A Jewish detective hunts for a serial killer through war-torn Nazi Berlin in this thriller from an international bestselling author.
“[A] stellar debut . . . Gilbers makes Oppenheimer’s fears, and the moral compromises he makes, palpable. Philip Kerr fans will want to check this out.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Berlin 1944: a serial killer stalks the bombed-out capital of the Reich, preying on women and laying their mutilated bodies in front of war memorials. All of the victims are linked to the Nazi party. But according to one eyewitness account, the perpetrator is not an opponent of Hitler's regime, but rather a loyal Nazi.
Jewish detective Richard Oppenheimer, once a successful investigator for the Berlin police, is reactivated by the Gestapo and forced onto the case. Oppenheimer is not just concerned with catching the killer and helping others survive, but also his own survival. Worst of all, solving this case is what will certainly put him in the most jeopardy. With no other choice but to further his investigation, he feverishly searches for answers, and a way out of this dangerous game.
“A masterpiece in crime fiction.” —Wiener Zeitung(AUT)
“Atmosphere is the real draw here, and the novel splendidly evokes Berlin in ruins and the fall of the Nazis . . . the tantalizingly open-ended finale suggests that Oppenheimer will have more opportunity to grow in later volumes.” —Booklist
HARALD GILBERS, born 1970, studied English and history in Augsburg and Munich. He was a television editor before becoming a director for the theater. Germania, his first novel, has been awarded the Glauser Prize for the best crime debut and in 2016, the French Prix Historia for Odins Söhne (Odin’s Sons), also shortlisted for the Festival Polar Cognac Prize for the best international novel in 2016