A gripping new World War 2 thriller from the bestselling author
A Death in Berlin
[ About A Death in Berlin ]
BERLIN. MAY 1940. AS HITLER PREPARES TO INVADE WESTERN EUROPE, THERE IS BLOODSHED CLOSER TO HOME
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.
[ My Review ]
I am delighted to be joining the blog tour today for Death in Berlin by Simon Scarrow which publishes March 13th with Headline. Described as a ‘stunning new Berlin wartime thriller‘, Death in Berlin is the latest in his CI Schenke series.
Criminal Inspector Schenke alongside his colleagues, Sergeant Hauser and Scharführer Liebwitz, of the Kriminalpolizei (Kripo) are investigating a case involving ration coupon forgery. Schenke has a moral compass that places him in a very precarious position within his work. As a ranking officer of the force and known as ‘the daredevil champion of the Silver Arrows’ racing team, Schenke is expected to align his thoughts with that of the Nazi regime. He strives to avoid scenarios where his loyalty is tested, remaining focused on the job at hand but in a Death in Berlin, he finds himself on very shaky ground.
‘A good conscience was a luxury, and a dangerous one. It seemed to him now that all that mattered was to survive and protect those closest to him as best he could, and silently pray for deliverance from the Führer and his followers.’
With criminal gangs in cahoots with members of the regime, who to trust has become a major thorn in his side. With pressure from his superiors heavy on his shoulders, Schenke is frustrated and fearful because he carries a closely guarded secret by ‘playing a dangerous game…maintaining a relationship with a Jew’. As the bodies fall, fingers are pointed and Schenke finds himself in a very uncompromising position. With the world on the brink of the Second World War it’s quite striking to see how Hitler’s trajectory and views spread far and wide, while alongside him the criminal networks thrive. It ‘was further proof, if it was needed, of the dark symbiosis between the party and the crime rings’.
CI Schenke is a complex individual caught up in a web of secrets with personal views that have to remain hidden at all times. An acknowledged hero of the racing world, his sporting prowess is now a hindrance to him. There is an expectation that he will bow to the regime and kowtow to the party beliefs and this duplicity causes serious friction in both his work and personal life. As he attempts to bring down a crime gang, his moral beliefs are pushed to the extreme.
The novel’s high-octane action and tense scenes propel the narrative forward but, as events unfold, CI Schenke’s loyalties are indisputably thrown into disarray. Highlighting the ethical and logistical challenges faced by law enforcers in maintaining order under the oppressive laws of the Third Reich, Simon Scarrow has delivered a very authentic and engaging novel. The police investigation and the rise of the Nazi Party’s influence, in conjunction with the criminal underbelly in Berlin during that period, all seamlessly blend into a very engrossing and immersive read. Highly entertaining historical fiction, with sinister characters, seedy gangsters, and glamorous women, Death in Berlin is a thrilling noir-infused tale.
[ Bio ]
Simon Scarrow is a Sunday Times No. 1 bestselling author with several million copies of his books sold worldwide. After a childhood spent travelling the world, he pursued his great love of history as a teacher, before becoming a full-time writer. His books – which have sold 6 million copies – include two earlier Berlin thrillers featuring CI Schenke, BLACKOUT and DEAD OF NIGHT which was a No.2 ebook bestseller.
Simon Scarrow is also the author of a quartet of novels about the lives of the Duke of Wellington and Napoleon Bonaparte, YOUNG BLOODS, THE GENERALS, FIRE AND SWORD and THE FIELDS OF DEATH; a novel about the 1565 Siege of Malta, SWORD & SCIMITAR; HEARTS OF STONE, set in Greece during the Second World War; and PLAYING WITH DEATH, a contemporary thriller written with Lee Francis. He also wrote the novels ARENA and INVADER with T. J. Andrews. His first Berlin thriller, BLACKOUT, set in WW2 Berlin and first published in 2021 was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick with DEAD OF NIGHT following to critical acclaim earlier in 2023.
