gottfried's concerns: in the DDR, a Kriminalpolizei is not permitted to fraternise with enemies of the state, let alone remain married to one...

-- What's it like? --

Gripping. The personal and criminal elements are both immediately engaging and well paced. The threads ultimately coalesce to form an astonishingly powerful depiction of life in a totalitarian state and the ending is stunning.

Karin is a vulnerable yet difficult character from the opening paragraphs. It quickly becomes apparent that she supports the Communist regime and she could show far more concern for her husband. Her naivety is disturbing at times and a reader may be several steps ahead of her at any given point, especially since we are privvy to Irma Behrendt's first-person narration revealing the cruel and abusive treatment of young people in a state run youth workhouse.

Irma's fury at the brutality and duplicity of the world she encounters is a shocking counterpoint to Karin's more subdued acceptance of their world. Irma's resistance is genuine and fierce; Karin's is sporadic and easily manipulated by the men around her, but it's Irma's end that will truly horrify readers.

-- Final thoughts --

This is a book I know I'll be thinking about for weeks to come as I continue to absorb the aftershocks of the horrors depicted. It's clearly intended to be the first in a series featuring Karin Muller, and I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for the next book, though what more Young can do to poor Karin I'm not sure!

It's also made me want to learn more about this period in history, which, obsessed as the English education system seems to be with WW2 and Nazi Germany, didn't really focus much on the DDR (as far as I remember).

Page-turning, immersive, absorbing and shocking. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Midas for providing me with a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. show less

This mystery is set in 1974 East Berlin and follows Oberleutnant Karin Mueller as she investigates the death of a young girl, apparently fleeing from West Berlin into East Berlin. She's concerned when she finds the Minister for State Security (Stasi) instead of the border police at the scene of the crime. They are obviously in control and warn Karin not to exceed the terms of her inquiry. In other words, don't challenge the official version of the story.

The story follows three different voices. First is Karin and her frustration at not being able to fully investigate the crime. The second is Karin's husband, Gottfried, who is engaged in behavior that is quite risky for Karen. The third and most compelling is told to the voice of the show more Irma, one of the teens incarcerated in a workhouse. This subplot spans nine months and adds a grim layer to the narrative.

This is the first book in an anticipated trilogy. Karin Mueller is an imperfect character which makes her even more interesting. The setting of communist controlled East Berlin is chillingly authentic. The story is filled with fear, intrigue and a secretive power struggle. This was a fantastic read for me. Stasi Child is a promising start to a gripping new noir crime series. I hope I don't have to wait too long to read the next one. show less

4.8 stars – nearly perfect.

I originally saw this listed on Netgalley, and my request was subsequently denied. So I waited (im)patiently for its release, and finally got to it. This brilliant debut novel was well worth the wait!

This suspenseful thriller is set in 1970s East Germany. The Berlin Wall, known as the “Anti-Fascist Protection Barrier” in the East, is standing, and there’s a distinct sense of claustrophobia and near-paranoia for everyone, for everyone is a potential enemy of the state. It’s this atmosphere in which Oberleutnant Karin Müller is charged with investigating the death of a teenage girl found mutilated in a cemetery near the base of the Berlin Wall. Müller, along with her deputy Werner Tilsner, and with a show more senior officer of the Stasi, investigate, and almost immediately become ensnared between corrupt two wings of the Stasi, become a mission of life and death for Müller, and those around her.

David Young’s writing is vivid and convincing, and the plot is intelligent, intriguing, and intricate. The character development is outstanding. Müller, sent to West Berlin by her Stasi superior, judges the western capitalism as “glorification of business and the business of making money, on the backs of the people”, is emotionally complex in her conformity with Communism and its values, and is very compassionate and principled in her actions to see this investigation through to the inevitable end.

