Book Synopsis:
BERLIN. JANUARY 1940.
After Germany’s invasion of Poland, the world is holding its breath and hoping for peace. At home, the Nazi Party’s hold on power is absolute.
One freezing night, an SS doctor and his wife return from an evening mingling with their fellow Nazis at the concert hall. By the time the sun rises, the doctor will be lying lifeless in a pool of blood.
Was it murder or suicide? Criminal Inspector Horst Schenke is told that under no circumstances should he investigate. The doctor’s widow, however, is convinced her husband was the target of a hit. But why would anyone murder an apparently obscure doctor? Compelled to dig deeper, Schenke learns of the mysterious death of a child. The cases seem unconnected, but soon chilling links begin to emerge that point to a terrifying secret.
Even in times of war, under a ruthless regime, there are places in hell no man should ever enter. And Schenke fears he may not return alive . . .
My Review:
I was a huge fan of Blackout, the first book in this series, so I was very excited to read this book. Once again the author has written a fantastic gripping and absorbing book that I really enjoyed.
One of the things that always stands out about this author’s books is the incredible historical details he includes. I felt completely transported to Nazi Germany where I felt I could feel the fear and trepidation alongside the characters. I thought it was clever how the author includes descriptions of the horrors of the Nazi regime almost subtly into the story, like with Ruth who’s described as Jewish and in danger but the author doesn’t feel the need to explain why. I felt this made the story more realistic and the atmosphere more tense as I waited to see what happened next.
It was good to be back with Horst trying to solve a case alongside him. I found him a very likeable main character who is incredibly brave throwing himself into situations that others wouldn’t have dared gone. I felt that I got to know him and Ruth better in this book and I enjoyed learning more about them. I found myself starting to care about them which made for hard reading as the book goes on as I had to keep reading to make sure they’re ok.
This is an incredibly fast paced book and there always seemed to be something happening to keep my attention. There are numerous threads running through the story but it was easy to keep track of what was happening in each one. I was very intrigued to find out if any of them were connected as I couldn’t guess how they were. The tension in the book rises quickly and stays high throughout the book. There were moments when it became almost unbearable and I found myself sitting bolt upright at the edge of my seat as I read – until my husband had to ask me if I was ok. I’m really hoping there are going to be more books in the series as I’d love to read more of Horst and his adventures.
Huge thanks to Sophie from Ransom Pr for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Headline for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Simon Scarrow is a Sunday Times No. 1 bestselling author. His books – which have sold over 5 million copies – include his Eagles of the Empire novels featuring Roman soldiers Macro and Cato, most recently DEATH TO THE EMPEROR, THE HONOUR OF ROME, THE EMPEROR’S EXILE and TRAITORS OF ROME, as well as BLACKOUT, the bestselling first novel in the Berlin Wartime Thriller series, and many more. He lives in Norfolk with his wife.
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