A Thousand Devils follows police detective Max Heller who must solve a string of murders that are happening all while dealing with the Russians taking evidence and hiding things to deal with themselves. He must figure out who is doing the killings all while keeping the Russians happy and his family safe.


Overall I really loved this story. Max Heller was a character that was not only focused on doing what was right, but also focused on keeping his family safe, and bringing the right people to justice. I liked Max as a character and how hard he worked on things and always tried to do what he felt was right and how he found ways to do that to keep himself safe. We saw that he was one of the very few people who did not join the Nazi party and has also not joined the Communist party now that the Russians are in Berlin. He manages to stay true to his own convictions even though it is getting harder to do so every day. This is a precarious balance that he has to do every day and we see some of the consequences this can have if certain things happen and it's not good.
As for the mystery part of this book I kept going back and forth on who it could be that was doing the killings and I got it partially wrong. This was a very hard case to figure out because of how many people ended up being involved due to the nature of the case and how people were so desperate for basic necessities needed to live.
One thing I liked about this book was how we learned about Berlin in 1947 and how things were still extremely tough if not even tougher than they were during the war years. I know very little about what happened to the Russian part of Berlin and Germany in general after the war. So this was interesting to learn about.

I wish more of this series had been translated as I enjoyed reading it and would love to read more in this series. Hopefully one day it does get translated and I can read it.

This was one I just couldn’t get into, even though I enjoy period stuff like this. Admittedly I did not finish, couldn’t be pulled past the halfway point - there are other exciting entries in this genre waiting in my “to read” lost. I think it works for some folks though, a buddy got this too and read right through it saying the historical details were great for him. Perhaps it just wasn’t my cuppa.

Murder amid a devastated city.
Children combing the streets for scraps.

Not exactly a place where an investigator will get a lot of cooperation to solve the crimes. But, Heller stays the course and also does his part to help the disadvantaged.

An interesting read for those who enjoy murder mysteries.

Thank you Amazon Crossing, NetGalley, and Frank Goldammer, for the free review copy of A Thousand Devils.

I found the story captivating but the execution a little sloppy. Max is a detective in 1940's Dresden who is trying solve a slew of murders. At some points I found the story confusing as it would stop abruptly and then start somewhere else, this may be because it is a translated book. Even with that happening in a couple of places, I was still able to easily pick up and understand the story.

I loved the characters in the story and hope to read more translated books written by Goldammer. It was easy to feel compassion for the good guys and strongly dislike the bad guys.

This book has a lot of twists and turns. However, the plot does contain instances of sexual assault, murder, and violence.

An excellent read! A well written book and couldn't fault the translation. I know something about the hardship that was suffered under Soviet occupation and although this book is fiction, it does reflect much of what life was like during that period. A good mystery with plenty of twists and turns, and really enjoyed the character of Max Heller. I have not read the previous book 'The Air Raid Killer' but hope to read it soon. Recommended.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy. This is my honest review, which i have voluntarily given.

What redeemed this otherwise far too gruesome crime thriller for me was its historical setting. Dresden, East Germany, just two years after its carpet bombing by the allies, is a city in ruins. Now under control of the Soviet Union, its population faces a daily struggle to simply survive. Detective Max Heller (a “good” German, in other words one who was never a Nazi) is called in by the authorities to solve the particularly nasty murder of a Soviet officer. The gory, gratuitously violent and quite simply macabre series of murders that follows only adds to the danger his single-minded pursuit of the truth puts him in. I assume many readers actually enjoy reading about such unpleasant acts. I certainly don’t, but what kept me reading was the background to the narrative – the appalling conditions, the homeless and abandoned orphans, the lack of food and medicine, the breakdown of morality, the conflict between “good” and “bad” Germans and the Nazi legacy made for some interesting reading and I enjoyed the portrayal of immediate post-war defeated Germany. So a mixed bag, but well-written and well-plotted, and probably worth a go if you have the stomach for it.

Catching up on logging and reviewing Netgalley books and only leaving feedback on books that I suggest picking up.

Goldammer is an author I will be watching. Max Heller is an intriguing detective who I hope will make more appearances.

The One with the Hungry Detective in the Rubbles
Frank Goldhammer, A Thousand Devils (German 2017, English 2018)

I had quite enjoyed Frank Goldhammer's first Dresden mystery (with a few reservations, but you know me, always nitpicking), and so I immediately grabbed the next one when I saw it on Netgalley!

I didn't particularly care for more gruesome serial killers, but I obviously wanted to know more about Max Heller and how he would survive the post-war in Dresden. The story takes place in 1947, two years later than the first volume : by then Dresden under Soviet regime is still a massive field of rubbles. Some defeated soldiers have been returning, many haven't, but everyone is still very cold and hungry and afraid.

However doggedly determinate Max Heller is about justice and finding criminals (many of his colleagues and bosses care more about their comfort and careers than about solving dirty cases involving Soviet soldiers, black market traffickers and underage prostitutes), he also has to worry about bringing home something to eat, even when his conscience twitches when he gets food parcels from his Soviet overseers.

