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Straight Into Darkness

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
The New York Times bestselling "master of mystery" , Faye Kellerman delivers a riveting novel set in 1920s Munich, a war-wounded city rocked by political agitation and stalked by a nameless, barbaric butcher (Cleveland Plain Dealer).
Lustmord - the joy of murder. The terrifying concept seems apt for the brutal slaying of a beautiful young society wife dumped in the vast English Garden. Homicide inspector Axel Berg is horrified by the crime...and disturbed by the artful arrangement of the victim's clothes and hair - a madman's portrait of death.
Berg's superiors demand quick answers and a quick arrest: a vagrant, the woman's husband, anyone who can be demonized will do. When a second body is discovered, the city erupts into panic, the unrest fomented by the wild-eyed, hate-mongering Austrian Adolf Hitler and his Brownshirt party of young thugs.
Berg can trust no one as he relentlessly hunts a ruthless killer, dodging faceless enemies and back-alley intrigue, struggling to bring a fiend to justice before the country - and his life - veer straight into darkness.
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    • Library Journal

      Starred review from September 1, 2005
      When the murder of a young, affluent Munich woman turns out to be the opening salvo from a serial killer, Axel Berg, an inspector with the police departments new homicide unit, resists his superiors orders to settle the case quickly by scapegoating Jews. Swimming against the rising tide of antiSemitism in 1929 Germanysentiments only fueled by the growing influence and visibility of Adolf Hitlerthe pragmatic Berg knows that he must keep his wits about him and tread lightly if he wants to find the true killer. Kellerman (Street Dreams; Double Homicide) has written a stunning historical crime novel that pulses with the political and social tension of 1920s Munich, especially as seen through the eyes of a man not sympathetic to the Nazis yet trying to protect his family from the gathering clouds of civil unrest. Plenty of twists and turns, coupled with the accelerating turmoil threatening to envelop the city, will keep readers guessing until the final, unforgettable scene. Recommended for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 4/15/05.]Amy BrozioAndrews, Albany P.L., NY

      Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Booklist

      September 1, 2005
      Kellerman, perhaps best known for her Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus novels, takes a hiatus from things contemporary in this ambitious historical mystery, in which politics, prejudice, and revenge form the backdrop for murder. The time is 1929, the place is Munich, and Hitler and his thugs and sycophants are gathering momentum for the horrors to come. Kommunisten, Social Democrats, gays, and, especially, Jews are the targets of Brown Shirts, who are increasing in number and viciousness. Even Munich's Homicide Unit has its Nazi sympathizers. Inspektor Axel Berg, however, isn't one of them. He hopes to steer clear of politics, especially on the job. But when the murders of three women and a young child spawn rumors of a serial killer, the pressure to find a scapegoat (the Jewish husband of one of the victims will do as a start) intensifies, and Berg finds himself fighting not only for fairness for the accused but also for his own career. This is a complicated novel, and its mystery occasionally flounders under the weighty political backdrop. But suspense gradually mounts, and the ironic ending is worth the wait. As for Berg, he is one of Kellerman's richest creations--an intriguing protagonist, flawed yet compassionate and heroic, forced to confront enormous odds in brutal times.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)

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