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Ruin Value: A Mystery of the Third Reich
In 1945 Nuremberg, an American intelligence officer tracks a “Powerful . . . Fans of WWII mystery fiction should consider this one mandatory reading” ( Booklist ).
Nuremberg is a dead city. In the aftermath of World War II, two-thirds of its population has fled or is deceased, with thirty thousand bodies turning the ruined industrial center into a massive open grave. Here, the vilest war criminals in history will be tried. But in Nuremberg’s dark streets and back alleys, chaos rules.
Captain Nathan Morgan is one of those charged with bringing order to the home of the war crime trials. A New York homicide detective who spent the war in Army intelligence, he was born to be a spy—and now, in 1945, there is no finer place for his trade than Nuremberg. As the US grapples with the Soviets for postwar supremacy, a serial murderer targets the occupying forces. Nathan Morgan may be the perfect spy, but it’s time for him to turn cop once more.
Nuremberg is a dead city. In the aftermath of World War II, two-thirds of its population has fled or is deceased, with thirty thousand bodies turning the ruined industrial center into a massive open grave. Here, the vilest war criminals in history will be tried. But in Nuremberg’s dark streets and back alleys, chaos rules.
Captain Nathan Morgan is one of those charged with bringing order to the home of the war crime trials. A New York homicide detective who spent the war in Army intelligence, he was born to be a spy—and now, in 1945, there is no finer place for his trade than Nuremberg. As the US grapples with the Soviets for postwar supremacy, a serial murderer targets the occupying forces. Nathan Morgan may be the perfect spy, but it’s time for him to turn cop once more.
302 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
13 people are currently reading
506 people want to read
About the author
J. Sydney Jones
36 books65 followersJ. Sydney Jones is the author of twenty books, including the six installments of the critically acclaimed Viennese Mystery series, as well as stand-alone mysteries and thrillers, including TIME OF THE WOLF, THE GERMAN AGENT, RUIN VALUE, BASIC LAW, THE EDIT, THE CRY OF CICADAS, and others. His books have been translated into eight languages.
A long-time resident of Vienna, he has also lived and worked in Florence, Paris, Molyvos, and Donegal. Jones currently lives on the central coast of California.
Visit the author at his homepage and at his blog, Scene of the Crime.
A long-time resident of Vienna, he has also lived and worked in Florence, Paris, Molyvos, and Donegal. Jones currently lives on the central coast of California.
Visit the author at his homepage and at his blog, Scene of the Crime.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
October 1, 2013
Nuremberg, 1945. The trials of World War II German leaders are about to begin and the city, what's left of it, is on edge. There is "a complete absence of social controls -- a lack of records to track known criminals. . . . It's a cop's nightmare."
Which is why those in charge of security for the city and the trials grow uneasy when there is a series of particularly bloody murders of a Russian, then an American, a Frenchman, a Pole. Who is doing this? Someone with a personal connection to the victims? Feuding black market entrepreneurs? Terrorist Werewolf brigades, former Hitler Youth, guerrillas who roam the country killing those they perceive as traitors to Germany.
Enter Nate Morgan, born Nathan Morgenstern. Morgan has been in Switzerland during the war working for US military intelligence. Now William Donovan and his OSS have been abruptly dismissed by President Truman. But while spying against the Germans may no longer be necessary, the more prescient in the intelligence community know that "the Soviets make better friends during times of war than times of peace." And so Morgan is assigned to interview Germans imprisoned in the Palace of Justice and to identify potential spies and informants for the US.
Before the war Morgan was a highly-regarded police detective in New York City with degrees from Harvard and Harvard Law School. The American head of security for the trials is Colonel Geoffrey Adams, a man with a post-war agenda. He needs a man to solve the crimes, or, alternatively, to take the blame when the murderer is not caught. Donovan recommends Morgan, who goes to work with the understanding that Adams will support him. (He does not.)
Morgan puts together a team. He recruits one of the German prisoners he has interviewed, the cynical Werner Beck. Beck was a Nuremberg police inspector who is still sore from having failed to solve the notorious Slasher murders, which occurred just before the war. He, too, is well educated having studied philosophy at Heidelberg and criminology in London. In the Allied bombing of the city in the past January and February his wife and daughter were killed. He had an English nurse and his English has a South Counties Colonel Blimp accent.
