Member Review

A fine murder mystery set in pre-war Germany.

"Operation Berlin" opens in Berlin, 1930, just before the election which would see Hitler and his Nazi party gain their first foothold in Government.
Historian Sir Archie Laverick, a veteran of the Great War, is in Berlin to research his book on a famed Prussian general. Requiring a research assistant, he is persuaded to take on Esme Carmichael, a young American woman intent on making her name as a foreign news correspondent. However when a visit with friends to an old Saxon castle ends with a murdered girl, Esme's childhood friend, both she and Archie launch themselves into a search for the killer.

Quickly both are drawn into a dark and complex hunt, made more difficult by the Police's insistence the killing was politically motivated and also by the growing unrest that was 1930's Germany. The story is told against the backdrop of Berlin, still decadent and wilfully unaware of the changes that are coming. The people, places and attitudes of pre-war Germany are wonderfully brought to life, and famous hotels, streets and beauty spots are realised in full colour. We also get to see a little of how the fading Weimar Republic made way for darker times.

Several themes emerge throughout the book - in particular, shell-shock, now known as PTSD, which so many veterans of WW1 suffered with. Sir Archie is both physically and mentally scarred by his experiences, and these in part, shape his relationship with Esme. We also see how Germany and Germans felt following the end of the war, the cost of the limitations placed on them by the Treaty of Versailles, and see perhaps a glimpse of why Hitler found it quite to easy to build a large following. The group of foreign war correspondents that Esme wants to be a part of offer some idea of the pressure reporters were under when trying to convey to the world just what was happening in Germany.

This is not a hard-core spy story, nor is it a cosy crime novel - it lies somewhere in-between, and it makes a fine job of it too. There's a growing number of excellent pre-WW2 thrillers around right now, many dark and disturbing, so this detective murder mystery is a nice bit of relief. And there's a sequel already in the works.

Heartily recommended for fans of David Downing, Alex Gerlis and Simon Scarrow.