⭐️⭐️⭐️½ –
Nemesis, the fourth book in Patricia Wolf’s DS Lucas Walker series, delivers another high-stakes pursuit with emotional weight, but doesn’t quite reach the same atmospheric heights as the earlier instalments.

Lucas is on assignment with the AFP in Berlin, chasing down his longtime enemy Stefan Markovich—the drug kingpin who nearly had him killed. It's personal, and it's possibly Lucas’s last chance to bring him to justice. Meanwhile, Barbara is drawn into a chilling murder investigation at a lakeside colony, where victims suffer a slow, torturous death. As their cases collide, so do their unresolved feelings for each other, in a story that’s equal parts procedural and emotional reckoning.

I’ve loved this series since the beginning, so I was thrilled to receive an ARC—Nemesis is absolutely one I would’ve bought myself. We finally get a long-awaited reunion between Lucas and Barbara (since the end of Book 1!), but it didn’t quite deliver the closure I’d hoped for. There’s undeniable romantic longing—some of it breathtaking—but the “will they/won’t they” dynamic is still frustratingly unresolved.

One of my favourite aspects of the series has always been the vivid settings. That felt missing here. I struggled to visualise the lakeside colony, and the German setting as a whole lacked the immersive detail we saw in previous books. A bit of context around the German legal system (like formal accusations, the prosecutor’s role, etc.) would’ve helped deepen the narrative.

The Stasi angle was a fascinating touch—but only briefly explored—and I really wish it had been given more weight. A refresher on the Lucas/Markovich backstory would’ve been useful too. It’s been a while since Book 1, and the details felt a little fuzzy.

Also, things fell a bit too neatly into place: Markovich just happens to be in Berlin, just happens to be connected to Barbara’s case, and Lucas conveniently gets the green light to go investigate. That said, I’m always happy to read about Lucas—though I missed Ginger’s presence! I’m also intrigued to see where the new counterterrorism angle leads in future books.

📚 Thank you to Patricia Wolf, Embla Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

I was excited to read this fresh instalment of Patricia Wolf’s exquisitely written Lucas Walker series. I particularly like the social conscience that infuses her writing, her world-building and the overarching storyline of the series. In Nemesis, Lucas is in Berlin, once again trying to track down his nemesis, Markovich. Of course, this means a welcome reconnection with Barbara. We readers are following two cases as alongside Lucas's investigation, Barbara is investigating a spate of poisonings at a schrebergarten outside of Berlin. Patricia Wolf is fabulous with setting - her descriptions of Berlin's inner suburbs are vividly rendered. There’s so much romantic longing too. It takes your breath away at moments in the book. For all that Lucas and Barbara are risk takers in their professional lives, they find romantic courage more difficult .

I am so sad I have already finished this book and hope Patricia is writing another one.

Australian gang leader Stefan Markovich is still being followed by DS Lucas Walker. Now, undercover as a forger, Lucas has pursued him to Berlin where he hopes to finally arrest him.
Coincidentally, Detective Barbara Guerra lives and works in Berlin. Lucas and Barbara have been fighting a strong attraction to each other since they met in Australia when Lucas worked on a case that was personal to Barbara. The attraction is still there but both are immersed in police work. Lucas is trying to set up an appointment with Markovich while Barbara is handling a complicated case in a small lakeside colony outside Berlin. One deadly poisoning is quickly followed by another and Barbara is frustrated by the lack of support from her department. Their stories alternate until a near tragedy brings them together. Will distance will separate them again?

The sixth in a series by Patricia Wolf, Nemesis features strong characters, and a carefully constructed plot. Berlin provides a new, gritty location for the series and a chance for Barbara to show Lucas her hometown, so far away from his. The title Nemesis links both cases in a clever, understated way. I cant wait for the next in this series. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Embla Books and Patricia Wolf for this ARC.

I really enjoy this series.
Walker is a detective I'd put all my faith in if he crossed my path.
Good to have him back, out of Australia AND back with Barbara.
Some great fast paced action, especially towards the end, and crimes that anyone could have committed.
Very very enjoyable.
Hope we see more of these guys, soon.