Murders and World War II are like catnip to me. I love reading about both topics. So I was excited to read Some Murders in Berlin by Karen Robards. The book is an intriguing story of a serial killer who is raping and murdering women in Nazi-era Berlin. To catch him Danish psychologist Dr. Elin Lund, known as "Dr. Murder", has been brought into Berlin by the Nazi government to develop a psychological profile of the killer, which will then be used to help the local police, led by Homicide Detective Kurt Schneider,catch the killer. Soon, however, the killer realizes Ellin is getting close to identifying him and she thus becomes his target.

The book's plotting was generally good. The unfolding of clues was logical and believable. However, the book took a long time to become compelling and suspenseful. There were many conversations and descriptions that could have been shortened or eliminated to get the action going. Also, there were many characters introduced early in the story. I had to keep reading back to remember who they were. I almost gave up on it. Glad I didn't because the last half of the book is a page turner.

The identity of the killer needed to be fleshed out more; I wasn't convinced he was a serial killer. Maybe Eli or Kurt witnessing a truly barbaric act on his part would have helped me believe he was capable of rape and murder.

The interweaving of history with story is particularly well done. Robards does a great job recreating Nazi-era Berlin, Secret bars, mandated blackouts, buildings reduced to rubble by Allied bombings, and general chaos, are the perfect environment for the killer to prey on vulnerable young women, many of whom are alone due to their husbands and brothers away fighting in the German army. The reader gets a sense of menacing evil, and danger through her vivid descriptions of Berlin early in the war.
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The two main characters were well developed, with many believable qualities. Elin is a prickly scientist, devoted to her work, yet vulnerable from worrying about her Jewish son. That she is also beautiful, is a bit of a stretch. However, this is a romance novel, so it probably works for most readers. I did not believe that her mother was a serial killer. That seemed contrived and unnecessary to developing her character. Detective Kurt is the stereotypical gruff detective who has a heart of gold. He acts believably as he initially is skeptical of Elin's abilities, then grows to trust her instincts and intelligence. He is also a Nazi. In a cool twist to his personality, it is revealed that he is helping Jewish children escape from Germany. That worked for me and helped me understand Elin’s attraction to him. Of course, the two fall in love. After all, this IS a romance novel. I did think the romance/ sex parts were pretty cringey. Elin, in particular, had a beating heart, thoughts of steamy trysts, glances full of meaning, etc. that just didn't seem in line with a highly educated scientist.

I would have liked to know more about the two Danish resisters who were smuggled out of the country as part of Elin's team. What was their connection to her? Were they already part of her team, but also participants in the Resistance? Why were they smuggled into Nazi Germany? Seems like a terrible place for them to hide. If their identities were fleshed out, I missed it.

Readers who enjoy books about WWII will appreciate this book's unique perspective on the era.

"Some Murders In Berlin" by Karen Robards is an ambitious tale of Dr. Elin Lund, who is summoned to Berlin to assist in finding a serial killer. She is an expert in psychological profiling. But this is Nazi Berlin in 1943 - which complicates the complexity of investigating this case.
"Some Murders In Berlin" is an interesting story set in a vicious time in history. This psychological thriller will keep you guessing until the very last page.

It’s Germany, 1943. The Third Reich rules, but cracks are appearing and its fall seems inevitable. Now toss in a serial killer stalking the dark streets of Berlin and you have Karen Robards’ SOME MURDERS IN BERLIN. The gruesome killings draw profiling expert Dr. Elin Lund from occupied Copenhagen to the chaos of Berlin. Paired with homicide detective Kurt Schneider, who isn’t exactly welcoming, and a mandate from the highest reaches of the Reich, and Elia senses danger at ever turn. Why would Hitler himself take an interest in these murders? What secrets must Elin protect while attempting to identify a dangerous and elusive killer? Could failure result in her own death? SOME MURDERS IN BERLIN is what a historical thriller should be.

DP Lyle, award-winning author of the Jake Longly and Cain/Harper thriller series

This newest novel from Karen Robards has her trademark authentic historical feel that sweeps you off your feet and back into 1943 Berlin, where loose lips sink ships and spies could be just around the corner, and don't forget, there's also a serial killer on the loose and the SS breathing down your neck. I loved the mystery, the dialogue, and the main character (who does a great job at solving the murder!). I highly recommend this book to any looking for their next WWII fix, and I think they will be very pleased.