This exposition is beautifully done. The setting of the bombed out city, "a stage set for Gotterdammerung," evokes the desperation and despair of its inhabitants. Jones introduces his major characters skillfully. He has created one of the more inspired cop duos I've seen. Morgan and Beck are former enemies, now colleagues, soon, perhaps, to be friends. They must find this multiple murderer -- the term serial killer has not yet been coined -- and they must keep these ghastly crimes under cover lest they detract attention from the Nuremberg Trials.
The detectives do have some clues to work with: the victim's throat is slashed by someone standing directly in front of him, face to face. A scalpel is used. A page from a novel on which words are underlined is clutched in the murdered man's hand. And the locations where the bodies are found may be significant. Most important, the murders occur on schedule, every third day.
Jones has created a cast of well-defined characters: - Kate Wallace, an American reporter, who discovers that the murders are being kept from the press. She is determined to cozy up to Morgan to get the details.
- Rollo, a German snitch who knows everything there is to know about the Nuremberg underworld and the black market, a dangerous spot to be in.
- The Baroness Elizabeth von Prandtauer, the widow of one of the men who tried in July 1944 to assassinate Hitler, a "Good German" in the eyes of the Allies. She still lives in the Prandtauer family house on the outskirts of the city where the bombing was not so intense. Kate is assigned to board there during the trials.
- Falk, the baroness' butler, very tall and emaciated, and a devoted retainer who has been with the family since the baroness was a child.
- Hannigan, the policeman whose place Morgan takes when Adams assigns him this case. An old school cop, he considers Morgan effete and overeducated and resents his quick promotion in the NYPD.
- Reinhard Manhof, the current head of Nuremberg Kripo, Kriminalpolizei, which is the detective force within German police departments. Manhof has maneuvered himself into the job once held by Beck by engineering the false accusations against Beck for which he has been jailed.
And so Morgan and Beck begin their investigation, with potentially useful clues and false leads, strings of contacts to follow, and dead ends, red herrings, and a dearth of records that makes investigating suspects' backgrounds either extremely time-consuming or impossible, all with the backdrop of the city ruins behind them. (This book cries out to be filmed.)
J Sydney Jones has written a series of mysteries that takes place in Vienna at the turn of the 20th century. (See my review of the first book in the series, The Empty Mirror, at http://maryslibrary.typepad.com/my_we... .) They are among my favorites (and not just because of the setting with its Jugenstil artists like Klimt, music venues with the likes of Mahler conducting, and cafes that smell of coffee and buzz with discussions of art and politics.) Although I don't see any announcements, I'm hoping Ruin Value is the first of a similar series set in post-war Germany. Surely a sterling pair like Morgan and Beck won't be confined to this one book.
Ruin value ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruin_value ) is the theory that architects should design buildings that will make attractive ruins, such as those of the Greeks and Romans. It was the idea of Albert Speer and endorsed by Hitler. The Disphotic web site has an enlightening essay on the subject here: http://www.disphotic.lewisbush.com/20... .
A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher.
Which is why those in charge of security for the city and the trials grow uneasy when there is a series of particularly bloody murders of a Russian, then an American, a Frenchman, a Pole. Who is doing this? Someone with a personal connection to the victims? Feuding black market entrepreneurs? Terrorist Werewolf brigades, former Hitler Youth, guerrillas who roam the country killing those they perceive as traitors to Germany.
Enter Nate Morgan, born Nathan Morgenstern. Morgan has been in Switzerland during the war working for US military intelligence. Now William Donovan and his OSS have been abruptly dismissed by President Truman. But while spying against the Germans may no longer be necessary, the more prescient in the intelligence community know that "the Soviets make better friends during times of war than times of peace." And so Morgan is assigned to interview Germans imprisoned in the Palace of Justice and to identify potential spies and informants for the US.
Before the war Morgan was a highly-regarded police detective in New York City with degrees from Harvard and Harvard Law School. The American head of security for the trials is Colonel Geoffrey Adams, a man with a post-war agenda. He needs a man to solve the crimes, or, alternatively, to take the blame when the murderer is not caught. Donovan recommends Morgan, who goes to work with the understanding that Adams will support him. (He does not.)
Morgan puts together a team. He recruits one of the German prisoners he has interviewed, the cynical Werner Beck. Beck was a Nuremberg police inspector who is still sore from having failed to solve the notorious Slasher murders, which occurred just before the war. He, too, is well educated having studied philosophy at Heidelberg and criminology in London. In the Allied bombing of the city in the past January and February his wife and daughter were killed. He had an English nurse and his English has a South Counties Colonel Blimp accent.
