City of Shadows by Ariana Franklin is an engrossing and entertaining murder mystery set in 1920s and 30s Berlin during the years leading up to Nazi control. After World War I, the Russian Revolution was a huge factor that brought about a shift in population. A surge of emigres, from rich White Russians to poor Jews arrived in Germany fleeing the Bolsheviks. One rumour seemed to capture the minds and hearts of people everywhere, could one of the Czar’s daughters have survived the massacre at Ekaterinburg?

Prince Nick Potrovskov, a slick Russian nightclub owner hears about a woman who could possibly be a daughter of the Czar and rescues her from a Berlin insane asylum. He assigns two of his Russian employees to live, look after and groom this woman whom they name Anna Anderson. His Jewish secretary, Esther and an ex-Romanov servant now working as a stripper, Natalya. Anna Anderson lives in terror of a man who is stalking her, and all too soon people around Anna Anderson are being murdered. When Police Inspector Schmidt enters the case, he and Esther form a bond and eventually fall in love, all the while trying to protect Anna and hunt down her powerful enemy.

In City of Shadows, author Ariana Franklin plays with the myth of Anastasia, the rumour of her survival when the family of the Czar were murdered was one that persisted up until 2007 when the bodies of the last Russian ruling family were located and identified by DNA evidence. I remember Anna Anderson, the woman who persisted in proclaiming herself the long lost Anastasia and although the author has changed some of the facts and developed a superb murder mystery around her, much of what she has written here did happen. To add to the authenticity of the story, the setting of Berlin as Hitler rises and gains control gives the book a sense of urgency and fatalism. I absolutely loved this story with it’s blend of romance, violence, humor and mystery. ( )

I love this book; and it screams for a rereading after you know the plot twist. Upon rereading the clues are ingenious and heartbreaking both. Franklin (pseudonym for a writer of historical fiction) deftly writes history that is sharp in tone, not sentimental or maudlin. The tension of the last part of the book (when you know what's coming for Berlin but Berliners don't) is excruciating. ( )

I love Franklin's style - easy to read and engaging. This hooked me from the start, and while I found the ending to be impossibly implausible, I was along for the journey. The characters are believable and complex and I enjoyed the historical context. A great read. ( )

Set in Berlin from 1922 to 1933, this suspense novel explores a turbulent time for the people of Germany, who are struggling with hyper-inflation, a depressed economy and a government unable to get the nation back on its feet following defeat in WWI. Esther Solomonova is a refugee from that era; a Russian Jew who bears the scars of the pogrom which killed her family, she works as a secretary to fellow Russian “Prince” Nick who runs several cabarets. But when Nick discovers a woman in an insane asylum who claims to be a Romanov, Esther is pressed to help him pass her off as the Grand Duchess Anastasia. Whoever Anna Anderson really is, it’s clear that there is someone out to kill her.

This was a very atmospheric novel, with the city and time frame central to the plot. However, it moved rather slowly for me. Not sure if this was a side effect of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, but I could never really lose myself in the story and it took me a long time to read.

That being said, Franklin crafts an intricate plot and gives us wonderful characters which she slowly reveals throughout the novel. I came to really care about Esther, Anna, and Inspector Schmidt. While I thought that the actual killer and the reveal / resolution of that plot line was a little over the top, I give Franklin credit for building suspense. Already familiar with the historical events during this time frame, I grew increasingly nervous about how they would endure the coming political changes.

In a brief Author’s Note at the end of the novel, Franklin explains how she took inspiration from the real story of Anna Anderson, who called herself the Grand Duchess Anastasia.
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I love historical fiction, but this book drug on a little for me. There were a few too many characters to keep track of and I just never really got into the story. It was well-written with an interesting premise, but not one of my favorites. ( )