Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

In 1944, a sadistic serial killer stalks the streets of war-weary, bombed-out Berlin. With some evidence that the perpetrator may be a member of the Nazi party, the investigation stalls, forcing an unexpected solution.

Reactivating a former Jewish member of the Berlin police [removed from public service following Hitler’s rise to power], the Gestapo tasks homicide detective Richard Oppenheimer with finding the brutal murderer targeting women who are somehow connected to the Nazi party. Oppenheimer, who was an expert within the Berlin murder squad, finds himself partnered with Schutzstaffel Hauptsturmführer Vogler.

As much as Oppenheimer comes to appreciate being involved in an investigation once again, he realizes that he is in the midst of a dangerous and deadly game. Can he find the culprit and keep himself and his wife, Lisa safe? Or will he sacrifice everything?

Stalwart, well-developed characters and a strong sense of place anchor this compelling murder mystery. Told primarily from Oppenheimer’s point of view, the unfolding story surprises readers with unexpected plot twists and turns. Although there are violent elements, readers become aware of them only in their aftermath and, from the outset, the story pulls readers into the telling of the tale.

Throughout the story, there’s an underlying sense of foreboding that is all but impossible to ignore as it permeates every page in this gripping narrative. With readers placed in Oppenheimer’s shoes, so to speak, they feel all of the dread and unsettledness that surely affected everyone living under the Nazi regime during the Second World War.

Readers will find much to appreciate in this intriguing mystery/social commentary/historical saga.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press / Thomas Dunne Books and NetGalley
#Germania #NetGalley

Germania by Harald Gilbers is a gripping detective novel set during the 1940s in Nazi Germany. When the novel takes place, Richard Oppenheimer lives in a designated "Jewish House" and is surviving on bare scraps. His wife is a German but is excluded from her community and penalized because she married Jewish Oppenheimer. As for Oppenheimer, he had won the Iron Cross during World War I and had been a highly respected homicide detective but has been forced out of his job.

Oppenheimer wakes up in the middle of the night to find SS officer Volger in his bedroom. Volger takes Oppenheimer to a crime scene and requires Volger to assist in the homicide investigation.

Oppenheimer's situation and the dangers that he faces as a Jew in Nazi Germany are made apparent during the investigation. Even as Oppenheimer is granted privileges in order that he can investigate unimpeded, he is aware of precarious position. I was drawn into the story almost immediately. Gilbers created a sympathetic character who faces terrifying odds and repeatedly proves his character and skill. Germania is a detective mystery with an unusual premise told by a talented storyteller.

I did not know what to expect from a book with such a seemingly outlandish premise: Oppenheimer, a Jew and a former police inspector, is brought into a case of a particularly grisly murder that has not been solved and is now the responsibility of German officer Volger. The case evolves into a series of murders and the author takes us on a wild ride as Oppenheimer works through the mysteries under extraordinarily trying circumstances. There are twists and turns at every corner. But Gilbers does not offer merely an excellent murder-mystery. Instead, he enhances it with a dark portrayal of Berlin in 1944, when ordinary residents faced housing and food shortages, risked death during a series of air raids after D-Day, faced the cruelty of the SS, and so much more. Jews who had survived, primarily due to their non-Jewish spouses, faced further indignities and constant threat of deportation to concentration camps or immediate death at the whims of both the Gestapo and ordinary citizens. Gilbers delivers a hard-to-put-down thriller cum social portrait of the capital city of one of the cruelest regimes in modern history. Highly recommended.

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Germania by Harald Gilbers is a murder-mystery taking place during the last weeks of World War II, following a Jewish investigator reactivated by the Gestapo. This book won the Glauser Prize for the best German crime novel..

Germania by Harald Gilbers is a murder-mystery taking place during the last weeks of World War II, following a Jewish investigator reactivated by the Gestapo. This book won the Glauser Prize for the best German crime novel.

Richard Oppenheimer, a Jewish police commissioner who has been stripped from his office once the Nazis took over has been secretly reactivated by the Gestapo to find a serial killer friendly to the regime. All the victims are someone connected to the party, and the case needs to be solved quickly and secretly.

For Oppenheimer, the case is an opportunity for him and his wife to survive a bit longer. He knows, however, that he is playing a dangerous game.