This exposition is beautifully done. The setting of the bombed out city, "a stage set for Gotterdammerung," evokes the desperation and despair of its inhabitants. Jones introduces his major characters skillfully. He has created one of the more inspired cop duos I've seen. Morgan and Beck are former enemies, now colleagues, soon, perhaps, to be friends. They must find this multiple murderer -- the term serial killer has not yet been coined -- and they must keep these ghastly crimes under cover lest they detract attention from the Nuremberg Trials.
The detectives do have some clues to work with: the victim's throat is slashed by someone standing directly in front of him, face to face. A scalpel is used. A page from a novel on which words are underlined is clutched in the murdered man's hand. And the locations where the bodies are found may be significant. Most important, the murders occur on schedule, every third day.
Jones has created a cast of well-defined characters: - Kate Wallace, an American reporter, who discovers that the murders are being kept from the press. She is determined to cozy up to Morgan to get the details.
- Rollo, a German snitch who knows everything there is to know about the Nuremberg underworld and the black market, a dangerous spot to be in.
- The Baroness Elizabeth von Prandtauer, the widow of one of the men who tried in July 1944 to assassinate Hitler, a "Good German" in the eyes of the Allies. She still lives in the Prandtauer family house on the outskirts of the city where the bombing was not so intense. Kate is assigned to board there during the trials.
- Falk, the baroness' butler, very tall and emaciated, and a devoted retainer who has been with the family since the baroness was a child.
- Hannigan, the policeman whose place Morgan takes when Adams assigns him this case. An old school cop, he considers Morgan effete and overeducated and resents his quick promotion in the NYPD.
- Reinhard Manhof, the current head of Nuremberg Kripo, Kriminalpolizei, which is the detective force within German police departments. Manhof has maneuvered himself into the job once held by Beck by engineering the false accusations against Beck for which he has been jailed.
And so Morgan and Beck begin their investigation, with potentially useful clues and false leads, strings of contacts to follow, and dead ends, red herrings, and a dearth of records that makes investigating suspects' backgrounds either extremely time-consuming or impossible, all with the backdrop of the city ruins behind them. (This book cries out to be filmed.)
J Sydney Jones has written a series of mysteries that takes place in Vienna at the turn of the 20th century. (See my review of the first book in the series, The Empty Mirror, at http://maryslibrary.typepad.com/my_we... .) They are among my favorites (and not just because of the setting with its Jugenstil artists like Klimt, music venues with the likes of Mahler conducting, and cafes that smell of coffee and buzz with discussions of art and politics.) Although I don't see any announcements, I'm hoping Ruin Value is the first of a similar series set in post-war Germany. Surely a sterling pair like Morgan and Beck won't be confined to this one book.
Ruin value ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruin_value ) is the theory that architects should design buildings that will make attractive ruins, such as those of the Greeks and Romans. It was the idea of Albert Speer and endorsed by Hitler. The Disphotic web site has an enlightening essay on the subject here: http://www.disphotic.lewisbush.com/20... .
A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher.
July 31, 2016
It’s just after the war and before the Nuremberg trials. The werwolves ( young boys indoctrinated by the SS to wreak havoc on the Allies through sabotage and murder, operating as quasi-commandos after the war) were giving grief to supply officers. A Thriving Black Market A unique combination of characters: Former Chief Inspector Beck is in a POW camp, Kate, is an American journalist whose father is an important senator, Colonel Jensen is a lecherous officer trying to maintain supply lines, and Captain Nathan Morgan, a former OSS espionage agent and ex- NY homicide detective who springs Beck from jail to gain his assistance in finding out who has been killing people by slitting their throats and leaving a page from a novel behind with certain words underlined. But the investigators don’t have exactly clean hands either. Lots of grays.
Let us say, then, that my Gestapo colleagues and I had a falling out over who was really in charge of criminal investigations in the Nuremberg district. That argument manifested itself specifically and, finally, in a needless and idiotic order. I refused to institute it at Kripo; ergo, I was a political criminal.” “The order?” Beck hesitated, blew air out, shrugged. “To shoot on sight any Jew caught in the district after the final transports had been sent to the occupied territories. It seemed a senseless piece of cruelty. Those people would be sent to their deaths once captured anyway. Why make my Kripo personnel complicit in their murder?” The American officer was silent, staring at Beck with those innocent but not so innocent eyes. “Not exactly what you wanted to hear, eh? Not exactly drawing a line in the sand for morality.” “So you admit knowledge of the death camps?” “Of course. All of Germany knew.
