Karin Müller 2
My version: Paperback
Genre: Fiction, East Germany, Thriller
Publisher: Zaffre
First published: 2017
ISBN: 9781785760686
Pages: 416
Bought
How do you solve a murder when you can’t ask any questions? The gripping new thriller from the bestselling author of Stasi Child.
East Germany, 1975. Karin Müller, sidelined from the murder squad in Berlin, jumps at the chance to be sent south to Halle-Neustadt, where a pair of infant twins have gone missing.
But Müller soon finds her problems have followed her. Halle-Neustadt is a new town – the pride of the communist state – and she and her team are forbidden by the Stasi from publicising the disappearances, lest they tarnish the town’s flawless image.
Meanwhile, in the eerily nameless streets and tower blocks, a child snatcher lurks, and the clock is ticking to rescue the twins alive . . .
The evocation of the East German living conditions, the tower blocks, the streets the always looking over your shoulder because someone might have seen you do something you shouldn’t, is very well done. Obviously, I’ve got no experiences with which to compare its reality, but I’m thinking it must have been a lot like this.
It’s perhaps not as thrilling as the previous one, though that could just be because the newness has worn off, rather than anything lacking in the story itself. There were though a couple of times where I wondered if it really made sense. The Stasi worrying about having a water-tight case, for one. I admit my limited knowlege in this area, but surely they could hget the case before a judge who would know what verdict was required?
If anything, it’s too personal. Too much about Karin, at the expense of more depth in the plot. She’s an interesting character, and here she comes much more to the front, as it were, moving on from her messy break-up and all. But then, I’ve never been much of a one for babies, lost or otherwise, so it’s maybe just me. It won’t put me off getting hold of any more in the series, I’m presuming there are others, as otherwise all the spadework on Karin’s character here would be a bit of a waste.
You can buy Stasi Wolf from The Book Depository
Photo by Daniel von Appen on Unsplash
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