The third in the Schenke series of police procedurals is a worthy addition to the genre as it paints an accurate and evocative picture of wartime Berlin, the crime and corruption that was rife in such troubled times.

The characters continue to develop and are credible and well depicted. The writing is compelling and engaging and draws the writer in.

I still have withdrawal pangs for the incomparable Bernie Gunther but this is a pretty good substitute.

"A Death in Berlin" opens in May 1940, three months after the events of "Dead of Night".

Inspector Horst Schenke and his Kripo colleagues are investigating a forged food ration coupon ring.

One of their prime suspects is found dead in an alley and the criminal gangs close ranks to block the police.

Schenke is investigating the victim's colleagues and rivals in order to identify the culprits but many are protected by their political connections in the upper echelons of the Nazi Party.

Schenke finds himself threatened with the exposure of his secrets in order to make him turn a blind eye but his sense of honour makes this difficult to contemplate.

This series is shaping up to be one of Scarrow's best


I would like to thank Netgalley and Headline Publishing for the chance to read and review this book

This series gets darker and better all the time.

"A Death in Berlin" opens in May 1940, a mere three months after the events of "Dead of Night". Criminal Inspector Schenke and his colleagues in the Kripo are continuing their work, trying to keep the streets of Berlin safe. But the city is beset with criminals, both career criminals and self-serving Nazis. Gangs rule the underworld - organised, well-provisioned and protected by high-ranking Nazis, whom they blackmail or bribe. When the head of one gang is brutally murdered, Schenke and his men embark on a dangerous mission to track down the killers.

Quickly the reader is drawn into the dark and dangerous world of WW2 Berlin - not because of allied bombers, but from the people who are benefiting from the war - people who lie, and plot and kill to serve their own ambitions. Schenke refuses to bow to the Nazi Party, nor does he intend to give the gangs free rein in his city. He just want to do his job.

Readers of the previous books will relish meeting again the key players - Schenke, whose unwillingness to join the Nazi party or the SS, places him under suspicion; Sergeant Hauser, dogged and pragmatic, and Liebwitz, who despite being a Gestapo officer and lacking most social skills, is becoming a very likeable and interesting character. There's also a wonderful cast of gangsters, gangster's molls, and Berliners who are simply trying to survive. Plus there are several cameo appearances which are both chilling and thrilling.

As usual wartime Berlin forms the backdrop to the story - still decadent, full of those trying to carry on as normal. Threads from the earlier books are carried through, some to the end, in a satisfying course of events which see Shenke having to make choices that will stay with him forever. The book certainly examines the depths of depravity and evil WW2 took people to. And you wouldn't have to look far to see modern-day comparisons.

The climax of the book is worthy of the biggest and best film Hollywood ever produced. The Schenke books have been compared to the Bernie Gunther novels or the Gregor Rheinhart series , but "A Death in Berlin" surely shows this series has established its own credentials.

Thoroughly recommended for fans of Douglas Jackson, Luke McCallin and Chris Lloyd.