I loved this book! This is only my 2nd Karen Robards but I requested it because of the description. I love historical fiction, and in particular, WWII historical fiction. This is different though in that it’s set in Berlin instead of London or Paris like so many other books. The writing was descriptive and vivid so much so that you felt as if you were there. I really liked the characters, especially Kurt. The story draws you in immediately and doesn’t let you go until the very end. Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my review,

I unfortunately could not finish this book, there was too many descriptions of people emotions and movements. These intensive descriptions made it difficult to focus on the story and its normal flow.
I tried reading only the dialog but found that important information was missing to truly understand the story. I read up to chapter 10.
It seems like a good plot though.

I was hooked from the beginning with this book. I read a lot of thrillers and mystery novels, but Some Murders in Berlin was different on so many levels that it stood out from the army of thrillers that have come before it on my reading list. The story follows Dr. Elin Lund as she travels to Germany in 1943 to help track a serial killer that is on the loose in Berlin. As a criminal profiler she offers a fresh set of eyes on a murderer that has been eluding police in Berlin. Together, she and Dr. Kurt Schneider work together to try to catch the killer before continues his killing spree.

There are so many things that set this book apart and made me sit up until 3 o’clock in the morning to finish it. First of all, the setting is like nothing I’ve gotten ahold of before. I’ve read a lot of historical fiction, but a historical thriller set in Germany under the Third Reich was enough to make me stop for a closer look. Such a setting added an element of tension and suspense that I don’t think could have been created otherwise. Without spoilers, the setting added a lot to the overall story and allowed for a considerable amount of character development. Further, it seems as though Karen Robards really did her research and committed to tying elements of wartime Berlin in seamlessly throughout the entire story. Having a background in history, I found it fascinating to see how she wove truth and fiction together to create her story and add elements to the mystery of the book.

I also loved the main characters in the book. Elin and Kurt were wonderful! I found them to be realistic and well-developed. I love when I read a book that has characters with strengths as well as faults. Additionally, Robards wrote both characters in a way that didn’t have them continually acting on misunderstandings and misread social signals. Both characters seemed to be confident in themselves, and this showed through their interactions with others in the book. I found this to be extremely refreshing after reading several romance novels where communication would have fixed many of the established issues in the story.

While I absolutely adored the main characters, I do wish that the secondary characters had been developed just a bit more. I specifically found Pia and Jens to be extremely interesting and their reasons for being included in the story were also very interesting, but I wish that we had gotten more from them. I believe that they served their purposes in the story perfectly, and the story would have been sorely lacking without them. I just wanted a little more here.

On that same note, I found several of the minor characters a bit difficult to keep straight. This could have easily been a personal thing for me, though. While I was reading it, I had to pick it up and put it down a lot because I was reading it during my finals week. Thus, while this was a problem for me, it might not be an issue if you have a more continual reading experience.

Overall, I absolutely loved this book. It kept me guessing until the very end, and it wove all of the loose ends of the story together in a way that felt very organic and not at all forced. I would happily recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a good thriller.

Karen Robards is the master of mystery and scary scary in this thrilling book. You have Elin with her complicated family situation, and then you have Kurt, who also has a minefield of challenges in his life. Elin has been called to Berlin to investigate a serial murderer due to her past success in Copenhagen and is sometimes called "Dr. Murder." She must walk a constant tightrope with her words and deeds as her life and her sudden new teams' lives, with Pia and Jens, are in a state of constate threat from the Nazis. Kurt, who is the detective she is assigned to work with, is not liked by his boss and must show significant progress with the case or else. Kurt and Elin are very guarded yet find surprising commonality in their combined mission to solve this case. The mystery unfolds under bombings, Nazi propaganda, and the very real Hitler agenda. Kurt and Elin race to try to save the next victim and grow closer despite their obvious differences. The story twists in surprising and nerve-shattering ways, leading to an ultimate showdown. This is one of those books you can't put down until you've read the last word, and then you want to start all over again. Fantastic book! Ms. Robards you are a master storyteller.

