The Bridge of Sighs

After World War II, Emil returns from his Arctic fishing expedition with Norwegian crews to his native Eastern European country. He joins the militia as a homicide detective. He gets his first case, but it's clear a cover-up is in the works. It reads like a thriller, particularly when he finally goes to East Germany to follow a lead. The murdered man's wife becomes a romantic interest of the young detective. We learn a little about Emil's family, particularly about his grandfather. I'm not the best fit for thrillers, and this one had its share of problems besides the genre itself. I was interested in the time period and setting, but I found it frustrating in this particular book. I listened to the audio book read by Ned Schmidtke who show more really didn't make it exciting. I noticed a place where the recording levels did not match, and the narrator sounded different. show less

Another winner by Olen Steinhauer. I've enjoyed all the books I've read by this author, and I'm happy to see there's more in this series. The main character in this book is a strange young man named Emil Brod, a new homicide inspector in some Eastern European country in 1948 who doesn't know when to quit. He goes after some higher up politico that has the power to just have someone shot without any apparent consequences, something he demonstrates pretty dramatically, though fortunately unsuccessfully, with Brod, who is told to drop the case. But he can't do that, because the book would be pretty uninteresting if he did. But the good news is that all the people he works with (and for) no longer seem to hate him after this happens, and he show more even becomes friendly with some, including the one who kicked him in the testicles earlier in the story. show less

Set in a unnamed Eastern European country a few years after WWII. The main character is technically Emil Brod, a newly minted homocide inspector.

But to me the real main character is the country and the era itself. Overrun by first Germany and then Russia, distrust and re-writing of both national and personal history are hallmarks. A very atmospheric novel.

This is Steinhauer's first book. It is part of series of five books describing this part of the world after WW2, each set in a subsequent decade. This one is set in 1948.
Noir-ish novel of nefarious doings in a fictional Soviet-controlled country in post-World War II Eastern Europe. Life is hard. Emil Brod, a young, newly appointed Detective joins a murder squad in the capital city, but he is shunned and mistreated by his co-workers (he is suspected of being an informer), and he has to persist before getting his first case assignment, the murder of a well-know composer, who was brutally bludgeoned to death. The investigation points him to a well-connected politico and war hero, this man's possibly femme fatale wife. Brod's own life show more becomes endangered by the case.
This is not a book for you if you are looking for typical crime genre fiction. Plot is not the prime focus. It is mostly about the characters and creating the sense of place and time.
The atmosphere of life during this time is well presented. I felt myself drawn in to the world that is presented. All the supporting characters are very interesting and well developed. The prose here is nothing special; it's all about creating the place, it's mood and characters, and also suspense.
I especially liked this line, delivered by Inspector Brod to an American officer, when he is crossing from the Russian to the American sector of Berlin toward the end of the book, in response to a question asking for the purpose of his visit: “Tourism”, which, of course, forshadows Steinhauer's more recent books, which I recently finished reading. show less

*Heavy Sigh* Not bad, but not great.

I had this book on my shelf for a while now. I never read Olen Steinhauer and I heard he was good. I use to gobble up this type of book and decided to go back and see what I have been missing.

Emil Brod, a young Eastern European, comes home to unnamed Soviet Block country after WWII. He goes to the Police Academy and becomes a Homicide detective in The People's Milita. His new co-workers are less than thrilled to have him. Emil's grandfather adds some color to the story,
and I think the other Homicide Detectives, in future books, could lure me back.

The first half of the book was so slow I was ready to throw in the towel, but something kept drawing me back to Emil. I really liked this character, but it show more really took me a lot time to warm-up to the writing. I had to get over 100 pages in before I really started connecting with the characters and the world they lived in.

This was Olen Steinhauer's first book, I have the rest of the series on my shelf and for now I will leave them. show less

A police procedural set in an unnamed Eastern Bloc country a few years after the second World War this book promised better than it delivered. The narrator should share some of the blame for that as he had a strange undramatic way of delivering the words but also the plot was lacking.

Emil Brod is newly graduated from the militia academy and he has been assigned to the homicide department. His fellow officers are less than welcoming and even the chief doesn't seem to want him there. Then he is asked to investigate the murder of a distinguished songwriter with no-one to assist him. The songwriter had recently separated from his wife but he had more money than his profession should garner him. Emil suspects he was blackmailing someone. Ten show more photographs of two men greeting each other on a street that were hidden behind the songwriter's refrigerator seem to support that conclusion. In trying to find out who the men in the photos are Emil talks to the songwriter's widow, the beautiful young Lena. Emil is smitten with her and she appears to be taken with Emil. When her house is vandalized and her housekeeper beaten Emil takes on the role of Lena's protector. He must find whatever the thief is looking for and his search takes him to Berlin during the Berlin airlift. He finds evidence of war crimes by a member of his country's political elite but he must give up the evidence when Lena is kidnapped by this person. All works out in the end with no further loss of life. show less

This was a very gripping fast-paced reading. It's the first book of the Eastern Bloc series and I'll definitely read the other four books, too. The story of this books takes place in 1948 in an eastern capital. It's shortly after WWII and the establishment of the Cold War is forming. Important persons are looking for a good comfortable place within the polit office. Corruptions is among the agenda when Emil Brod a young homicide inspector has his first day at the People's Militia. All his work colleagues and his chief are thinking that he is a spy amongst them and therefore they avoid him and sometimes with brutal violence. His first case brings him straight back to connections of WWII. By and by he finds the path but has to pay it by show more being beaten heavily. During his recovery he gains the trust of his colleagues and chief but is told to let the case drop. Brod won't let go and finally solved the puzzle. show less