This was a very interesting take on an old genre. In Germania by Harald Gilbers bombed out Berlin plays a major part, setting up events and landscapes which make it difficult for former Inspector Richard Oppenheimer, but more interesting to the readers.

The premise of the book is fascinating, a Jewish policeman brought back by the Gestapo’s SS Hauptsturmführer Vogler to solve a series of murders, in a city torn apart by war, where corpses lying around are not an exception, but the rule. Oppenheimer has to navigate a ruined city, corpses abound, his family life, secret friendships, while solving a murder.
And he’s also a persona non grata in his own city, anti-Semites all around who will kill him in a heartbeat for simply not wearing his yellow star, with no consequences of course, expect maybe a pat on the back.

The book shows life in bombed out Berlin, a city falling apart where nightly bombing raids are common, and a good night’s sleep is almost unheard of. The mood of the city is captured very well. Berliners are exhausted, suspecting, or rather knowing, that they are being lied to by the government, gathering clues from wherever they can to figure out what’s really going on.

The author does a very good job showing the oppression Oppenheimer feels on a daily base. Every event can mean the end of his life, either as he knows it or in a more literal, and lethal sense. The relationship between Oppenheimer and Vogel is a tense one. Vogel has vouched for Oppenheimer to his superiors, and will pay a heavy price if they fail, or even if they succeed. Oppenheimer, of course, is afraid all the time and he too knows the prices of failure, or success as well, will be heavy.

Out of all the horrors which are shown, the novel does have a touch of humanity in it which gives the reader some semblance of hope among the ruins. Finally, kudos to a wonderful, and somewhat poetic translation by Alexandra Rosech.

It is 1944 Berlin. Gruesome murders of women with Nazi connections are taking place and the SS is desperate to solve the case. Former Inspector Richard Oppenheimer, one of the few Jewish Germans allowed to remain in Berlin as his wife Lisa is deemed Aryan, is advised that he will assist Captain Vogler of the SS to find out who is behind the murders. Fearing for his and Lisa’s safety, Oppenheimer has no choice but to put his skills to best use. He ends up becoming energized by the opportunity to work again while realizing he is being used by the Nazis.

Germania is not your typical crime mystery as the story is set in Germany during WWII as the Allies are closing in on the SS. Bombs are continually being dropped. As the serial murders continue, the case becomes more complicated leading to an underworld that includes prostitution and the Lebensborn program, which was the Nazi’s scheme to breed a master race. As the investigation advances, Oppenheimer continues to face personal danger. He is aided by a German friend who is against everything the Nazi party stands for. You’ll want to find out who is behind the murders but more importantly, you’ll want to know how Oppenheimer will fare after the case is done and he will no longer be needed.

While I enjoyed the book, I was disappointed in the lack of connection Oppenheimer seemed to have with his heritage, even if he was not religious. His wife appeared to have a greater hatred of the Nazis.

Rated 3.75 stars.

A Murder Mystery/Thriller Set In An Interesting Time and Location

When I read the teaser for this novel, I found it quite intriguing. Upon reading that teaser, I knew I wanted to read it. I was not disappointed. The setting is around June 1944 in Berlin where the SD officer forces a dismissed Jewish Inspector, Oppenheimer, with a history catching a sadistic serial killer to help investigate a murder of a woman with a mutilated pelvic area and very publicly dumped at a World War I memorial. The storyline unfolds in an environment living and enduring constant Allied bombings, and with the SD, a Security Protection Service of the SS, the Gestapo, Wehrmacht intelligence, old friends who didn’t care that Oppenheimer was Jewish, others who took great offense being integrated by a Jew, Hitler Youth who took offense at a Jewish Oppenheimer would not obey their orders, and lastly, Goebbels who makes an appearance.

During the first chapter, my attention was captured. During the entire novel, I wanted to keep reading. All of the above made the read quite rich for me. Inspector Oppenheimer, the narrator most of the time, is kept in the dark because the investigation is being handled as top secret. There were the twists and turns but now half of his deck of cards was blank for Oppenheimer. The last aspect of the main storyline was the suspense that Oppenheimer was a Jew in Nazi Berlin. This kept an edginess from the start to the last few pages.

The B-storyline was just as complex. Much of Oppenheimer as a person is provided in his interactions with his wife, a dear doctor friend, his Nazi handler, an old police friend, and an old World War I fellow soldier. I even saw his Nazi handler as a human being at times.

