A deal with the devil
Gripping, immersive, suffocating: The hunt for a murderer in the war-torn Berlin of 1944… In the bombed-out capital of the Reich, a serial killer is preying on women and laying the mutilated corpses in front of war memorials. All of the victims had a connection to the Nazi party. But according to one witness’s account, the perpetrator is not an opponent of the regime, but rather a loyal Nazi. The Jewish detective Richard Oppenheimer, once a successful investigator for the Berlin police, is reactivated by the Gestapo. Oppenheimer is not just concerned with helping others survive, but also very much with his own survival. And very possibly, solving this case is what would put him in the most jeopardy. He feverishly searches for a way out of this dangerous game.
"[A] stellar debut...Gilbers makes Oppenheimer’s fears, and the moral compromises he makes, palpable. Philip Kerr fans will want to check this out." -Publishers Weekly (starred)
"Atmosphere is the real draw here, and the novel splendidly evokes Berlin in ruins and the fall of the Nazis...the tantalizingly open-ended finale suggests that Oppenheimer will have more opportunity to grow in later volumes." -Booklist
"Harald Gilbers has written a spellbinding thriller, not only because of the frightening crimes that the killer commits but also because of his recreation of Berlin in 1944." -Marilyn's Mystery Reads
"Germania . . . should stand as a telling warning about where the politics of hatred can lead . . . the book is both gripping and disturbing."- Reviewing the Evidence
"In Germania by Harald Gilbers bombed out Berlin plays a major part, setting up events and landscapes which make it difficult for former Inspector Richard Oppenheimer, but more interesting to the readers." -Man of la Book
"Gripping . . . a detective mystery with an unusual premise told by a talented storyteller." -Starting Fresh NYC