“September 1943: Berlin is the heart of darkness-and the last place Dr. Elin Lund wishes to be.
An expert in psychological profiling, she's been summoned from Copenhagen to investigate the gruesome murders of eight young women. Even in the midst of unspeakable evil, these killings stand apart.”
This is all I needed to read to know I wanted to read this book. With true crime/Mystery/thriller and historical fiction being some of my favorite things to read, I was excited for this one and am so happy the book lived up to my hopes. I have read many WWII historical fiction books and really enjoyed the serial killer murder mystery in the forefront with the undercurrent of what was going on in Berlin at the time, which added to the tension and drama. The small romance plot line brought a welcomed lightness to the otherwise heavy/dark subject matter. I also am always a sucker for a strong female (in science?) lead, especially set in a time period when this was not always appreciated. The twists kept me guessing and I did not see most of them coming which was fun. I felt there was a lot of detail throughout the entire book, so I was slightly disappointed with the lack of it at the very end of the book. But overall a great read I would recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Historical Fiction is my favorite genre but this book had a different twist to it as it is a mystery as well as a history lesson in the hypocrisy of the Nazis and the underworld of Berlin during WWII. A horrible serial killer is murdering young women in Berlin and the female protagonist is brought in from Copenhagen to help solve these crimes before he can strike again. Denmark has recently been overtaken by the Nazis and she has to leave her young son behind with her in-laws. Dealing with the local police in Berlin and being watched by the Nazis add to the drama. This is a good mystery, although I would have preferred a bit less romance. I would have rated it with 3 1/2 stars if that was an option.

2.5 stars

I've never read anything by Robards, but I do know that she is well known for writing romance novels. I am not a fan of romance novels, which is why I am unfamiliar with her work. Sadly, I expected this book to be more of a crime drama, so I was not excited to find a romance angle ... and at times it felt like the overriding theme. That felt a bit strange considering this book was discussing a serial killer in Nazi Germany. There are a number of parts in this that require the reader to suspend disbelief. The writing, itself, was okay, but I'm not sure if I would read future books.

This is at least the fourth novel I’ve read about a serial killer of women in Nazi-era Berlin. (Others are Philip Kerr’s Metropolis, Simon Scarrow’s Blackout, and Pierre Frei’s Berlin. There may be others that didn’t immediately come to mind.) Robards’s story is modeled on the real-life infamous “S-Bahn Murderer” who raped and killed women in Berlin during the early years of World War II. Her chief fictionalization of the story is to have the investigation conducted by Dr. Elin Lund, nicknamed Dr. Murder, a recognized Danish genius in the fields of criminal investigation and psychology.

Lund is more than reluctant to go to Berlin, because her late husband was Jewish and their son is at risk from the Nazis who have recently taken over Denmark. But a summons from the Nazi overlords can’t be disobeyed, and at least it gives her a chance to sneak out two resistance colleagues by presenting them as part of her investigation team. (It’s odd to take them to the belly of the Nazi beast, but the idea is apparently that they are known and immediately vulnerable in Copenhagen. Seems thin, but OK.)

I didn’t know that Robards is mainly known for writing romance novels. For me, that’s unfortunate, because that means that in this crime novel, she mixes in a romance. It’s a pet peeve of mine to include romance in novels about Nazis. Of course, I understand that romance occurred even in benighted Nazi Germany. But it’s been my experience that a romance element has an unfortunate tendency to trivialize books set in that time and place. And I did feel uncomfortable that there was so much romance writing in this book about a serial killer, in a city being bombed in war and ruled by a sick genocidal ideology. It’s a matter of taste, I suppose, but it’s off-putting to me.

Moreover, when it comes to the plot, there is far too much reliance on the role of coincidence. In a large city like Berlin, people come across each other on multiple occasions and at times crucial to the plot. <spoiler>But that’s nothing compared to the unbelievable connection between Elin and the killer.</spoiler> Finally, I was irritated to see at least two references to characters identifying particular Nazi camps that people they knew had been transported to. As a general rule, few people at that time would have known the names of the camps, let alone that particular people had been transported to named camps.

While Robards’s writing style is page-turning, for my taste it was a mistake to marry romance with a story set in the Third Reich.