Nuremberg had been declared a “dead” city by the Allies. For the trials it was perfect; for criminal, too.
There was limited electricity, public water, or transport, and barely any mail or telephone to speak of in the several months after the end of the war. The local government was a joke, and the occupation authorities were the only thing between the city and total anarchy. Three months earlier, OSS analysts had declared the place among the dead cities of Europe. But the accident of a huge Palace of Justice complex, inexplicably untouched by Allied bombing that had leveled the rest of the inner city, made it the venue for the trial of the century. There was the further confusion of shared authority between the Allies themselves and between the Allies and the German police who had only started operating again last month; the complete absence of societal controls—women who would screw for an orange, displaced men who’d murder for less; a lack of records to track known criminals. A cop’s nightmare.
An excellent murder mystery set in an interesting location during an intriguing historical time period.
Let us say, then, that my Gestapo colleagues and I had a falling out over who was really in charge of criminal investigations in the Nuremberg district. That argument manifested itself specifically and, finally, in a needless and idiotic order. I refused to institute it at Kripo; ergo, I was a political criminal.” “The order?” Beck hesitated, blew air out, shrugged. “To shoot on sight any Jew caught in the district after the final transports had been sent to the occupied territories. It seemed a senseless piece of cruelty. Those people would be sent to their deaths once captured anyway. Why make my Kripo personnel complicit in their murder?” The American officer was silent, staring at Beck with those innocent but not so innocent eyes. “Not exactly what you wanted to hear, eh? Not exactly drawing a line in the sand for morality.” “So you admit knowledge of the death camps?” “Of course. All of Germany knew.
Nuremberg had been declared a “dead” city by the Allies. For the trials it was perfect; for criminal, too.
There was limited electricity, public water, or transport, and barely any mail or telephone to speak of in the several months after the end of the war. The local government was a joke, and the occupation authorities were the only thing between the city and total anarchy. Three months earlier, OSS analysts had declared the place among the dead cities of Europe. But the accident of a huge Palace of Justice complex, inexplicably untouched by Allied bombing that had leveled the rest of the inner city, made it the venue for the trial of the century. There was the further confusion of shared authority between the Allies themselves and between the Allies and the German police who had only started operating again last month; the complete absence of societal controls—women who would screw for an orange, displaced men who’d murder for less; a lack of records to track known criminals. A cop’s nightmare.
An excellent murder mystery set in an interesting location during an intriguing historical time period.
October 12, 2013
A cold November and a few murders...in post-war Bavaria...
The Nazis called it ruin value (Ruinenwert): the construction of their Thousand-Year Reich so that in another thousand years…their buildings and monuments would be ennobled in ruins as were those of the Greeks at the Acropolis, the Romans at the Colosseum. Nuremberg, in its ruins, was a testament to the failure of the Nazi concept.
It's a long way from fin de siècle Vienna, Austria to the crumbling Bavarian city of Nuremberg of 1945. About 300 miles. About 50 years. An incalculable distance in place and time in the setting of a novel.
J. Sydney Jones, the author of four successful Viennese mysteries, with his careful research and well-developed characters, has taken his readers to scenes of a post-war European city, the setting of the Nuremberg Trials in the fall of 1945.
One of the characters, journalist Kate Wallace, a recent graduate of Columbia University and daughter of a U. S. Senator, describes the sights, sounds, and smells of a devastated Nuremberg: A jagged edge of a wall and other rubble from the Allied bombardment, tents and makeshift above-ground hovels. Sounds from the traffic of jeeps, trucks, and bicycles, barks of military orders in a mixture of languages, and the monotonous drone of witness statements. The stench of rotting corpses buried under broken stones, the chemical reek of Sterno from the hovels.
And it wouldn't be a Syd Jones tale without a real-life character. General "Wild Bill" Donovan, founder of the OSS, has just been dismissed from the prosecution team at the Trials. When consulted about an investigation of four violent murders of Allied soldiers, Donovan recommends a Harvard-educated lawyer and New York detective, Captain Nathan "Nate" Morgan, who has spent the war in Army intelligence, for the job.
Nate Morgan chooses an interesting fellow to help with the case: Werner Beck. a former police inspector, a widower who lost his wife and daughter in the bombardment of Nuremberg, recently imprisoned at the Flensburg camp for German political prisoners. The investigation leads the duo into the activities of several suspicious groups, the ruthless black marketers and the Werwolves, youthful bands of holdout Nazi terrorists.
