A Paragon of Virtue

I was quite pleased with this book. Professor Stachelmann is not your usual leading man. He’s not a heartthrob, he doesn’t have his act together, he’s not powerful, heck, he’s not even particularly healthy. But like many of the characters in this book, he feels real. I like how von Ditfurth writes the relationships between his characters. The initial meeting between Stachelmann and his old friend, Ossi, is just as awkward and uncomfortable as you’d expect. Stachelmann and Anne’s flirty interactions run hot and cold as Stachelmann deals with his insecurities and indecision about her, but they always feel natural. He’s not a smooth operator, nor does he pretend to be.

Behind it all, Stachelmann is a historian, and he’s show more driven by the search for the truth. He’s not trying to figure out who’s behind the murders for the sake of the father/husband, but because as details come to light, it’s a mystery he can’t help but try to solve. At the end, the mystery isn’t so much about who, but about why. As things come to a conclusion, you discover that in Germany, some wounds may never heal. This is the first book I’ve read in a long time that didn’t deal with Nazis in an overdone, cliche way. The German perspective really added something new for me. show less

Scandinavian crime novels have a certain feel to them when read translated into English. A Paragon of Virtue by Christian von Ditfurth was translated from the German, but it has that same linguistic feeling. In it, Josef Stachelmann, a non-tenured history professor, is not doing so well. His doctoral dissertation excited many and led to his teaching position at the university in Hamburg, but he's been unable to write anything further, instead spending his time doing more and more research, until the books and photocopies form what he calls his "mountain of shame". He's contacted by an old friend, a detective working a particularly difficult case; over a long period, the wife and two children of a wealthy businessman have been murdered. show more The police are examining the past of this philanthropic businessman, trying to find someone who might want him to suffer.

The plot is well-crafted, with roots in Germany's uncomfortable past. Stachelmann, and his old friend Ossi, are well rounded and interesting characters, even if they aren't very cheerful. This is the first of a series of crime novels featuring the history professor and I'm unhappy to report that only this first book is available in an English translation. show less

The main question asked in Paragon of Virtue (originally published in German as Mann ohne Makel) is one of the taboos of modern German society: "What did you do during the war, Father?" The paragon in question is one Maximilian Holler, who has just lost his third family member in three years. First his wife was murdered and then his son and daughter poisoned. Now he has only one son left. The police are called in to investigate and they soon discover that the "Jesus of Elbchausee" isn't quite as perfect as everyone thought. The books hero, professor Josef Stachelmann, is brought into the case by an old friend from university, who now works for the Hamburg murder squad. He is currently procrastinating on his habilitation, which show more coincidentally is on the Buchenwald Concentration Camp. Stachelmann soon discovers that he has more personally at stake than he ever imagined. The Nazi period is still one that many Germans prefer not to discuss, due to the collective guilt which has been a major influence on German culture since the end of the war. I found the book interesting for the many references to German culture, such as the Historikerstreit, and the follies of the academy. Once I began I could not put it down. Ditfurth's novel reminds us just how important it is that the whole truth be known, so that justice can be done. Keeping the records secret only serves to help the perpetrators. show less

I read this book while some difficult things were happening in my life so my mind was distracted. I could see that it was a wonderfully crafted mystery that I would probably thoroughly enjoy under different circumstances.

A thriller in involving a triple murder in Hamburg, Germany of a wealthy philanthroper. A history professor at the University of Hamburg who is involved in the study of the Finance Department in the Third Reich gets involved in the murder investigation through a former classmate in the police. Some interesting history is brought into the story, which adds to the excitement. The book lasted a day.

Wow, I really had a difficult time staying interested in this book. Perhaps something was lost in the translation, but the writing seemed extremely awkward to me and detracted from the overall plot of the mystery - to the point that I could hardly make it through to the end. This one wasn't for me.

Hated it. I seem to be in the minority here since the book has an average of 4 stars, but I thought the writing was horrible and awkward and the characters were just asinine. I couldn't get into the story at all and I didn't even care that someone was killing children (probably good, since it was clearly just a plot device).

More here: http://somewhatbookish.wordpress.com/2008/09/12/a-paragon-of-virtue/