- Paperback: 432 pages
- Publisher: Atlantic Books; New edition edition (July 13 2006)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1843543249
- ISBN-13: 978-1843543244
- Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.8 x 3.6 cm
- Shipping Weight: 399 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,614,767 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
"Berlin is: 'Startling and convincing... One of the best novels I've ever read set in this era' John Lawton, author of Black Out. 'Pierre Frei's Berlin is hugely absorbing, entertaining and, at times, moving read and should appeal to fans of Harris, Deighton and Le Carre, amongst others.' Tom Bradby 'An ambitious novel, filled with brilliantly drawn characters, mesmerisingly readable and disturbingly convincing.' Susanna Yager, Sunday Telegraph 'In the end it is Berlin itself, the city and its inhabitants, meticulously observed and depicted, that emerges as the true star of the story, flawed, cruel, seductively engaging and all too human. This is its best evocation since Len Deighton's Winter.' Peter Millar, The Times"
Product Description
This work talks about occupied Berlin, 1945, American Sector. Young Ben inadvertently uncovers the body of a beautiful young woman trapped under a subway station: she has been sexually abused and strangled with a chain. In the scramble to identify the body, the victim is mistaken for an American and a local investigation becomes a matter for the US Military police. In this devastated city the US detective on the case, John Ashburner, and the local German policeman, Klaus Dietrich realise quickly that to solve this apparently motiveless murder they will have to work together. When the bodies of other young women are discovered it becomes clear that this is no isolated act of violence. Daring, atmospheric and taut, Pierre Frei has fashioned a gripping whodunit from the wreckage of Berlin. There is a powerful pulse buried deep in the rubble.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Stirring Tale with Some Small Inconsistencies,
By Ian Gordon Malcomson (Victoria, BC) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME) (TOP 10 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Berlin (Paperback)
This novel, as a murder mystery, has all the marks of a rattling-good page-turner of a story from start to finish. The setting is the city of Berlin as it goes through a period of terrible political upheaval and social convulsion in the latter part of World War II. As one of Europe's most celebrated cities in modern times, Berlin and its citizenry are moving through a dangerous and dark time when nobody is safe. The Third Reich and Hitlerism is collapsing and the war has come home to roost in so many awful ways: food shortages, aerial bombing, looting, and most disturbing of all, a serial killer is on the loose. Young German women are disappearing only to be found brutally strangled and dismembered by a unknown psychopath who leaves very few clues behind him. These are the people who are seeking the lure of the new and easy life that has come with the arrival of the conquering American army as it moves to take over and restore order to a broken society. Each one of the victims have overcome so much and come so far in their efforts to put their wretched pasts behind them only to be snuffed out by a killer who has come between them and their dreams. Into the midst of this growing scene of despair and fear steps forward two men who represent the law and order of the traditional and the future: on one hand is Karl Dietrich, an old police detective, who doesn't like the thought of his beloved city being terrorized by a murderer taking advantage of the times to do his evil work; on the other is John Ashburner, an idealistic young American officer who is engaged to a German woman (Jutte) and committed to a sense of justice. The novel takes the reader through each of the victim's personal stories leading up to their deaths. Since it is an unofficially quiet investigation that seems to take a back seat to the bigger drama of the times, these two men collaborate to find a common unifying thread that will lead them to the killer. Be prepared for some surprises along the way as they search for that elusive identity. To that end, Frei does take several liberties to heighten the growing East-West tension. Otherwise, a well-written thriller.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Shockingly good.,
By
This review is from: Berlin: A Novel (Paperback)
I love a great detective story, and this is one. But what separates this story from most novels is the emphasis Frei places on the CRIME VICTIMS.Four or five blonde women are found murdered in post-war Berlin. A spree-killer is on the loose. The novel centers on the German policeman (and his family) and an American policeman, stationed in the occupied city, who team up to find the killer. But, not neglected are the women who were murdered. All were "fleshed out". All the women had played a role, some large and some small, in anti-Nazi activities during the war. All were on the verge of life-changing events that were cut still by the murderer's chain. Along with the crime story is an often-humorous story of the German policeman's 15 year old son, playing the angles to try to buy a well-cut suit that will win him the heart - and body - of a hot-to-trot girl. (The tailor's daughter). As the author's note says that author Frei was born in 1930, I wonder if this part was "his" story. This is a very good book.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
3.5 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews) 49 of 51 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not Furst, Not Kerr, Not Downing, Not Good,
By J. Ashford - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Berlin (Paperback)
The writing is not very good. Perhaps that is the fault of the translation. The plot interests somewhat, but the author commits gaffes of fact that make the historical context unbelievable. One example: on 19 April,1945 a young woman books passage on a Lufthansa flight from Lisbon to Berlin! Even assuming that Lufthansa (or any other private airline) was in fact in regular international service during the last month of the war in Europe, the skies between Lisbon and Berlin were rather unfriendly then, filled with American and British fighter planes that roamed at will shooting up anything that moved on the ground or in the air. Particularly in the air and particularly airplanes with swastika insignia. The author attempts credulity by having the airliner attacked but once, by a British Mosquito fighter bomber, which the airline pilot skillfully eludes by flying at tree top level. In truth, even the worst Mosquito pilot, flying an aircraft that could outpace any civilian passenger plane then in existence, would have made mincemeat of the Lufthansa. In another passage, Red Army troops show up (in 1945) wielding "Kalashnikovs," an automatic weapon not invented until 1947. One could go on and on. Historical fiction has to be historical, to begin with, and this one doesn't even come close. Wait for the next Furst.
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Atmospherically rich thriller,
By I. Peters - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Berlin (Paperback)
This thriller is set in post-WW II Berlin and is full of rich atmospherical detail that transports the reader right into the middle of what life was like back then. The delicate balance between the German population and the allies, the difficulties of everyday life and its scarcities, the detailed and accurate descriptions of the neighborhood where the murders take place - all that helps to create the background for an intriguing thriller that takes a slightly different approach to its genre than most:Instead of solely focussing on solving the murders of several women, the author also gives us the detailed life stories of the victims which makes for a much more involved reading experience. By the time a woman gets murdered by the unknown perpetrator, the reader knows her and has developed an emotional bond with her. Thus making her murder that much more painful. The reader inevitably develops a much greater interest in finding out who the perp is than if the emphasis were simply on the Whodunit. Besides nail-biting suspense I have also loved learning so much about this era of German history and how people coped with daily life back then. I tremendously enjoyed the read - no wonder this thriller was such a bestseller in Germany. 12 of 16 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Shockingly good!,
By Jill Meyer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Berlin (Paperback)
I love a great detective story, and this is one. But what separates this story from most novels is the emphasis Frei places on the CRIME VICTIMS.Four or five blonde women are found murdered in post-war Berlin. A spree-killer is on the loose. The novel centers on the German policeman (and his family) and an American policeman, stationed in the occupied city, who team up to find the killer. But, not neglected are the women who were murdered. All were "fleshed out". All the women had played a role, some large and some small, in anti-Nazi activities during the war. All were on the verge of life-changing events that were cut still by the murderer's chain. Along with the crime story is an often-humorous story of the German policeman's 15 year old son, playing the angles to try to buy a well-cut suit that will win him the heart - and body - of a hot-to-trot girl. (The tailor's daughter). As the author's note says that author Frei was born in 1930, I wonder if this part was "his" story. This is a very good book. |
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