Fortunately, the author gives us a hint of glamour. When I read Jones' Requiem in Vienna, I found myself sitting in the home of conductor Gustav Mahler near a glorious Bosendorfer grand piano in the summer of 1899: A tall woman dressed in a long white gown was playing Bach.
When Kate Wallace billets at the saved-from-ruin Greibauer home of the Baroness von Prandtauer, she watches her landlady in the garden of her villa at archery practice in the fall of 1945. I'm standing there, too, amid the golden leaves of alder, apple, and apricot trees watching the impressive Valkyrie of a woman with her blonde French-braided hair wrapped in coils on her head...and wondering...
Is she the killer?
The Nazis called it ruin value (Ruinenwert): the construction of their Thousand-Year Reich so that in another thousand years…their buildings and monuments would be ennobled in ruins as were those of the Greeks at the Acropolis, the Romans at the Colosseum. Nuremberg, in its ruins, was a testament to the failure of the Nazi concept.
It's a long way from fin de siècle Vienna, Austria to the crumbling Bavarian city of Nuremberg of 1945. About 300 miles. About 50 years. An incalculable distance in place and time in the setting of a novel.
J. Sydney Jones, the author of four successful Viennese mysteries, with his careful research and well-developed characters, has taken his readers to scenes of a post-war European city, the setting of the Nuremberg Trials in the fall of 1945.
One of the characters, journalist Kate Wallace, a recent graduate of Columbia University and daughter of a U. S. Senator, describes the sights, sounds, and smells of a devastated Nuremberg: A jagged edge of a wall and other rubble from the Allied bombardment, tents and makeshift above-ground hovels. Sounds from the traffic of jeeps, trucks, and bicycles, barks of military orders in a mixture of languages, and the monotonous drone of witness statements. The stench of rotting corpses buried under broken stones, the chemical reek of Sterno from the hovels.
And it wouldn't be a Syd Jones tale without a real-life character. General "Wild Bill" Donovan, founder of the OSS, has just been dismissed from the prosecution team at the Trials. When consulted about an investigation of four violent murders of Allied soldiers, Donovan recommends a Harvard-educated lawyer and New York detective, Captain Nathan "Nate" Morgan, who has spent the war in Army intelligence, for the job.
Nate Morgan chooses an interesting fellow to help with the case: Werner Beck. a former police inspector, a widower who lost his wife and daughter in the bombardment of Nuremberg, recently imprisoned at the Flensburg camp for German political prisoners. The investigation leads the duo into the activities of several suspicious groups, the ruthless black marketers and the Werwolves, youthful bands of holdout Nazi terrorists.
Fortunately, the author gives us a hint of glamour. When I read Jones' Requiem in Vienna, I found myself sitting in the home of conductor Gustav Mahler near a glorious Bosendorfer grand piano in the summer of 1899: A tall woman dressed in a long white gown was playing Bach.
When Kate Wallace billets at the saved-from-ruin Greibauer home of the Baroness von Prandtauer, she watches her landlady in the garden of her villa at archery practice in the fall of 1945. I'm standing there, too, amid the golden leaves of alder, apple, and apricot trees watching the impressive Valkyrie of a woman with her blonde French-braided hair wrapped in coils on her head...and wondering...
Is she the killer?
September 27, 2013
3.75 stars
"...faced with certain unbearable facts, one tends to take refuge in the absurd."
J. Sydney Jones is a new author for me, but he's already written two historical crime novels set in Vienna just after the turn of the century. Ruin Value is a novel of historical crime fiction/thriller/suspense, set in Nuremberg on the eve of the trials. It's a good read, and it's obvious that the author has devoted a good amount of time to research that he has woven into his story to create a realistic sense of both time and place.
