This is the second novel by Rory Clements featuring detective Seb Wolff and it is a corker with murder and intrigue at the highest levels of the Nazi party as they prepare to host the 1936 Winter Olympics.

Wolff is a good man who detests the Nazis and simply concentrates on doing what he does best - solve crimes which he does in a thorough and dedicated manner.

I enjoyed all the Tom Wilde books and this series definitely has legs as it was well plotted and historically very accurate.

Another wonderful author in Simon Scarrow is currently writing a series featuring a similar character - a conflicted policeman in Nazi Germany in Horst Schenke and these too are excellent books as they vie to replace the much missed Philip Kerr and his magnificent Bernie Gunther series of novels.

Like many others I miss the sardonic humour and cynicism of Bernie but this is an excellent book by Rory Clements and helps fill the gap.

An excellent piece of historical fiction. Atmospheric, detailed and gripping this has it all. Really looking forward to seeing it published and hope that it becomes a series!

Evil in High Place" by Rory Clements was a real surprise discovery for me, terrific historical thriller, plausible plot, set during the winter Olympics 1936 in Nazi Germany, with a very likeable protagonist, detective Stefan Wolff. He is called in to investigate the disappearance of a famous actress, Elena Lang who is rumored to have an affair with Goebbels. With the Nazi's firmly in place, his clash with officials is almost a certainty as Wolff's politics are not the same and his investigation is to be kept quiet.  

At times I was reminded of Volker Kutscher's superb novels, whose books are all set during the Nazi period in Germany. Very much enjoyed this captivating, atmospheric thriller, portraying  what it is like to live and to investigate in a totalitarian country. Thanks for the proof Penguin, out in August!

Evil In High Places is a highly recommended book. I didn't realise this was the second book in the Sebastian Wolff series. I have now put a hold on the first book on Libby, I hope the person in front me reads it fast! This book is set in Munich in 1936, Germany are holding the Summer Olympics. Hitler wants everything to appear perfect so all crime has to be hushed and investigated in secret. Elena Lang a famous actress has gone missing. Elena is the mistress of Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's right hand man. The search for the truth will take Sebastian to German High Society but also to its darkest corners.

Wolff and Winters both have their own struggles with the regime which I found very compelling. I liked that this book contained some real life people, such as Unity Mitford, Rudolph Hoss, Heinrich Deubel and the British Olympic skier Peter Lunn.

I really loved this book, it is a pacy, exciting and dark thriller. I honestly did not want it to end. I cannot wait to see what Wolff (who I have a book crush on) Winters, Hexi and Jürgen get up to next. But while I wait I am off to read all of Rory Clements previous books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin General UK for the opportunity to read this phenomenal book.

Elegant prose and lightly-worn research combine to deliver an engaging, informative and enjoyable read. Couched in a crime- solving format, well drawn characters sustain the narrative around the higher echelons of German society as it teeters on the brink of war.

When I read Munich Wolf I thought it was a standalone, sitting well alongside his Tom Wilde historical thrillers.

Image my delight hearing about Rory Clements’ latest novel which is in fact Detective Sebastian Wolff’s second outing.

We haven’t strayed from Munich. Bavarian is the seat of power for Adolf Hitler and the National Socialists. Germany is greedy for sporting heroes in the Third Reich. Even before the Berlin Olympics they were hosting the Winter Games too in that same year. Like many authoritarian States they tried to clean up their act as they welcomed their guests and fell under the spotlight of the international media.

Part of that operation involved surprising negative stories so imagine the lot of poor Wolff charged with investigating the murder of a SS officer close to and just before the Opening Ceremony. The press must not get wind of it.

The murder investigation, doomed to fail, gets more complicated. The intrepid detective finds difficulties establishing motive and interviewing persons of interest. Matters are made more difficult still when a world famous actress disappears. All is not well in the State of Bavarian.

A quite brilliant book.
Another terrific work of historical fiction based within a real environment of tension and the growth of fear within Nazi Germany.
Character driven, but at the heart of the book is the dilemma of a police officer trying to do his duty, loving his country but not political and very troubled by the corruption and power enacted by Hitler’s enforcers and the Gestapo.
We often read and watch accounts of life under occupation during the war years but this is set in 1936 within the borders of Germany. It paints a very different picture of the path to war and how the population succumbed and fell into line. How far does that make them culpable?

For you see the futility of resistance; the fear of the people to not draw attention to themselves and comply to survive. Opposition is suppressed and interned. The Jews face discrimination, loss of work and possessions and sent to camps.

This is an important historical time with modern similarities today.
The book speaks of the struggle for justice where normal law and order has broken down. The writing is deep and far-reaching about the issues of appeasement, turning the other way. Societal fear, a loss of democracy and the dangers of compliance. Interestingly bravery is displayed within these pages and compassion and brutality co-exist in some. It is moving, reflective and asks questions of you - what would you do to survive? This is a high action thriller reflecting life in Dachau, fear in public office and the pressures on family life.

It left me breathless at times; this isn’t a fair contest. We yearn for the detective to solve his case; we recognise is shortcomings and poor hand. While there is more good than pragmatism in Seb Wolff, there is evil in high places.

