A cat and mouse thriller that keeps you engaged throughout the book.
Harri Schroder a German police detective is seconded to London in 1952, during the Great Smog of London, to hunt down and identify a high ranking Nazi war criminal who Harri had undertaken police training with. Helmet Praxer has had extensive plastic surgery but MI5 is hoping Harri can identify Praxer by his mannerisms.
Harri has assistance from a young police woman Helen Dexter ‘Dexie’ and they form an impressive partnership in the hunt for Praxer.
This really is a cat and mouse chase as the duo find and identify Praxer but for him to then hunt the duo down. Harri and Dexie only have themselves to rely on.
This is a suspenseful, atmospheric read with wonderful characters and it will keep you reading well into the night

Another thriller from Mandy Robotham, this time putting events in the time frame of the 1950's during the great smog where it's estimated 4,000 or more people died. The reader will be drawn to similar foggy, smog scenes by Charles Dickens, who was a social campaigner regarding London's air quality. The scene is set even with Londoners still making mayhem after the end of the war.

Helen Dexter (Dexie) had been in the midst of the carnage during the war even putting herself into danger but now at the end of the war, as a young Police officer she has been given only menial work with the pre war chauvinism raising its ugly head with her almost relabelled as ‘tea lady’. Dexie longs to stretch her legs and her mind to prove herself beyond her present position within the London Metropolitan Police. What gives her added compunction to push for greater fulfillment; she is a war widow. While she has accepted the situation, the thought of gallavanting out like her best friend is not something she is interested in or forming new romantic attachments. She visits her mother as much as possible but remains resolute to stay at her present digs close to work.

Dexie’s life begins to change when she is introduced to an ex SS Officer, Harri Schroder, a German policeman who has been seconded from Hamburg to the Met. The whole relocation thing seems to be a bit of a ferfy before Harri is finally informed of why he is in England. All this doesn't do much for him as he is still in a deep state of despair with the death of his wife and child, however to help fill in his time in the first instance, Dexie is given the job of showing him her daily responsibilities and Police work. It's during an incident that Harri realises the potential of this quick thinking, problem solving officer giving him a partner for the main investigation that he has been brought to England to solve. He is tasked with hunting down a Nazi war criminal, turned respected businessman who has connections to those of upper British society. Harri had studied with the Nazi when both were young men but it seems his fellow student, now war criminal has had a total face reconstruction, so how to prove he is; who he was?

Fear and the unknown: it keeps the pages turning.

Two people agreed to go on a mission to identify a high-level Nazi officer who managed to escape. Inspecktor Harri Schroder from Hamburg and Constable Helen Dexter from London had a lot of experience with crime on the streets but now they were working on a new beast requiring more expertise and risk-taking. They needed to be careful or they would be headed for extreme pain and the unimaginable.

It took place in 1952, a time when WWII was still on everyone’s thoughts with loved ones who died and the devastation that occurred. One character talked about how it takes a long time to regain trust between nations. Prejudice remained everywhere. These were the days when women made tea for men at work. The kids today would ask why.

This story kept me up late at night. I wanted to read just one more chapter until I couldn’t. At one point, I had to walk away from the book as it was beginning to feel too real based on the possibility of secret negotiations. I had chills thinking about the injustice of an evil person making millions getting away with manipulating the system. And then I had chills thinking of the description of the cold London fog.

The story had a strong chain of events that kept me engaged. It was another book by Mandy Robotham that will be remembered.

My thanks to Avon and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of January 16, 2025.

Harri Schroeder is a police detective in Hamburg in 1952. Despite his anti Nazi proclivities, he survived World War II, although his wife and daughter did not. He is sent on assignment to London. Dexie is a widowed police constable in London. She yearns to do more than just walk the beat and be the one to bring tea to her fellow male officers.

When He arrives in London, Harri learns that his assignment is to help identify a Nazi war criminal whom he knew as a young police recruit in Hamburg. After meeting Dexie, Harri is impressed by her and requests her as his teammate. They embark on a very dangerous cat and mouse chase made more difficult by the Great London Smog of 1952.

I really enjoy Mandy Robotham’s books and have read a number of them. This adds to her exceptional body of work. Well written, atmospheric, suspenseful, with fully developed characters, this was a five star read for me….another one I couldn’t put down.

Robotham’s books are always historically accurate and I enjoyed learning more of post World War II days in London, the Cold War, and the Great Smog.

I recommend this for fans of historical fiction or anyone who just likes a good story with fascinating characters.

A Dangerous Game is an atmospheric read that I simply did not want to put down.

Its London 1952 and the background is the Killer Fog.

I love the fog but this fog you can almost taste and it will send chills down your spine.

Harri Schroder is back and he is on loan to the Met for a special assignment hunting down a suspected Nazi war criminal.

Harri knows him well.

I love Harri, he is smart, kind, a bit of a rebel and very witty.

He meets Dexie (Helen) a police constable and Harri immediately trusts her and has her join his mission.

Time is of the essence, the fog has settled in, people are dying in droves and there is danger around every corner.

Evil is among them.

Mandy Robotham takes the reader down this chilling path with twists and turns that keep you guessing and holding your breath for Harri and Dex.

I highly recommend this atmospheric, well researched and well written book.

My only complaint was I did not want it to end and I hope we see more of Harri in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the privilege of reading and reviewing A Dangerous Game.