The story begins in November, 1945, as journalists are flocking to Nuremberg to cover the trials. On the ruined streets of the city, someone has murdered a Russian corporal, and the murderer has left behind a strange calling card -- a page from a novel with certain words underlined. The corporal had a pocket filled with drugs, possibly destined for the black market. The murder is handed over to the Kripo (criminal investigation division of the German Police) run by Chief Inspector Reinhard Manhof, who got his job when former Chief Inspector Werner Beck, a political prisoner during the war, returned to discover he'd been denounced for collaboration with the Gestapo and was imprisoned again. When a second murder occurs, same m.o., this time an American soldier, the American powers that be decide that they need to bring in someone of their own and choose Nate Morgan, an intelligence agent and former New York detective. If he doesn't solve the case, well, at least his failure would have fingers pointing squarely at him, and he is Jewish -- the "perfect flak jacket." Manhof and Morgan do not get along, but Nate is too good a cop to let their mutual dislike get in the way. After a third murder, Morgan realizes he's going to need some help with this case, so he turns to the imprisoned Beck, who agrees to help. Beck helps Nate round up several people who could be helpful with the case, which seems to be leading the investigation in the direction of either black market connections or a German resistance group called Werwolves. Beck suspects that perhaps the murders are tied to the trial somehow, but as more bodies pile up, the people in charge make it known to Morgan that nothing can get in the way of this historic event. Morgan has orders to keep the murders out of the paper, but there's a journalist who seems to be very interested in the story -- and also in Morgan. With very little to go on, Morgan and Beck do their best, but discover that every time they seem to make progress, someone is one step ahead of them, thwarting them at every turn.
Ruin Value is a good book, and if this is going to be the start of another series, I'd definitely read the next one. As I noted, it's rich in setting and the crime is well plotted. The importance of the Nuremberg Trials is spelled out in several places so the reader gets a sense of history in the making, even before it gets underway. The suspense kept me turning pages, but here's the issue -- the suspense didn't come from trying to figure out who the killer was because well, frankly, it was really obvious early on in the story. Now that I've got that out of the way, what kept me turning pages was whether or not Beck and Morgan were going to figure out who was actually running the show, and as things unfolded, the author did a good job of keeping that under wraps so that I was actually surprised when all was revealed -- I never suspected a thing. Morgan and Beck, their informants and the people they enlisted to help them were well drawn and believable, while the villain whose identity I guessed not to far into the story less so -- coming off as a kind of stereotype of total gung-ho Teutonic naziness in human form. On the other hand, this person is one who totally fits the opening quote of this review:
"...faced with certain unbearable facts, one tends to take refuge in the absurd"
so I suppose the character portrayal just might be appropriate after all. However, the motivation for this person's final deed just didn't fit with the rest of the story so I was a bit taken aback here.
All in all, however, I think this book will probably do well -- it's perfect for readers of historical crime fiction who like mysteries set in immediate postwar Europe and for readers who might be looking for a new crime writer who can whip up a good plot and keep it going consistently throughout the book. My thanks to Emma at Open Road for offering to let me read this one ahead of time.
"...faced with certain unbearable facts, one tends to take refuge in the absurd."
J. Sydney Jones is a new author for me, but he's already written two historical crime novels set in Vienna just after the turn of the century. Ruin Value is a novel of historical crime fiction/thriller/suspense, set in Nuremberg on the eve of the trials. It's a good read, and it's obvious that the author has devoted a good amount of time to research that he has woven into his story to create a realistic sense of both time and place.
The story begins in November, 1945, as journalists are flocking to Nuremberg to cover the trials. On the ruined streets of the city, someone has murdered a Russian corporal, and the murderer has left behind a strange calling card -- a page from a novel with certain words underlined. The corporal had a pocket filled with drugs, possibly destined for the black market. The murder is handed over to the Kripo (criminal investigation division of the German Police) run by Chief Inspector Reinhard Manhof, who got his job when former Chief Inspector Werner Beck, a political prisoner during the war, returned to discover he'd been denounced for collaboration with the Gestapo and was imprisoned again. When a second murder occurs, same m.o., this time an American soldier, the American powers that be decide that they need to bring in someone of their own and choose Nate Morgan, an intelligence agent and former New York detective. If he doesn't solve the case, well, at least his failure would have fingers pointing squarely at him, and he is Jewish -- the "perfect flak jacket." Manhof and Morgan do not get along, but Nate is too good a cop to let their mutual dislike get in the way. After a third murder, Morgan realizes he's going to need some help with this case, so he turns to the imprisoned Beck, who agrees to help. Beck helps Nate round up several people who could be helpful with the case, which seems to be leading the investigation in the direction of either black market connections or a German resistance group called Werwolves. Beck suspects that perhaps the murders are tied to the trial somehow, but as more bodies pile up, the people in charge make it known to Morgan that nothing can get in the way of this historic event. Morgan has orders to keep the murders out of the paper, but there's a journalist who seems to be very interested in the story -- and also in Morgan. With very little to go on, Morgan and Beck do their best, but discover that every time they seem to make progress, someone is one step ahead of them, thwarting them at every turn.
