Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I usually love a Scandi type thriller but sadly I struggled with this and didn’t finish, I may try again sometime.

I embarked on this thinking it was the first in a series, only to discover that it is, actually, the tenth book in an established, very popular, crime series. I really wish that publishers would not print series out of order, as though it is irrelevant to the reader. Although I liked lots of things about this, I would have liked it far more had I known more about the various characters and their relationships. It took me ages to get my head around who everyone was and how they related to each other.

Ubbo Heide is the wheelchair bound, former chief of police, who is happily relaxing by the sea when a large parcel arrives, containing a severed head. There is a new Head of Central Criminal Investigation, who has been promoted – although it feels like a demotion – to take over the area formerly run by Heide. Also there is Ann Kathrin Klaasen, the main character of the series, who is more popular with the public than her superiors. It is obvious that there is a different hierarchy to the one officially in place and that Ubbo Heide has a loyal following – meaning that everyone rushes off to investigate why Heide is being targeted.

Although this series obviously has a lot to recommend it, I was, to be honest, confused and I really dislike reading books out of order. If the publisher decide to publish this series properly, from the beginning, I would love to give it another try. I think that, if I had encountered the characters properly, this would have been a four, but, as it took me so long to work out who was who, and what the group dynamics were, I will have to give this a three.

I struggled with this novel, I am unsure if it was the formatting or the writing style, It jumped around from character to character but there was no definitive structure. I thank NetGalley for the free read.

My thanks to The Author publishers and NetGalley for providing me with a Kindle version of this book to read and honestly review.
This a well written imaginative highly original detective mystery, set in the East Frisia district of Germany an area of the world I know little of, but the Author succeeds in beautifully describing it so that it leaps from the page. There are numerous characters which I found somewhat confusing at times, but nonetheless a thoroughly entertaining a mix of clever dim eccentric and witty, and that is just the Police..
Spoiled slightly by a dodgy Kindle version and never ending chapters, in fact come to think of it are there any chapters.
Recommended.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Bonnier Books UK - Zaffre, for the ARC.
"If the system can't make them pay, then he will . . .
Former chief of police, Ubbo Heide, is enjoying a peaceful seaside retirement - until a gruesome package containing a severed head turns up on his doorstep and catapults him back into a world he left behind.
When a torso is found on the local beach, it's assumed it's from the same victim. That is until a second head turns up. As the investigation reaches fever pitch, Chief Inspector Ann Kathrin Klaasen, now assigned to the case, realises that the two victims are connected. Soon it's clear that this quiet coastal community is facing a brutal serial killer. One who is taking justice into his own hands . . ."

Yes, that's this book's description and I chose not to re-hash it because it is so succinct. However, as the story unfolds on the pages I did find it all a bit confused with varying points of view running into each other - is there one or two killers out there?
Ubbo Heide is the wheelchair-bound ex-Chief of Kripo who has written a very successful book about his unsolved cases. The new Chief is Martin Buscher - he's weak and unsure of himself because he's to be in charge of Ann Kathrin Klaasen - regarded as a legend for her criminal apprehensions and eccentric exploits, popular with both the public and her colleagues. Martin is woefully ill-equipped to command the respect of the team. Chief Detective Inspector Rupert is a sexist idiot who thinks he's God's gift to women but is often quite smartly put in his place by Ann Kathrin. There are tinges of humorous dialogue amidst the fast-moving investigation into a series of gruesome killings, but as said it was somewhat confusing.

Ubbo Heide is the former chief of the East Frisia criminal division and a head is delivered to the offices. Ann Kathrin and the team are straight on their case. They’ve already found the body so they can now get teeth impressions for ID, can’ they? Well, not as this head doesn’t belong to this body. In the most gruesome jigsaw puzzle ever, they have missing pieces….

The premise is strong from the beginning. Surprisingly it’s not all dark as there are many humourous asides. The mix of the two was a little odd however as it was either very dark or very funny and there wasn’t much inbetween. I realise there is gallows humour in the police force etc but this was more humour in the general sense.

The novel is a gripping one and there’s lot of police procedural to chew over. It’s just like being in a busy police investigation I imagine and the POVs switch quite quickly without much of an indication of who is talking when. It makes for a realistic dialogue but could be confusing on a kindle!

Rupert is a sly dog! Bit of a womaniser this one so I can’t say I liked the character but I’m intrigued to know more even though he did annoy me with his stream of comments about women in general. There’s plenty of women in the team who can hold their own though!

Just as well the rest of the police team have more about them. The investigation brings out all manner of struggles between power and justice.

It was interesting to visit a part of Germany I hadn’t been to before but the setting doesn’t play a huge role in the story which I hope changes in future books. This is one of the unique bits about the book and there’s lots of scope for more.

But I always had the image of that severed head in my mind as I read. That is one powerful start to this series.

If the system can't make them pay, then he will...

A severed is sent to the former chief of police, Ubbo Heide, pulling him back into his old world. A torso is then found on a local beach assumed to be from the same victim until another head turns up in Ubbo’s car. Using Ubbo’s knowledge of unsolved crimes and his extensive experience, Chief Inspector Ann Kathrin Klaasen, who is assigned to the case, with her team, work against the clock to stop this serial killer before anymore bodies are found.

I don’t always enjoy police crime thrillers as they often focus too much on the Detective in charge and less on the actual thriller/crime part of the story but I liked the balance in The Oath between the motives of the criminals and the police.

The story itself is a dark story about power and justice and is quite well paced out. There are some amusing parts to lighten the mood too. The story literally does play out until the end page. This book is the first in a series of books so a number of the lead police characters are still being developed and I think over time will become quite likeable warts and all. Rupert is a bit over the top with his sexist and womanising ways but he is surrounded by strong women who are aware of his behaviour and know how to handle him. Overall I enjoyed this book and would recommend it if you enjoy police crime books.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bonnier Zaffre for an advance copy of The Oath, the first novel by Klaus-Peter Wolf to be published in English although he has a whole series of novels featuring Detective Ann Kathrin Klaasen of the East Frisia police in German.

When a severed head is delivered to Ubbo Heide, the former chief of the East Frisia criminal division Ann Kathrin and the team are soon on the case and much as they would like to match the head to newly unearthed corpse it would appear that they are looking for another head and body. They have a serial killer on their hands.

The Oath is a difficult novel to review, partly because I think it doesn’t really know what it wants to be and partly due to the format. At first there is some humorous dialogue and so much praise for Ann Kathrin that I thought it would be some kind of pastiche on a crime novel. Apparently not as it soon gets down to the serious business of hunting a maniac. Could this be a translation issue? I’m unsure, but it doesn’t mesh with the rest of the novel. The format is confusing as well. It is told from various points of view which change without notice from paragraph to paragraph. Now, I’ve read an advance copy so the final edition may be better but I found it confusing.

I like the premise of the novel and the start which is fairly shock and awe, a severed head in the post, and funny but I gradually lost interest as the novel progressed. The investigation gets lost in extraneous detail, do we need a full blow by blow account of Detective Rupert’s thought every time he meets a woman? Character building perhaps but it gets tedious as he has a one track mind and zero self awareness. I could nitpick my way through the whole novel but my main thought is that it is quite long and could have benefited from a prune.

The Oath is a solid read.

I didn't particularly enjoy this book.
Despite being labelled as Ann Kathrin Klaasen #1, it felt like no 45 in a very long running series.
That was part of my issue with it.
I struggled to make sense of who was who and relationship to each other.
By the time that was straight in my head,I just wasnt all that interested in the rest.