What I like was the translator trying to keep the German flavor. The street names used the German, ß, for the double letter, s, in the word street, straße. This was reinforced by the use of German ranks vice their equivalents. There were other words that made the language sound foreign. I learned about some Jews were privileged and had a change not to be sent to the death camps. Also, the common use of methamphetamine, yes – crystal meth in a pill form, by German soldiers and civilians. It was called Pervitin. I knew of this before, but it added another layer of realism to the novel. Unfortunately, some signature British words are used that I just do not see any German using. Vulgar language is almost non-existent. Violence generally described after the fact, and the women were horrible mutilated, but not of these scenes were presented in a titillating manner. This last aspect plus the extreme racism places this novel clearly in the adult content category. Lastly, this novel was not an easy read; it took some effort but it was rewarding.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this novel even though it was not an easy read or quick read for me. All the loose ends were tied up by the end. I am looking forward to reading the next novel in the series if it is translated into English. Because of the few distractors, I rate this novel with four stars. It is well worth the read and I do recommend it.

I have received a free prepublication e-book version of this novel through NetGalley from St. Martin's Press/Thomas Dunne Books with an expectation for an honest, unbiased review. I wish to thank St. Martin's Press/Thomas Dunne Books for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.

Germania by Herald Gilbers is a superb read! An engrossing read well worth the time spent and is a book of the year!

As part of the Hitler ordered official vendetta against Jews, Gypsies and other selected groups as part of his campaign to create scapegoats to blame for Germany's economic woes a council working in the city of Neurenberg passed legislation taking away German citizenship from these peoples. The laws prohibited marriage between Germans and members of the selected groups. They could not serve in the military and were forced to leave jobs and businesses. The code passed was termed the Neurenberg laws and were the law of the land between 1935 and 1945 with Nazi expansion by war taking place to rectify the damage theoretically done by these groups.
Harald Gilbers adroitly takes us back into the height of the effects of these laws in a very compelling novel set in the period cited. The appearance of a serial killer in Berlin in 1944 brings up a conundrum for the police working in Berlin at this point. Certain factors point to the killer being a member of the Nazi party elite. Since no disparaging information could be issued about high level party members to avoid "misleading" the people the police were stymied in their pursuit of the killer.
A unique solution was forced on the police. They had to reactivate Richard Oppenheimer who had been a member of the Berlin detective squad. He had been forced to resign his post with the police.due to the fact that he was Jewish. He still lived-in Berlin due to his marriage to a woman who was ethically acceptable since she was a pure bred German. It also developed that Richard had been one of the leading detectives while active and could look for and possibly even neutralize the serial killer without having to bring up the individual's place in the Nazi party.
Mr. Gilbers is very adept in breathing life into the characters involved in his book. He is also extremely adept with a description of the method used by the killer in disposing of the women (all victims were females) It is not an easy task to read about the horrors visited upon the victims by the killer. I did understand the reason for this would probably be to allow the reader a better understanding of the degenerate behavior of an individual that is mentally not human. "Germania" is a unique novel in using a policy of discrimination against several groups by a leader who was undoubtedly insane running the show. It is also well written with a good plot. The book is certainly a good reason to start looking for Mr. Gilbers next book.

This book is set in 1944 Nazi Germany a serial killer is on the loose in Berlin who kills and disfigures his female victims and the only person with experience in capturing a serial killer is former detective Richard Oppenheimer. He is a former detective because he is Jewish but Hauptsturmfuher Vogler realizes that Oppenheimer would be a valuable asset in solving the case and gets Detective Oppenheimer assigned to the case.
Together they work to uncover the perpetrator of these heinous crimes. One quickly realizes why Vogler asked for former detective Oppenheimer to be on the case as his mind is brilliant and he thinks in unusual and divergent ways.
They investigate connections to brothels, hotels, caterers, and even delivery people trying to find the person (or persons) who disfigures the victims than drapes their bodies on monuments. They try to discover the who and the why.
In the meantime, Oppenheimer frequently meets with an old friend, the wife of a German officer, who has vowed to help people suffering under the Nazi regime.
The story is very well written and filled with nail-biting moments and times of high tension that keeps one turning the pages quickly.
His life is in danger at all times as is his wife's. He is under the protection of Vogler but that protection could vanish at any time. That fact alone keeps the reader engaged.
In the description of Nazi attitudes toward people that they consider “inferior” one cannot help but notice the parallels between that time and this so in that way it is a cautionary tale but at its soul, it is an excellent mystery sure to please and most likely keep you up at nights turning pages and wondering what will happen next.

