This is a haunting read set in Auschwitz. It is extremely well written. I loved the main character and especially enjoyed the detective element. This book is brilliantly researched. It made me feel sick on occasions.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
This novel is a complex and clever blend of a detective story (who killed the doctor?) and the horrors of the concentration camps. There are details which are hard to read, such as the specifics of some of the experiments on inmates and the beliefs of those running the camps which cause inhuman behaviours. One person states part of the Hippocratic oath, where a doctor swears to 'do no harm' and it is almost impossible to reconcile their 'research' with what they do, until she reminds the detective of the need to provide 'results' against performance monitoring. Underlying the search for the motive and murderer is the constant threat of discovery of Herr Fischer's true illness, the secrets some people hide and the punishment and death of a young boy.
I cannot recommend this book too highly, it is well-written and interesting, horrifying details are interwoven with the story keeping me on the edge of my seat. Unputdownable!

A detective story set in Auschwitz. We're in "Sophie's Choice" territory. Heart strings are wrung and stretched, beyond their limits and your horror gland is pummelled with details that need to be faced again and again, lest we forget. Indeed, man's inhumanity to man, is a difficult burden to shoulder. Yet, we find, love, courage and magnanimity seeping through the daily horror, and hope, always hope.
Lot's of tears, positive and negative, a few smiles, not many. well worth the emotional journey.

A crime mystery set in Auschwitz that is terribly harrowing. In the depths of a cruel Polish winter a criminologist is sent from Berlin to investigate the death of a doctor. The author writes with great emotional detail.about the terrible conditions of the camp and the insane way humans are treated. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

This story, set in Auschwitz, about the murder of a doctor, is a harrowing tale. The author descriptions of the cruelty of the Nazis leaves little to the imagination. It is nevertheless a very good whodunnit.

A brilliant read and one I really enjoyed. The characters are loveable and varied, the plot is one that is engaging and medium paced. I found myself completely drawn into the story and enjoyed the writing style.

What an eye opening read. The horrors of Auschwitz, is really brought home. Alongside an interesting story of the death of a German within the army ranks. Great read but also harrowing. Would recommend

I’m still reeling from the power of this book. This horrifying story about Auswitz is both disturbing and compelling. The angle of the narrative allows a glimpse in to life and death at the concentration camp whilst also being a ‘who-done-it’. So very clever. It is me of those books that will stay with me always and must be read!

Having recently visited auschwitz I am fascinated by the different story’s I have read based on auschwitz and the atrocities that went on there failing to understand how one human can treat another human so abhorrently. Whilst I was expecting the same kind of thing this book is not that and a bit of a who done it. Difficult at times to read I would highly recommend this book and just suggest you read it yourself

Set during WWII, in the death camps of Auschwitz-Birkenau, this is an intersting portrayal of how the staff in the camps lived, how innured they were to the killings and destruction of the bodies. The story centres on a young investigator who has arrived to find out how one of the Nazi scientists has died. His fresh prespective on the murder as well as the wider horrors of the camp is very well written. It was a very good read and I would recommend it

Surviving the concentration camps.

I started to read this book with such good intentions, and the first few pages proved that it was beautifully written – unfortunately – I have a horror and a far too vivid imagination for all things relating to the holocaust and concentration camps. I visited quite a few when I was younger and being extremely sensitive, could feel the horror of the places. This has left me unable to read books on the subject.

I trust that the author, Oriano Ramunno with have immense success with the publication.

Rony

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review.

I love books set in World War 2 and this one was great. Expertly translated from the original Italian, I liked the mix of thriller/murder mystery and historical fiction. Moving and powerful.

Hugo Fischer is sent to Auswitch to investigate the death of a SS officer - he is hiding a secret that could endanger his life if the Nazis discovered it. During his stay the full horror of what is happening at the camp regarding the Final solution begins to dawn on Hugo. His loyalties are conflicted as is his conscience and to his surprise the same is true of others in the camp . How does he solve the murder whilst protecting
himself and those he comes to care about?
Not an easy read in terms of subject content and details .However a fascinating insight into the Nazi programme of eugenics and extermination camps .

A murder of a German doctor in Auschwitz, a detective from Berlin arrives to find out the truth. Deeply moving, plenty of twists and turns and one that will have a lasting impact on you.

A fantastic read that was moving but still with enough of a detective story to keep the momentum going, very we’ll written and will stay with me for some time

This is a really good story. Set in Auschwitz in 1943, Hugo Fischer has been sent to investigate the suspicious death of Dr Braun, a colleague of Josef Mengele. Fischer hails from Berlin and has heard the rumours about what is happening at Auschwitz, and now is shocked to the core by what he is seeing with his own eyes. Of course he cannot express an opinion. He is there to try and find a murderer. I recommend this as a very good read. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

Absolutely brilliant unique historical fiction. This is a first from this author for me and certainly won’t be lithe last. A murder mystery inside the concentration camps with strong characters. At times it was hard to read with detailed subject but these were so well researched. I will be seeking more books from this author.