This was my first dive into the world of Detective Wolff. Set in pre-World War II Germany, the story captures a time of high tension, especially for those who oppose the Third Reich. It's 1936, and all eyes are on Munich as the Winter Olympics approach. When a famous actress vanishes, Wolff is ordered to find her quickly. But Elena Lang is no ordinary woman—she's the mistress of Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's right-hand man, whom Wolff loathes. Corruption runs rampant in Munich, and Elena is only the first to disappear. As Wolff's investigation takes him from the heights of society to its darkest depths, he learns how easily the hunter can become the hunted in a city on the brink of war, where some enemies are best left untouched.

This gripping thriller is full of tension and keeps readers hooked. Wolff is a relatable and compelling protagonist, and I found myself rooting for him as he faced the evil threatening to derail him. There is also a link to real life individuals which fascinated me. Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I can’t recommend Evil in High Places by Rory Clements highly enough. It’s a tremendous thriller set during the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria. Hitler has decreed that the Winter Olympics have to be a huge success and not marred by any bad news or scandals.

To that end, Detective Sebastian Wolff and Sergeant Hans Winter have to investigate crimes strictly under the radar so as not to detract attention away from the Olympic Games. Wolf and Winter begin by investigating the disappearance of a famous actress, Elana Lang, who just happened to be Joseph Goebbel’s mistress. The stakes are really high and Wolff and Winter are investigating in a time where the Nazi Party is exercising fear and intimidation over its citizens.

I loved this book. It’s a pacy thriller and I found the historical backdrop fascinating. Prior to reading the book, I was aware of the 1936 Summer Olympics and how Hitler and politicised them. I did not realise that earlier in the year there were Winter Olympic Games in Germany as well.

Wolff and Winter have their own different struggles with the Nazi regime which I found utterly compelling. I also really liked that there were real-life people woven into the book including the infamous Unity Mitford, Joseph Goebbels and the British Olympic skier and British Team Captain Peter Lunn who refused to attend the Opening Ceremony in protest of the regime.

I really can’t wait to read the next instalment of the Wolff and Winter books.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Penguin General UK, for making this e-ARC available to me to read in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Another adventure for Sebastian Wolff, now Captain of detectives in Munich It's 1936 and the Winter Olympics are about to open. Seb is ordered to find an actress who has gone missing and to keep it quiet since she is a mistress of Goebbels, the propaganda minister. On top of this an SS officer is found shot dead in a forest and again Seb must keep it quiet to avoid distracting the world's attention from how how brilliantly the Nazis are running Germany and the Olympics. Clearly there are powerful people involved whose toes Seb should avoid stepping on, but you guess he's going to step on the anyway. Rory Clements is brilliant at evoking the feeling of the times and weaving it into an exciting thriller detective story.
First class read.

Evil in High Places is another cracker in Rory Clements’ Sebastian Wolff series. Set against the backdrop of 1936 Munich, just before the Winter Olympics, this darkly atmospheric historical crime novel delivers a twisting dark murder mystery.

Clements brings pre-war Munich to life, from the icy grandeur of high society to the shadowy underbelly of a city teetering on the edge of chaos. Detective Seb Wolff, ever the reluctant hero, is once again drawn into a case laced with danger, corruption, and political intrigue. When a glamorous film star—who also happens to be Goebbels’ mistress—vanishes, the stakes skyrocket. What begins as a straightforward disappearance quickly spirals into something far more sinister.

Wolff is a compelling protagonist: principled yet conflicted, and never one to back down from the truth, no matter how perilous. The villains are powerful, the threats all too real, and the sense of encroaching doom is palpable throughout. Clements keeps the tension high with just enough misdirection to keep you guessing, but without ever relying on cheap twists or last-minute reveals.

With a perfect blend of historical detail, espionage, and intelligent plotting, Evil in High Places is an utterly engrossing read. Fans of historical thrillers will devour this one—and newcomers to the series will be hooked.

I really enjoyed this novel set in Bavaria in 1936. The main protagonist, Sebastian Wolff, is a murder detective investigating the mysterious disappearance of a glamorous film star but there’s also the case of a murdered SS officer. All this has to be hushed up as the Winter Olympics are starting and the Nazis don’t want anything bad to spoil it.
Wolff is a great character and he’s assisted by his sergeant, Winter, who goes undercover in Dachau concentration camp. The scenes there were some of the most gruelling in the book and the author brilliantly conveys the horror of these camps, particularly the treatment of Jewish prisoners.
It’s a gripping read with lots of excitement and action but also a thoughtful main character who has no time for the Nazis.
Thanks to Viking Penguin and Netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

5*

Thoroughly enjoyed this Nazi era thriller. I had not read the first in this series and was slightly hesitant to begin with this in mind, however, the story and the characters and the setting pulled me in and I was gripped from first page to last. I will be going back to the first one after this

Highly recommend.

Second book featuring Munich head of detectives Seb Wolff. Set against the backdrop of the 1936 Winter Olympics, it sees Wolff try a difficult balancing act investigating two murders with the SS taking a keen interest. Full of atmosphere and intrigue, Rory Clements is onto another top notch series.
An author at the top of his game and this ranks as one of his best novels to date.