BERLIN. MAY 1940. AS HITLER PREPARES TO INVADE WESTERN EUROPE, THERE IS BLOODSHED CLOSER TO HOME
'Scarrow's Berlin is sharply drawn with closely observed detail, a place that reeks of threat and fear - and not just from the Gestapo' Financial Times
CI Horst Schenke is an investigator with the Kripo unit. Powerless against the consequences of the war, he fights to keep criminals off his patch. But with doubts growing about his loyalty to the Nazi regime, he is walking a tightrope. If his relationship with a Jewish woman is exposed, a dreadful fate awaits.
Berlin's gangsters run their crime rings with impunity. Decadent senior Nazis protect them. Schenke is different. He won't turn a blind eye when innocents are caught in the crossfire between warring gangs. But dangerous enemies know everything about him. They will do whatever it takes to bend him to their will . . .
From the seedy wartime nightlife scene to aristocratic homes frequented by the Führer, as the distant war spirals ever closer, A Death in Berlin conveys the horror and banality of evil - and the terrible danger for those who dare stand against it.
The stunning new Berlin wartime thriller from the author of Blackout and Dead of Night.
What did I think?
Oh my goodness, I could not put this fantastic book down! A Death in Berlin is the third novel featuring CI Horst Schenke but it is the first one that I have read and I absolutely loved it. You can definitely read it as a standalone and it has certainly made me eager to read the first two books.
This period of history is often a depressing subject to read but it's important that we never forget these awful events. Simon Scarrow brings wartime Berlin to life in this outstanding novel as rival criminal gangs fight to be top dog. Corruption is rife and the gangs are protected by members of the Nazi party so the police have quite a task on their hands when they investigate ration fraud and a murder.
I loved the character of CI Horst Schenke; he doesn't buy into the Nazi ideology that has caused him to hide his relationship with Ruth, a Jewish woman. It does mean that he has a secret that can be used to blackmail him, despite the imaginitive precautions he believes he has been taking to communicate with Ruth.
Filled with danger and suspense, A Death in Berlin had me on the edge of my seat as I raced through the pages as fast as I possibly could. I was gripped from start to finish and I am well and truly hooked on this magnificent series after just one book. Very highly recommended and unmissable for fans of historical fiction.
I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
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