In 1920s Munich, Faye Kellerman’s backdrop for this murder mystery is a war-torn city steeped in political unrest. As a barbaric butcher stalks the city, hate-mongers abound, ready to point fingers at any suspect in order to solve the crime and settle the unrest.
But Axel Berg is persistent in attempting to solve the crimes, and not just to close his case; he relentlessly pursues this goal, despite the obstacles he encounters along the way. Beautiful women are murdered and dumped in close proximity to one another, artfully arranged, suggesting psychological issues of childhood trauma. The closer Berg comes to identifying a possible suspect, another one crops up. As he draws closer to finding the ties that link the suspects to one another, he sets himself up as a target for the madman.
Kellerman’s clues kept me guessing all the way through, and I enjoyed the way she sprinkled them on the pathway to finding out the madman’s identity at the very end.
The beginning was a bit slow and I didn’t completely connect to the story for awhile, but once I did, I couldn’t put Straight into Darkness down. Kellerman’s skill swept me along to a startling finish. Four stars.
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Sounds very intriguing. Murder-mysteries along this vein seem to be popular the last few years and yet I have checked none of them out. Perhaps, Berlin will suffice for an adequate backdrop for my interest. 🙂 Thanks for the review!
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Thanks for visiting and commenting, Kimberly. I had this book before my son moved to Berlin (and of course modern-day Berlin is quite different!), but the fact of his presence there added to my interest in the book.
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I’m not a big fan of slow beginnings…of course, who is?…but this does sound like an interesting read. I’m glad the “madman” isn’t easy to figure out. I like mysteries that keep you hanging and guessing!!
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Thanks for stopping by, Shooting Stars…I agree!
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