The author captures the time period very well in this fast-paced thriller, and the final third of the book is a series of hairpin twists and turns, like the mountain roads of the Harz range where the finale takes place. I’m looking forward to more from this author and this series. show less

Crime novels set in totalitarian countries have the added twist of the political dimension influencing the crime detection and this one doesn't disappoint. The body of a young girl is discovered by the Berlin Wall in mid 1970s East Berlin, apparently having been shot from the West while fleeing into the East. However, all is not as it seems and Criminal Investigator Karin Muller, the first female to occupy the role in the history of the GDR, is caught in the deadly crossfire of warring factions within the infamous Stasi, the Ministry of State Security. This is full of drama and plot twists, and some grim examples of the treatment by the Stasi and East German state of its citizens, including children. Some of the usual crime novel show more cliches creep in - Muller's marriage is on the rocks, she has a fling with her deputy Werner Tilsner, and, inevitably, they are both taken off the case at one point. This is a page-turner of a first novel and I will read subsequent ones in the series when they come out - the ending was ambiguous in several respects. show less

Δείτε επίσης και στο Chill and read

Ήθελα από καιρό να διαβάσω «Το παιδί της Στάζι» και τώρα που επιτέλους ήρθε ο καιρός, δεν απογοητεύτηκα καθόλου. Πρόκειται για ένα ατμοσφαιρικό μυθιστόρημα που τοποθετείται στην Ανατολική Γερμανία του 1975, όταν το τείχος του Βερολίνου καλά κρατούσε.

Η υπολοχαγός της Αστυνομίας του Λαού, Κάριν Μίλερ, αναλαμβάνει μια υπόθεση φόνου που αρχικ’α φαίνεται πολύ ξεκάθαρη. Το πτώμα μιας show more έφηβης έχει βρεθεί στη νεκρή ζώνη κοντά στο τείχος του Βερολίνου και όλα τα στοιχεία δείχνουν πως η κοπέλα προσπαθούσε να δραπετεύσει από το Δυτικό Βερολίνο προς το Ανατολικό, πράγμα πρωτοφανές για τις περιπτώσεις που μέχρι τότε έχει αντιμετωπίσει η Μίλερ. Καλά κάνει όμως και έχει αμφιβολίες καθώς φαίνεται πως το σκηνικό του φόνου είναι στημένο και κάτι άλλο κρύβετε πίσω από όλο αυτό.

Τη Μίλερ φαίνεται πως έχει ζητήσει ένας αξιωματικός της Κρατικής Ασφάλειας, γνωστής και ως Στάζι. Εκείνος τη ζήτησε ως επικεφαλή στην έρευνα και η Μίλερ προσπαθεί να καταλάβει το γιατί. Όμως ενώ η δύναμή της είναι περιορισμένη, έχοντας στις πλάτες της την υποστήριξη της Στάζι μπορεί να φτάσει πολύ πιο μακριά από εκεί που περίμενε. Μόνο που σκάβοντας για την αλήθεια, μπαίνει σε μονοπάτια σκοτεινά και επικίνδυνα όπου τα πάντα μπορούν να συμβούν και από όπου δύσκολα θα ξεφύγει.

Μπορεί να μην έχω ζήσει τον ψυχρό πόλεμο σε όλο του το μεγαλείο, ή να μη θυμάμαι πολλά από την εποχή που ήμουν παιδί, θυμάμαι όμως πολύ καλά τη γιορτή που στήθηκε όταν έπεσε επιτέλους το τείχος του Βερολίνου το 1989. Οι εικόνες που βλέπαμε στην τηλεόραση ήταν εικόνες γιορτής και ξέφρενης ελευθερίας. Άνθρωποι νέοι αλλά και μεγαλύτεροι, να γκρεμίζουν με τα χέρια τους και ότι άλλο είχαν το τείχος της ντροπής. Οικογένειες να ενώνονται και πάλι μετά από χρόνια. Συνάνθρωποί μας να ανασαίνουν και πάλι ελεύθεροι, χωρίς το φόβο της σύλληψης να καραδοκεί πάνω από το κεφάλι τους, απλά και μόνο επειδή έριξαν ένα βλέμμα προς τη Δύση. Μπορεί να μην έζησα στο διχοτομημένο Βερολίνο, όμως αυτές οι εικόνες, τα ντοκιμαντέρ και οι ταινίες με θέμα το τείχος έχουν σχηματίσει πολύ δυνατές εικόνες στο μυαλό μου. Οπότε αν πέσει στα χέρια μου ένα βιβλίο με αυτή τη θεματολογία, χτυπάει τις ευαίσθητες χορδές μου και με καλεί να το διαβάσω. Χαίρομαι λοιπόν που «Το παιδί της Στάζι» δε με απογοήτευσε καθόλου.