I read and loved Karen Robards 2022 book, The Girl from Guernica, and I was eagerly looking forward to reading this one. My favorite genre is historical fiction, but I also enjoy mystery/thrillers and this was a mix of both. Set in the early 1940’s in Berlin, Germany at the height of the war, a Dutch psychologist Dr. Elin Lund is summoned to Berlin to help find a serial killer. She leaves behind her young son, taking two friends who are in danger with her, posing as her “team”. Once in Berlin, Elin teams up with Nazi detective Kurt Schneider, who is heading the investigation. The killer at large is on the hunt and it’s a race against time to find him before he kills again.
The good: a story of a serial killer during WWII is quite interesting. With a war on, you almost don’t expect anything else this big to be happening as many countries are just consumed by the war. There are so many stories about war related events and this is the first I’ve come across that includes something more. For the most part I liked Elin’s no nonsense, strong (in many cases) character. I realize this is a time that woman were often looked down upon and she often stood her ground. (Her background, revealed later in the book, is fascinating and I wish we knew more of it!)
The mystery of who the killer is keeps you guessing as there are several likely suspects.
The not-so-good: The story fell a bit short for me. I expected more intensity than it delivered. There were a few times that I really was pulled into the story and enjoyed those parts more. (For example, Elin tells of her last visit to Berlin with her parents. Her father was a speaker at a conference about another serial killer, a woman. Without giving any spoilers, let me just say that I would love to have Karen Robards write a book about that one!)
There was also romance in the book which I didn’t expect when I started it and which, I felt, detracted from the story.
Also, there were quite a few characters who were seemingly minor and not much talked about until later when something major happened with them and by then I had forgotten who they were.
Finally, (this was an ARC, so perhaps this will change) the chapters in this book ended and then began almost in the middle of something but not during anything intense. Mini cliffhangers would be better in a book such as this.
Overall I found it a good story, though maybe not quite what I was expecting.
Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Netgalley for an ARC of this book. All thoughts in this review are my own honest opinion.

For the most part, I enjoyed “Some Murders In Berlin.” It’s a World War II mystery reminiscent of Philip Kerr’s “Bernie Gunther” series, and the 1960’s Peter O’Toole/Omar Sharif movie “The Night of the Generals.”

As World War II rages, Denmark is occupied by Nazi Germany.

In Copenhagen, Danish psychiatrist Dr. Elin Lund is so expert at profiling serial killers that the press has dubbed her “Dr. Murder.”

In Berlin, a serial killer has murdered eight women. The press and public don’t know about it yet. But the Nazi high command (including Hitler) is so worried about appearing less than all-powerful and uber-competent that they call upon Elin to help catch the killer.

The last thing Elin wants is to go to Berlin. She’s not Jewish. But her dead husband was, which makes her young son half-Jewish and subject to deportation to the East. Fortunately, her son bears her name and is not readily identifiable as Jewish. Nevertheless, she’s terrified to leave him with his paternal grandparents, especially since the SS and Gestapo are beginning to send Danish Jews to camps in Poland.

But in another sense, the summons to Berlin could be fortuitous. Elin’s two close friends and colleagues, Pia and Jen, are members of a resistance group that has just sabotaged a factory and killed two soldiers. With the SS closing in, Elin appoints them as her assistants and brings them to Berlin, hoping to keep them out of sight until the investigation in Copenhagen dies down.

In Berlin, Elin is assigned to the team headed by homicide investigator Kurt Schneider, a handsome yet dour and often gruffly unpleasant combat veteran who has recently returned from the Eastern front. He has little patience for Elin or her methods and their relationship is filled with conflict and tension.

Overseen and constantly pressured by Nazi higher-ups, these four characters race to find the killer before he or she strikes again. Their work takes them throughout a city slowly being reduced to rubble by Allied bombers and into some of its darkest corners inhabited by some of its most unsavory citizens. And it takes Elin back to a past she'd rather not revisit, but that others have not forgotten.

Who is the killer? Why are they killing? Can they be caught before they kill again? Can Elin, Kurt, Pia, and Jen solve the case before their own secrets are discovered by the Gestapo? Will Elin survive this experience and be reunited with her son? Those are just some of the questions meant to keep readers turning the pages.

Author Karen Robards has given us a well-plotted tale that includes surprises. Her characters comprise often contradictory traits and confront a myriad of internal and external conflicts—including the Nazis, the killer, and each other—all of which makes them interesting. Ms. Robards also makes good use of the wartime setting, as well as a number of small touches designed to give readers a sense of what it was like to live in Berlin during those times.

I did think the novel was not as suspenseful as it might have been. Part of this was due to an over-reliance on descriptions of how characters physically reacted to dangerous situations. Hearts pounded and pulses raced a whopping 40 times throughout the story. Breaths caught, or were held, or quickened at least another 30 times. Saliva dried or mouths tightened another 15. Brows snapped. Sweat popped or beaded or ran, etc., etc. Rather than constantly being “told” about those reactions, I’d have preferred to experience those feelings myself as a result of how the scene was written.

