The last crime novels I read set in Hamburg were Cay Rademacher's Inspector Stave books set in the devastation and deprivation of the immediate aftermath of Germany's defeat in WWII, so I was very interested to try Craig Russell's Jan Faber series, a modern era take on crime and punishment in the city. Interestingly, Russell is a Scot, author of the Lennox crime novels set in Glasgow, my home town. Both cities have a certain reputation and don't appear automatically in lists of places people want to visit.
I am intrigued by this novel's mix of gruesome serial murder, multinational crime syndicates, mythology, politics and history. It fits in, too, with my current preoccupation with Germany. I recently watched on Walter Presents from More4 "Nick's Law" featuring Til Shweiger as Nikolas Schiller, a Hamburg policeman who uses unorthodox methods against underworld criminal gangs in the city, a German Dirty Harry, part of German TVs long running "Tatort" series. So I have some familiarity going in to the Jan Fabel books, which helps with terminology and suchlike. Some common themes, too, I can see already.
I'm not far into the novel but it seems odd Fabel and his colleagues have never encountered the 'blood eagle' before their current murder investigation. Or does my familiarity with the concept derive from an unhealthy interest in serial killer fiction and historical novels featuring Vikings that's not widely shared?!
Jan Fabel is an interesting character, known as the English detective for his mixed Scottish (Craig Russell is making a dig here, one all Scots have a sensitivity to, and I speak as one) and German parentage. He has the usual broken marriage and guilt about how his job interferes with his personal life. He's good at it, though, the job that is. A clever and intuitive detective. I look forward to getting to know him better.
Finished the book today. Very much enjoyed it, though sensitive readers might find the violence and gore too much. The ending is abrupt and seems like a setup for the sequel. Or perhaps it's just ambiguous and open to readers' interpretation. There was one particular twist seemed so obvious to me it made Jan Fabel appear too slow for a supposed clever detective, especially since he's half Scottish! Anyway, the climax is tense and exciting, and I like how Russell brings his narrative threads together. It's much more than a typical serial killer novel, exploring right wing mythology and the way charismatic leaders can manipulate others to their will. A good start to a series I will definitely be continuing to read. Also, I really want to visit Hamburg now!