Στο πρώτο του βιβλίο ο Young δίνει με ακρίβεια την ατμόσφαιρα που επικρατεί στη Λαϊκή Δημοκρατία της Γερμανίας. Ένα κομουνιστικό καθεστώς που καταπιέζει κάθε μορφή ελευθερίας. Υποτίθεται πως τα κομουνιστικά καθεστώτα υποστηρίζουν την ατομική ελευθερία, όμως πολλές φορές έχουμε δει πως την καταπιέζουν, ειδικά όταν αποκλίνει από τις επιταγές του κόμματος. Αυτό ακριβώς το κλίμα μεταφέρεται και στο βιβλίο, όπου όποιος δεν συμφωνεί με τη γραμμή του κόμματος, τιμωρείται. Η Στάζι, η μυστική αστυνομία του κράτους, παρουσιάζεται σαν ένα τεράστιο σύμπλεγμα κατασκόπων και αυτό ακριβώς ήταν. Όλοι γνώριζαν λίγο ως πολύ ότι όλοι οι πολίτες της χώρας παρακολουθούνταν από τη Στάζι και ότι η λόγος τους ήταν νόμος. Με αυτό το δεδομένο, κανείς δεν μπορούσε να πάει αντίθετα στις επιταγές των ανθρώπων της. Αυτό είναι και ένα από τα βασικά στοιχεία της δομής του βιβλίου αλλά και της εξέλιξης της ιστορίας. Η ιστορία του βιβλίου στηρίζεται ξεκάθαρα στον τρόπο με τον οποίο λειτουργούσε η Στάζι και τον ψυχολογικό πόλεμο που ασκούσε στους αντιφρονούντες. Και τα έχει καταφέρει κατά τη γνώμη μου.

Τα μυστικά που κρύβονται, οι φωτογραφίες που αποκαλύπτουν πραγματικές ή ψεύτικες εικόνες, όλες προϊόντα παρακολούθησης, ο φόβος της ελεύθερης έκφρασης και συνεχής επαγρύπνηση για το ποιος μπορεί να ακούει δίνουν την ατμόσφαιρα που ταιριάζει σε μια τέτοια ιστορία. Μυστικά, ψέμματα και πολιτικά παιχνίδια που είναι πάνω από τις δυνάμεις των πρωταγωνιστών και που δεν μπορούν να επηρεάσουν, έρχονται να ολοκληρώσουν το ψυχροπολεμικό σκηνικό που θα περίμενε κανείς.

Όπως έχω γράψει και στο παρελθόν είμαι υπέρ της ελευθερίας του ατόμου και ο Young κατάφερε να με κερδίσει αποδίδοντας με ακρίβεια το ζοφερό παρελθόν της ανθρωπότητας. show less