That aside, there’s much to recommend this novel, especially for those interested in wartime Berlin, life under the Nazi regime, and/or profilers of serial killers.

My thanks to NetGalley, author Karen Robards, and Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA for providing me with a complimentary ARC. All of the foregoing is my independent opinion.

I enjoyed reading this novel. It has all the genres that I like wrapped up into one book: historical fiction, police procedural of solving a murder, romantic suspense, and a fast-paced thriller. The characters were believable, and the fast pace swept you into the story right away. There are many twists, and I could not figure out the killer until he was revealed.

Some Murders in Berlin
by Karen Robards
Pub Date: June 25, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
From the first page, the author draws the reader into the dark, spectral landscape of 1943 Berlin with its rubble-torn buildings, underground tunnels, and the shifting nocturnal images which bend and sway with speckled pieces of light that play tricks on the eyes - and the psyche - and where the smell of death is ever-present and “sickly sweet, a nauseating perfume.”
Readers of mystery thrillers of all kinds will revel in this start-to-finish pressure cooker, including readers of procedural crime stories, such as those written by Michael Connelly. Even readers of certain non-fiction books, such as Schindler’s List, will likely be entranced by this story, which is clearly well-researched, for historical accuracy as well for details relevant to locale and culture.

I swear this book had it all. Crime thriller, historical fiction, romance elements. The beginning was slow and it wasn’t until around halfway that I started flying through it. Once I got in, though, it was one of the quickest reads. There were so many elements that added to the tense drama that I was just caught up in it and NEEDED to know how it ended. I do wish that the last chapter would have stretched out over two chapters. I just wanted more of Elin’s (Dr. Murder’s) story.

Synopsis:
There is a serial killer on the loose in Berlin in 1943, and Dr. Elin Lund and Detective Kurt Schneider must team up to solve the murders.
This book had historical fiction, mystery, thriller and romance all rolled into one. The premise of the book was incredibly interesting, and the book kept me engaged and guessing, trying to figure out who the killer could be. I enjoyed the writing, but at times it seemed to me that there were way too many plot points all going on at the same time. Overall, it was a pleasant and engaging read.

There is a serial killer operating in Berlin, but as it is late in WWII and Nazi Germany is struggling, the Nazi leadership is desperate to keep the murders a secret, afraid that news coverage will cause a panic and disrupt the war effort. A special team of investigators have been assembled to solve the murders. Professor Elin Lund, aka Dr. Murder, a Danish forensic psychiatrist, has been invited to assist them, in the hopes that her unique skill set, and unorthodox approach, will result in the discovery of the murderer's identity quicker. Elin is not particularly happy about being in Berlin because of bad memories from her last visit to the city, and because it means being apart from her son, Niles, who is half Jewish. The Nazis have taken over Denmark and have started their campaign of persecution of the Jewish population, as well as efforts to capture and kill members of the Danish Resistance. She was supposed to go to Berlin alone, but two of her friends and fellow professors have joined her as "team members" because one of them (Jens) is a member of the Danish Resistance and was recently wounded during an act of sabotage. Berlin is not the safest place to be but is certainly safer than Copenhagen for Jens and Pia. Their skill sets will turn out to be quite useful, but the fear of their discovery will also prove to be a distraction for Elin. Making the investigation even more difficult is conflict between Elin and Detective Schneider, the lead detective; the fact that Schneider has made enemies among some of his superiors; and the killer may be a police officer or otherwise have information about the investigation, making it hard to know who to trust. The story has plenty of twists and turns, and the plot references or utilizes various horrendous Nazi policies and practices. The author does a great job of keeping the killer's identity secret; the reader will likely not guess the killer before the author reveals him.

Some Murders in Berlin: A Crime Thriller by Karen Robards was an interesting, suspenseful, but somewhat predictable read. Elin Lund (AKA Dr. Murder) is a reknown psychologist who has helped solved several murders in her time. She is called from Denmark to Berlin to help solve a string of murders during WWII. It reminded me a bit of a Patricia Cornwell, Kay Scarpetta novel set during WWII. Other than the time period and Nazis, I felt like this is a story that could happen at any place and time and still hold one's attention. My only complaint is that by about 2/3 of the way through the novel that it is pretty obvious as to who the murderer is and then the ending also felt rather rushed. This was my first Karen Robards novel, but I would most likely read future novels by her in a similar genre.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC.

#SomeMurdersinBerlin #NetGalley