A dark story of a man's search for the truth.

"The Fifteenth Man" opens in west Berlin, in 1990. The Wall has fallen and the reunification of Germany is starting to become a reality. Freelance reporter, Michael Braun is surviving on stories about former Nazis still being brought to justice. When an editor, an old-time friend, asks him to investigate the possible sighting of Heinrich Müller, head of the Gestapo in 1945, and key architect of Hitler's Final Solution, he grudgingly accepts what appears to be a simple job. The money is good, and a simple job suits his lazy attitude to life.

But as the story develops, Braun is dragged into a complex situation of stolen identities, forbidden relationships and hidden agendas. From the days of WW2 to the height of the Cold War, there are people who will stop at nothing to prevent Müller's story being made public. Soon Braun is racing to confront people he doesn't even know, in order to save his own life. Along the way he reflects on what might have been, and who was to blame.

This is a fast-moving story, told by a fairly unlikeable man. Bitter, lazy, and not-too-smart, Braun is the perfect Noir anti-hero. In fact, the entire book plays out like a Bogart-esque thriller - chases on the U-Bahn, mysterious men in the shadows, honeytraps, and clandestine meetings all play out against the backdrop of post-war Germany. East Berlin is particularly well drawn - the stark reality of a society suddenly exposed to the technicolour West is a delight. For those familiar with Berlin, there's plenty of name-dropping in terms of streets and places - you might even be tempted to pick up a street map!

In the author's afterword, he explains that the story, although fiction, grew out of his interest in his German grandfather, and his life after the war. It adds poignancy to a wonderful story, well told.

Highly recommended.

A pacy and enjoyable read. It oozes mystery and intrigue of life after the fall of communism, the removal of the Berlin Wall and the eventual reunification of Germany. There must have been many who escaped justice and fled the country after
the 2nd World War and this book tells us about 2 newspaper reporters trying to track down a major Nazi from that time who was hiding in plain sight.
I couldn’t put this book down as it just intrigued me and I loved the ending! I thought that was really a clever turn on things.

In Berlin in 1990, Journalist Michael Braun is approached by a newspaper with a possible lead for a story. Braun is known for rooting out former Nazis and has done so on many occasions. This howwver is something different. The Wannsee conference where the final solution was planned, conisted of fifteen men, fourteen of them have been accounted for since the end of the war, but it is not known where the fifteenth, Heinrich Muller, is. Braus is given information to suggest he took on the identity of a Jew and has been living in plain sight ever since. He sets out to find him.

This is a great read. I love fiction that connects to WW2 and to the Cold War. This does both. It's very readable, written in a journalistic rather that a literary style. It's gripping throughout as Braun tries to find Muller and there are several unexpected twists, Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. Highly recommended.

I was intrigued and interested to read this 1990s novel. As a fan of Robert Harris I was not disapointed.

The Berlin wall fell on the 9th November 1989 and I remember watching the news at the time. The story is set just after the fall of the wall. and Michael Braun a freelance English journalist. He has been writing about hunting down Nazis who are now older and turning them in for the terrible war crimes they comitted. An editor asks Braun to investigate the Head of the Gestapo- Heinrich Muller. This man is still alive and shockingly working at a Jewish Organisation!!

The hunt is on for Braun to find him and as the hunt intensifires Braun learns that there is more than just him looking and some of the people searching have a great deal to loose if Heinrich is uncovered.

The plot is fast paced and interesting in a time of post war and post Berlin wall fall.

Recommended read and due for publication October 1st 2026 - so will make a good Christmas present for someone.