I’m probably wrong about this, but I think the trend of writing police procedurals set in totalitarian societies started with Martin Cruz Smith, whose Gorky Park was published back in 1981. Since then there have been many others, notably Philip Kerr’s ‘Bernie Gunther’ series, set mostly in Nazi Germany — and now with 14 books and still going strong. David Young’s series featuring Oberleutnant Karin Müller is set in East Berlin during the Cold War. This, the first of six novels in the series, takes place in 1975 and starts with the appearance of a dead body next to the Anti-Fascist Protection Barrier (what we would call the Berlin Wall). The body belongs to a young woman who appears, at first glance, to have been shot by show more West German border guards as he tried to cross into the East. But of course nothing is as it seems. It’s a long and complex story, genuinely disturbing at points, but I can’t decide yet if I want to continue with the series. Young works very hard to convince us of the reality of life in the German Democratic Republic, including an attempt to get into the head of a loyal police officer who understand that while the Stalinist regime is not perfect, it’s a more just and fair society than what she believes exists in the west. I finished the book unsure about how convincing it all was and whether I care enough about Oberleutnant Müller to spend more time in her company. show less

This historical crime novel, apparently the first in a series featuring Oberleutnant Karen Müller, is set in the mid-1970s in East Germany. The mutilated body of a teenaged girl is found near the Berlin Wall. Klaus Jäger, an officer with Stasi, East Germany’s secret police, enlists the help of Karin and her partner, Werner Tilsner. Jäger tells them the girl was shot by someone from the West as she was escaping to East Germany. The police detectives are told to “’discover the identity of the girl, and to find evidence to support this account,’” but they are soon exceeding the parameters of their task and looking to identify the murderer.

One of the strengths of the book is its portrayal of life in East Germany before the show more dismantling of the Berlin Wall, or the Anti-Fascist Protection Barrier as it is called by East Germans. There is an almost smothering atmosphere of paranoia as everyone is being watched. Karin’s husband Gottfried, for example, is under surveillance, this after being “temporarily banished to the reform school after failing to instill his Berlin students with enough party zealotry.” And even Karin is told by Jäger, “’I’m sure that Oberleutnant Müller will examine all the evidence in her usual thorough fashion, and will arrive at the correct conclusion.’ There was no real menace in his voice, yet Müller understood it as a veiled threat.” There is a great deal of mistrust; there are times when Karin wonders if she can trust her superiors or even her partner.

The narrative alternates between the point of view of Karin and that of Irma Behrendt, a young girl in a jugendwerkhof, a reformatory. Part of the interest lies in trying to determine how the two stories will converge.

Karin is determined and ambitious. My difficulty lies with her marriage. The reader is made to understand that Karin and Gottfried’s relationship is frayed, but the reason for the distancing is unclear. There are suggestions that Karin’s dedication to her job may be the issue, but that doesn’t explain her entanglement with someone portrayed as a philanderer.

Another problem lies with her loyalty to East Germany. Towards the end, Irma tells Karin, “’You’re part of the system. You try living in a closed Jugendwerkhof. Then you would see why so many people are desperate to leave this shitty little country.’” Karin’s response is to drop her gaze because “She didn’t want to admit the truth of what the teenager was saying. It struck too close to what she had always believed in.” This last statement does not fit with what she says and thinks at other times. For example, she comments about female workers: “It was something she was glad to see: women at every level supporting the Republic, something that would never happen in the West.” At another time, she observes, “Yes, it was a small country, but it was focused on the future, making its mark, not inward-looking and money-obsessed, or reliant on manufacturing cuckoo clocks for tourists like some western states.” The author makes it clear that Karin has little interest in exploring even West Berlin, so why does she suddenly agree that she lives “in this shithole of a country”? Her change in attitude is not convincing.

There are some plot issues. There are some coincidences that stretch credibility. For instance, there is an ever-so-convenient name change. Is it realistic that a disgraced police university lecturer have so many powerful contacts and so much influence? And there are unanswered questions. At the end, Jäger says things like, “’We’re not sure who . . . ‘” and “’We’re not sure why’” and “’I don’t really understand that myself.’” The epilogue has an interesting twist, but the scene before that, in the forest near East Berlin, left me confused: Who has fallen off the political tightrope that everyone seems to walk in East Germany?

Despite its weaknesses, this is still a good police procedural set before the use of computers in investigations. I will keep my eyes open for the next book in the series.

Note: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

Please check out my reader’s blog: http://schatjesshelves.blogspot.ca/ show less