Product Description

In 1920s Munich, the body of Anna Gross, a young society wife, has been found in the English Gardens, still clothed in finery. Soon a second body is discovered, also a woman of high society. When a third body is found, homicide detective Axel Berg realizes he’s dealing with unprecedented evil. Is the murderer politically motivated? Is he a lone madman? Or worse, is the killer possessed by both political and personal demons? Detective Berg soon finds himself entangled in a web of dangerous intrigue, surrounded by potential enemies. As Munich slips further into turmoil, overrun by political factions and the rise of Hitler, a dedicated policeman can never know who to trust--and one simple mistake could be deadly.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #880852 in Books
• Published on: 2005-08-22
• Format: Bargain Price
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 432 pages

From Booklist
Kellerman, perhaps best known for her Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus novels, takes a hiatus from things contemporary in this ambitious historical mystery, in which politics, prejudice, and revenge form the backdrop for murder. The time is 1929, the place is Munich, and Hitler and his thugs and sycophants are gathering momentum for the horrors to come. Kommunisten, Social Democrats, gays, and, especially, Jews are the targets of Brown Shirts, who are increasing in number and viciousness. Even Munich's Homicide Unit has its Nazi sympathizers. Inspektor Axel Berg, however, isn't one of them. He hopes to steer clear of politics, especially on the job. But when the murders of three women and a young child spawn rumors of a serial killer, the pressure to find a scapegoat (the Jewish husband of one of the victims will do as a start) intensifies, and Berg finds himself fighting not only for fairness for the accused but also for his own career. This is a complicated novel, and its mystery occasionally flounders under the weighty political backdrop. But suspense gradually mounts, and the ironic ending is worth the wait. As for Berg, he is one of Kellerman's richest creations--an intriguing protagonist, flawed yet compassionate and heroic, forced to confront enormous odds in brutal times. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
FAYE KELLERMAN is the author of the bestselling Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus novels, as well as a thriller, Moon Music, and a historical novel, The Quality of Mercy. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Jonathan Kellerman, and their children.

From AudioFile
Faye Kellerman has penned her most powerful and literary novel, one that translates beautifully into audio, with Paul Michael at the microphone. A darker story than Kellerman's Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus books, this title is a historical murder mystery set in Germany during the rise of the Nazi Party. The book is replete with well-defined characters, in particular Homicide Inspector Axel Berg, who is a complex and tortured protagonist. Not only must Berg solve a series of brutal murders, he must also deal with the political and personal realities confronting him as Hitler rises to power. As in THE DA VINCI CODE, Michael handles the foreign characters and voices deftly and with ease, while adding depth to Kellerman's intricate and gripping plot. D.J.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

Complex serial murder mystery set in political turmoil of 1920's Munich.
First, if you're expecting the typical relatively soft mystery plot of Faye's regulars, Rina Lazarus and Peter Decker, they're not here!! This unusual novel features a troubling string of serial killings set in Munich Germany during the historical period in between the world wars (1920's). In addition to the unrest created by the murders, the political scene is one of total upheaval as Hitler's rise to power is well underway. Already Jews, homosexuals, Communists, and just about any other non-Aryan groups are under attack - both in word and deed. Moreover, political influence and corruption run amok at high levels of the police force and government. Despite all this, the protagonist, homicide inspector Axel Berg, uses all his mental prowess and persistence to close in on the killer; and at book's end, not only is the perpetrator totally unexpected, but so is Axel's outcome given his brilliant solution of the crimes.

While Kellerman is known for illuminating the orthodox practices of Judaism in her stories, this one focuses more on the grossly anti-Semitic climate of that period, obviously a precursor to the eventual holocaust of the ensuing decade. Details about the city and the events of that era reveal quite extensive research and travels, reflected early on in the author's acknowledgments. Our take was that while the story was darker than usual for this writer, the inherit suspense kept us reading rapidly, seeking the culmination of events and "whodunit". So while "Darkness" is indeed quite a departure from the norm for our likable author, we feel sure Kellerman fans will enjoy this outing, and that this her new novel will enjoy considerable success!

Oy Vey!
I have enjoyed all of Faye Kellerman's books in the past, but she is way off the mark here. Her characters are undeveloped and seem like cardboard cut-outs, rather than real people. Her treatment of 1929 Munich is trite and also comic bookish, with Hitler showing up all over the place very unplausibly. The plot consists of an unending stream of McGuffins, as Berg thinks this one did it, then that one did it. These red herrings are so poorly done and so continual that they become unbelieveable.

Better wait for the next Decker book, regardless of whether father or daughter.

Kellerman goes historical
Faye Kellerman has written some pretty decent mystery novels with her series about Peter and Rina Decker. Both characters are Orthodox Jews (as, I believe, is Kellerman) and the stories often deal with the conflicts between leading a good religious life and at the same time being able to cope with the demands of being involved with police work. With Straight Into Darkness, Kellerman takes a break from the Deckers to tell a tale of a dark period in both Jewish and world history, the rise of Hitler.

The novel follows Axel Berg, a homicide detective in 1929 Munich. It is a time and place where Hitler is not yet officially in power, but he is definitely a figure of note with a popular following through intimidation and hate speech. Berg loathes Hitler, but is more concerned with the death of Anna Gross. Her murder does not appear to be the standard act-of-passion sort, but instead something graver. Berg is pressured into getting immediate results, and Anna's Jewish husband Anton winds up being the scapegoat.

The killings continue and the Nazis (including Hitler himself) use the incidents to their own advantage, creating greater anti-Semitism and promoting violent riots. Berg has his leads, but in a pre-computer era, following up on these clues is slow and difficult. Furthermore, his boss Volker is pushing him to arrest someone, even another innocent like Anton.

As a mystery, this story is okay, but nothing special. What pushes this up from three to four star quality is the characterization and atmosphere. I won't say the characters are perfectly defined, but they are more complex than what Kellerman typically offers. Peter Decker may have his faults, but he is clearly a hero; Axel Berg is more complex and less heroic. The environment of 1929 Munich is well-described (is it historically accurate? I'm not positive, but it's probably close); furthermore, it is a setting and period that I rarely see depicted in fiction; most novels about Nazis seem to take place later, typically around WWII. Straight Into Darkness is not a perfect novel, but it is a worthy effort by Kellerman and a good fictional depiction of the rise of Nazism.