The author captured what daily life in Nazi Germany must have been like for the every day existence for Jews and those around them. Unlike other books based on WWII that focus on the absolute horrors committed, this one really focused on the mystery at hand, which was full of intrigue and twists, while submerging the investigation in the reality of living in WWII Nazi Germany and having your life thrown out of control in every way. Interesting character development for the Nazi's and Jews as well as those around them.

A unique twist on your typical murder mystery, Germania by Harland Gilbers had me wondering about the outcome until the very end.

What do you do when a serial killer seems to be choosing his victims from women with close ties to the Nazi SS and the Gestapo and best of the SS can’t seem to find the killer? Well, you ask Berlin’s leading homicide detective from before the war, Richard Oppenheimer, to help out. The catch? He’s Jewish and strictly forbidden by Nazi law to work the case. Should Richard help? Someone’s killing Nazi’s, should he care? But he can’t get the memory of another serial killer out of his head, so he agrees, and with his SS “babysitter” (my word), they continue the investigation.

No more spoilers, but suffice to say that this story kept me guessing what the outcome for Richard would be! Would they just let him walk away?

This was an exciting page turner. If you enjoy a good murder mystery this is for you. The added back story of Nazi Germany added extra depth to the characters for me as a huge historical fiction buff.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

There is a lot going on in this book. It takes place in Berlin, during May/June 1944, a serial killer is murdering women that he deems unworthy (prostitutes mostly), WW2 is raging and the guy the Nazi police call in to help is a former inspector who happens to be Jewish, Richard Oppenheimer. Richard is asked if will help, but he doesn’t really have a choice, although not stated, it’s either that or deported to a concentration camp. The only reason he is still in Berlin is because his wife is Aryan, so he has a preferred status. At this point in WW2 the Allies were bombing Berlin on a near nightly (even during the day) basis, sleep was difficult to say the least. The killer tortures the women before displaying their bodies in front of WW1 monuments. Richard is assigned to Captain Volger of the SS, who had been investigating to no avail on his own. Richard uses his vast knowledge of criminal investigations and makes headway, though at almost every turn he’s reminded he is a Jew, wearing Star of David does not help, at one point almost getting him hung by a gang of Hitler youths. The story does flow, but it is more of a meandering one that a quick flow. It is very enjoyable though and I was engaged in the storyline to the end. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the read.

Very unique spin on a serial killer. Set in WWII Nazi Germany. Nazis must work with a jewish detective as he is an expert. The research showed in the writing. Highly recommend. It has everything: historical fiction, serial killer, interesting characters.

This book was incredible. In Berlin during WWII a woman is found murdered and mutilated and a Jewish man, Richard, is pulled out of bed in the middle of the night and taken to the crime scene. Richard used to be part of the police force crimes unit until Jews were forbidden from working in public service. Now the SS is insisting that he help the solve this crime. Without many options and hoping to keep his wife safe, he agrees. It doesn't take long before he gets carried away by the experience of being back in the thick of things, especially after they realize that this isn't a single murder but a series of mass murders and mutilations being carried out on women in Berlin. Is it safe for a Jew to be helping the SS and will he be able to find the murderer before more women are tortured and killed?

Translated from its original German, this story is gripping. The translation is smooth and the writing is powerful. I had a hard time putting it down! There was very little superfluous information in the book, nor was there much downtime. I also didn't see any of the plot twists coming. I great read!

400 pages

3 stars

A good story with a unique premise.

It is 1944 Berlin and a “retired” Jewish detective is contacted by the Gestapo to solve a string of particularly horrible murders taking place in the capital. Women are being killed and left at Nazi monuments about the city. All of the murdered women have ties to the Nazi Party.

Richard and his non-Jewish wife Lisa live in the Jewish House, basically under house arrest and surveillance with several others who are in a similar situation.

Richard is beset by doubt. Why him? What does the Gestapo really want? What do they expect him to do? While fearful, he is glad to be working as a detective again.

This is a fairly well written and plotted novel. It didn't really grab me as I had hoped it would do. I enjoyed reading it however.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Thomas Dunne Books for forwarding to me a copy of this good book for me to read, enjoy and review.