Ruin Value is a good book, and if this is going to be the start of another series, I'd definitely read the next one. As I noted, it's rich in setting and the crime is well plotted. The importance of the Nuremberg Trials is spelled out in several places so the reader gets a sense of history in the making, even before it gets underway. The suspense kept me turning pages, but here's the issue -- the suspense didn't come from trying to figure out who the killer was because well, frankly, it was really obvious early on in the story. Now that I've got that out of the way, what kept me turning pages was whether or not Beck and Morgan were going to figure out who was actually running the show, and as things unfolded, the author did a good job of keeping that under wraps so that I was actually surprised when all was revealed -- I never suspected a thing. Morgan and Beck, their informants and the people they enlisted to help them were well drawn and believable, while the villain whose identity I guessed not to far into the story less so -- coming off as a kind of stereotype of total gung-ho Teutonic naziness in human form. On the other hand, this person is one who totally fits the opening quote of this review:
"...faced with certain unbearable facts, one tends to take refuge in the absurd"
so I suppose the character portrayal just might be appropriate after all. However, the motivation for this person's final deed just didn't fit with the rest of the story so I was a bit taken aback here.
All in all, however, I think this book will probably do well -- it's perfect for readers of historical crime fiction who like mysteries set in immediate postwar Europe and for readers who might be looking for a new crime writer who can whip up a good plot and keep it going consistently throughout the book. My thanks to Emma at Open Road for offering to let me read this one ahead of time.
October 7, 2013
"Ruin value (German: Ruinenwert) is the concept that a building be designed such that if it eventually collapsed, it would leave behind aesthetically pleasing ruins that would last far longer without any maintenance at all." - w/ thanks to Wikipedia
Nuremberg, in November of 1945, is a city in ruins and the devastation is, for lack of a better word, awe-inspring. Buried under the rubble are thirty thousand bodies adding an unholy stench to the horror. It is a town surviving on corruption, where starving children roam the rubble for anything they can sell, where women prostitute themselves for a meal, and whispers of Nazi loyalists hiding in the burned-out building seeking a chance for revenge against the Allied victors are heard in every bar and cafe.
It is also the setting for the war trials of the Nazi commanders. As the city fills with foreigners, Allied leaders, lawyers, and reporters, a killer is at work. Every three nights, someone is killed. Each victim is from one of the Allied nations and each seems to be linked to the Black Market very much alive and thriving in this destroyed city.
Captain Nathan Morgan who had been a spy during the war and a NY homicide detective before it, is charged with solving these murders but it must be done in secrecy so as not to take away focus from the trials. When it becomes clear that he lacks the knowledge of the city and its people to do a thorough investigation, he has Beck, once a Kripo officer and now a prisoner, released to aid him. As the trials begin and the killer becomes more brazen, Morgan and Beck begin to fear that they are missing too many pieces of the puzzle to find him, especially as the killer starts targeting people involved in the investigation.
Ruin Value is an engrossing mystery as the two detectives from opposite sides learn to trust and work together to solve the murders. There are plenty of twists and turns and, even when the murderer is made known to the reader, the suspense is rachetted up as the two must rush to stop even worse crimes.
But more interesting than the mystery is the city itself. Albert Speers, architect and high-ranking Nazi, was an advocate of the theory of ruin value and Hitler supported it. It was their plan that the cities they built would eventually, even in ruins, be a testament to the greatness of the Third Reich. Nuremberg, in its ruins, was a testament to their failure.
Nuremberg, in November of 1945, is a city in ruins and the devastation is, for lack of a better word, awe-inspring. Buried under the rubble are thirty thousand bodies adding an unholy stench to the horror. It is a town surviving on corruption, where starving children roam the rubble for anything they can sell, where women prostitute themselves for a meal, and whispers of Nazi loyalists hiding in the burned-out building seeking a chance for revenge against the Allied victors are heard in every bar and cafe.
It is also the setting for the war trials of the Nazi commanders. As the city fills with foreigners, Allied leaders, lawyers, and reporters, a killer is at work. Every three nights, someone is killed. Each victim is from one of the Allied nations and each seems to be linked to the Black Market very much alive and thriving in this destroyed city.