I quite enjoyed this second book. The story is complicated and leads to many (perhaps too many) suspects and subsequent deaths, but it captures the mood of a defeated, broken-down town where people regret the past, don't really atone for their own Nazi past, shifting responsibility towards Hitler himself, try to position themselves as victims of the Nazis for the new Soviet rulers. Mmh, humanity not at its best, but Max and his family are quite positive heroes and transform a book that might have been otherwise quite gloomy. The scenes with the group of feral kids abandoned by every adult, who still cling to the Nazi propaganda yet live in utter squalor are rather disturbing.

If I use Kazen's grid of analysis (I don't know how to do fancy statistics pies in Wordpress) this book is mostly about setting (perhaps 60%?) and atmosphere and this one is impeccable. It reminds me of some of the late Philip Kerr's postwar mysteries but Heller is not as cynical and tough (and macho) as Bernie Gunther.

A last note: the cover art is just perfect!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.

Terrific setting, terrific mystery, terrific protagonist. Max Heller is caught between a rock and a hard place in the misery of immediate post war Dresden. Was a Soviet officer responsible for a gruesome murder? This is a complex mystery which will open your eyes to the problems ordinary people faced as well as to the political issues of the time. It's well written and translated. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Fans of historical mysteries should try this one.

I really enjoyed reading the first book of this series, The Air Raid Killer, earlier this year, so of course I wanted to read the sequel as well now that it is translated into English. I have to say that A Thousand Devils has only increased my interest in this series. The stories are what I call a perfect mix of historical fiction and a detective thriller, with our detective Max Heller trying to solve cases just after WWII in the German city of  Dresden. Talk about a fascinating setting! Learning more about the German situation just after the war is fascinating, especially in the subtle way Frank Goldammer incorporates historical elements. It makes the historical setting feel authentic and it was very interesting to see how the detective tried to do his job in an almost impossibly difficult situation. I feel A Thousand Devils will appeal to both historical fiction fans and detective thriller readers because of the well crafted balance of both genres, although I do have to warn for some graphic scenes, violence and abuse. That said, I think A Thousand Devils was even stronger than the first, and although set just after WWII this time instead of during the last year, you will find plenty of historical facts to absorb. There are lots of twists involved as well, cleverly executed to keep you guessing how everything fits together until the end... I can without doubt recommend this series.

Whether you prefer reading historical fiction or detective thrillers, the content of A Thousand Devils will be able to satisfy your needs. It is not easy to combine the two genres in a natural way, but there is no doubt that Frank Goldammer has done an excellent job. From the writing to the plot development, historical details, suspense and characters... Everything just clicks together and makes it easy to imagine just being there right next to Max Heller trying to solve those cases. Recommended!

*Many thanks to Frank Goldammer, Amazon Crossing and Netgalley for providing me with ARC in exchange for my honest review.*
This is an excellent read! The story takes place in Dresden in 1947 and we follow Max Heller while he conducts a complicated in many aspects investigation. The plot I liked, but what really kept me reading was a perfectly described social and political background of Germany shortly after WW2. Details of daily life, food shortage, mood prevailing among people and gloomy atmosphere of the ruined city - all these make A Thousand Devils a remarkable read. I have not read the previous book with Heller but will definitely try to buy it.And will follow Mr Godammer!!

A Thousand Devils
A Thousand Devils by Frank Goldammer
A Thousand Devils
by Frank Goldammer,
Steve Anderson (Translation)

M 50x66
Lou Jacobs's review
Aug 24, 2018 · edit

really liked it

Fans of Philip Kerr's "Bernie Gunther" series rejoice!! Kerr is unfortunately no longer with us ... but now Frank Goldammer can continue the tradition of the highly scrupulous detective seeking justice at all costs. While Bernie was in West Germany, Max Heller is an East German detective in the historic city of Dresden. Like Bernie, Max refused to join the Nazi Party and even after the war refuses to join the party of the occupying Soviet army ... which would naturally enhance his career and make his job much easier.
The setting of this tale is 2 years post the controversial firebombing of Dresden ... it's in the brutal winter and the residents are struggling to survive and find food under the oppressive thumb of the occupying army. The locals... or "Thousand Devils" as the Soviets call them... are starving under the Stalinist regime while the soldiers around them are living the high life... wanting for nothing.
Max is called to the scene where a Russian soldier has been brutally murdered ... and close by is found a backpack with the severed head of a different soldier. His investigation suggests a tie-in with a brothel , catering to the Soviets. The Soviet authorities are not anxious to have him pursue the case and obstruct him continuously. Marked similarities are drawn between the Nazi's and the occupying force of Stalin. Referring to both : "But shouldn't there be rules in war too? You shouldn't be allowed to simply kill indiscriminately. I mean, isn't that right? They were murderers. Not soldiers, real murderers".
Goldammer provides an accurate historical backdrop to his complex and intricately plotted mystery .. with extensive twists and turns involving well fleshed out dramatic characters faced with life altering consequences. The denouement ratchets up to an unexpected but satisfying conclusion. I look forward to many more entries of the Max Heller series... an excellent continuation in the vein of Bernie Gunther. Thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Crossing for providing an electronic Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review.

"A Thousand Devils" has a great story line. I loved reading about postwar Germany. I can see this author improving as he keeps writing.