Murder in Berlin

The Blind Detective #4

by A.C. Koning, Christina Koning

First published as Out of Shot under A. C. Koning. Berlin, 1933. The Nazi regime is gaining devastating power as Hitler is appointed Chancellor and stark oppression begins to unfold in Germany, blind war veteran Frederick Rowlands takes on the most challenging investigation of his life . A glamorous film star has been murdered and the menacing political undercurrents drag Rowlands into the heart of the German film industry. Rowlands discovers that he is closer to the action than he originally thought as his young nephew, Billy, was the last one to see the movie star alive. As the violence in Berlin escalates, Rowlands must race to find Billy before someone else does. Someone desperate to conceal the identity of the killer.

350 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 22, 2023

Reviews

[Jordyn Roesler | Sorry, Booked Solid · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very classic-feeling detective murder mystery, with the added bonus of being set in Berlin (a place I have recently visited) and following a blind investigator (not something you read about every day in the mystery/thriller genre!) I enjoyed the humor that was included related to the investigator’s blindness, and also how it included some aspects of advantage that his blindness brought in solving the mystery. The mystery itself was nothing special, but it was easy enough to follow and satisfying enough in its conclusion. I probably won’t seek out more books in this series UNLESS I continue to travel to the locations the books are set 😊

Featured in this reading vlog: https://youtu.be/Ve3zEdHhz0U?si=b6v5n...

[Zala · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very good story, though it did drag a bit in places till about 2/3 into the book, with a very pleasant ending. One thing that bothered me though is that the protagonist isn’t blind in much else other than people mentioning it. I get that he’s self-sufficient, props to the author for portraying him like that. But it goes far beyond realism when he can navigate on his own, in a foreign city, through crowds and complicated maizes, after only having walked the way once with a companion. He is also able to run and follow barely perceptible clews, and the only adjusted object he uses is a Braille watch. All that with only light and dark perception, and only a few years of getting used to his visual impairment? Please. I speak from experience, that’s basically science fiction. He says at one point, “Being blind meant one was effectively at the mercy of other people.” But that’s not really ever shown. And I’m not saying we need useless incapable blind characters, far from that. But marginalising their impairments isn’t good for anyone either. Blind people can be very self-efficient and more than capable of most things, but portray that accurately, please.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent book in the 'Blind Detective' series, the 4th I've read of the 8. I haven't read them in order, which isn't at all necessary in the case of this particular title, no prior knowledge at all is needed. I could very much picture it as a film. It is set against the glamorous backdrop of the film industry. Although this book opens on the day after Hitler comes to power. Lots of twists and turns.