I have read a few books about the concentration camps throughout my life and all were difficult reads. This one was, I think, much more graphic and distressing BUT I think it essential for us to read and remember what went on in those days and places, One difference was the murder mystery which I found intriguing. The lives of Gioele and Fischer although very different made for a riveting read. Plenty red herrings to keep you on your toes. Although a difficult read it was hard at times but there was some light as well.

This was such a good book. I love historical fiction, especially when it is about eras/ situations that I previously knew nothing about and this was definitely one of those books. It was so well researched and so compelling in its narrative that not only did I love reading it but I felt that I learned too. A really enjoyable read and perfect for any fans of historical fiction. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Ashes In The Snow is a haunting, emotionally dynamic and poignant mystery set in the Auschwitz concentration camp over Christmas 1943.

This is the first novel by Italian author Oriana Ramunno. Born in Melfi in 1980, she has previously written crime novellas and short stories. Ashes In The Snow is her first novel which was inspired by the story of her great-uncle who was detained at the Flossenbürg concentration camp. As she writes in her forward “along with the painful tales of hunger, death and abuse, there was also a glimmer of light, he told me of the German commanders who secretly tried to help”.

Late December 1943 a young Italian Jewish boy called Gioele Errera who is imprisoned at Auschwitz discovers the dead body of SS Doctor Sigismund Braun in his office. Despite appearances suggesting his death was due to an accidental choking, renowned young police criminologist Hugo Fischer is despatched from Berlin to establish if that was the case. Thus the reader is provided a view of an outsider to Auschwitz who is only expected to remain there for a day or two and is largely unaware of the horrors that take place there.

His eyes are immediately opened as by a train load of prisoners arriving at the same time as him, it become clear that they have been made to travel in appalling conditions, that families will be separated and never see the luggage they carefully packed before making the trip. A particular brutal scene scars Hugo’s arrival and the reader’s introduction to Auschwitz. While many will understandably feel daunted reading a novel set in such a terrible place, Ashes In The Snow is not only a highly impressive crime mystery but it does also feature both the negative and the positive sides of human behaviour while the horrors are provided to give context rather than for shock value. In fact the novel packs in a very large number of issues and has clearly been highly researched by the author to reflect the attitudes and beliefs that existed at that time. .

Hugo is a rounded character who graduated at university and became a criminologist working for the Reich’s criminal police who reluctantly joined the Nationalist Socialist party and his backstory includes helping capture Otto Hampel & Elise Lemme, the real life couple who wrote postcards denouncing Hitler's government and left them in public places around the city as fictionalised in the Hans Fallada novel, Alone In Berlin. Hugo holds a concealed hostility to the Nazis but also hides a debilitating condition which would not be tolerated by the regime if made public. This gives him a limp that he claims was caused by polio and other side effects which requires him to take morphine to control.

Hugo has to report to sinister camp commander Liebehenschel who asks him to use every technique available to discover if Braun was murdered including outdated theories such the image of the killer being formed on the retina of the victim’s eye remaining fixed after death and the Lombrosco theory that criminality is inherited and that someone "born criminal" could be identified by the way they look.

He has to report to SS Officer and physician Tristan Voigt who borrows the genuine phrase referring to Auschwitz: “anus mundi” from Heinz Thilo a historical figure who was involved in the selection process in the infamous location. Voigt comes across as a ruthless man yet begins to show a touch of humility. Hugo encounters a range of German officers and medical staff who appear to be concealing the unspoken by implying there are terrible secrets taking place. When Hugo insists that Braun is given an autopsy he encounters the resistance of his wife whose father is a senior member of the SS. Her main objection is that the procedure would need to be carried out by a Jewish doctor. Just like the snow, a dead body may appear natural on the surface but something dark could be covered underneath. This autopsy provides him with access to some of the more valued Jewish inhabitants of the camp, as his investigation also brings him in contact with young Gioele and other medical subjects of doctor Josef Mengele, another real historic character known by the German soldiers as ‘the angel of death.’ When the highly perceptive and intelligent Gioele requests a favour in return for information, it forces Hugo to look deeper in the camp’s horrors.

With the entire novel being seen through Hugo’s eyes, he witnesses contrast between the relative luxury and obtained possessions held by senior officers, their social events, the tolerated drinking den and brothel and the very worse activities carried out at the camp. He has to weave between the complex interpersonal relationships between the SS officers and medics to discover not just who killed Dr Braun as well as undercover what the motive was, without making enemies.

This is an engrossing read in a claustrophobic environment translated perfectly by Katherine McGregor. Overall Ashes In The Snow is a highly impressive debut which vividly portrays the sights, sounds and smells of a concentration camp as well as a very nuanced view of the type of characters who worked and were detained there. Thankfully the novel does simplify it into a story of the capturers and the captives, there are some agreeable and disagreeable people amongst them all, naturally Hugo Fischer is one of the former. Solving the mystery of the doctor’s death is one thing, but when he uncovers so much more besides he faces a dilemma with to a truly gripping personal story tied in. In a desperate situation it does show two human natures prevail most, one of several perseveration and one of trying to do the right thing even through small actions. This is a real standout novel and highly recommended. There is potential scope for a follow up novel, I definitely look keenly to see what comes from Oriana Ramunno in the future.