Captain Nathan Morgan who had been a spy during the war and a NY homicide detective before it, is charged with solving these murders but it must be done in secrecy so as not to take away focus from the trials. When it becomes clear that he lacks the knowledge of the city and its people to do a thorough investigation, he has Beck, once a Kripo officer and now a prisoner, released to aid him. As the trials begin and the killer becomes more brazen, Morgan and Beck begin to fear that they are missing too many pieces of the puzzle to find him, especially as the killer starts targeting people involved in the investigation.
Ruin Value is an engrossing mystery as the two detectives from opposite sides learn to trust and work together to solve the murders. There are plenty of twists and turns and, even when the murderer is made known to the reader, the suspense is rachetted up as the two must rush to stop even worse crimes.
But more interesting than the mystery is the city itself. Albert Speers, architect and high-ranking Nazi, was an advocate of the theory of ruin value and Hitler supported it. It was their plan that the cities they built would eventually, even in ruins, be a testament to the greatness of the Third Reich. Nuremberg, in its ruins, was a testament to their failure.
October 13, 2013
Ruin Value is subtitled "A Mystery of the Third Reich." Actually it is set in Nuremberg in 1945 as the world gathers in that bombed-out city for the Nazi War Crimes Trials. I had read Jones' earlier book, Time of the Wolf, a thriller set in Vienna, in 2012 so I knew that no one transports his readers to another time, another place better than he does. I wanted to know what Nuremberg was like in those momentous days, and that's what I got.
It isn't only how real the setting becomes for me as I read though. He creates believable characters of every sort and there is a plot that is worthy of the setting. In this book I realized who the killer was early, which isn't normal for me, but that fact only added to the edge of your seat thrill of the story. There is a serial murderer in the streets of the city, striking every three days, and highlighting the history of the Nazi reign. The nationalities of the victims are appropriate to that event as well. We meet black marketers, displaced persons scrabbling to stay alive, Nazi holdouts eager to damage the victors in any way possible, along with the military, the press, the judicial presence - all gathering in one city.
Most of the center of the city is composed of buildings in ruins. People live where they can, and outsiders there for the trials compete for decent accommodations. Our hero is an American cop who had been a spy during the war. He is assigned the task of stopping the killer, and he chooses as his partner a German cop he finds imprisoned. They are an odd couple but both focused on the same goal. I liked both of them immensely. The best developed character though was the killer. Jones has created a background for this person that lends understanding but still horrifies.
I see on the back cover that J. Sydney Jones has written two more mysteries, again set in Vienna. Since he lived there for many years, these should be just as good as his others.
Highly recommended.
Source: Open Road Media
It isn't only how real the setting becomes for me as I read though. He creates believable characters of every sort and there is a plot that is worthy of the setting. In this book I realized who the killer was early, which isn't normal for me, but that fact only added to the edge of your seat thrill of the story. There is a serial murderer in the streets of the city, striking every three days, and highlighting the history of the Nazi reign. The nationalities of the victims are appropriate to that event as well. We meet black marketers, displaced persons scrabbling to stay alive, Nazi holdouts eager to damage the victors in any way possible, along with the military, the press, the judicial presence - all gathering in one city.
Most of the center of the city is composed of buildings in ruins. People live where they can, and outsiders there for the trials compete for decent accommodations. Our hero is an American cop who had been a spy during the war. He is assigned the task of stopping the killer, and he chooses as his partner a German cop he finds imprisoned. They are an odd couple but both focused on the same goal. I liked both of them immensely. The best developed character though was the killer. Jones has created a background for this person that lends understanding but still horrifies.
I see on the back cover that J. Sydney Jones has written two more mysteries, again set in Vienna. Since he lived there for many years, these should be just as good as his others.
Highly recommended.
Source: Open Road Media
October 10, 2013
disclaimer - i received an e-galley of this novel from mysterious press in exchange for an honest review.
in the aftermath of world war ii, there is a serial killer loose on what remains of the streets of nuremberg. an american, former new york city homicide detective nathan morgan, who spent the war working for army intelligence is tasked with finding and stopping the killer.
i really wanted to like ruin value; i was excited by the premise and very excited to be selected to review it. i thought it was a fantastic concept, blending a murder mystery with post world war ii sensibilities and prejudices. i was looking forward to where the characters would go as they developed and how an almost impossible to avoid conflict between those in nuremberg who were disappointed in the war's outcome and those who were pleased would play out over the course of the novel.
unfortunately, i was disappointed. i never felt a connection with any of the characters and found myself drifting in and out of the story without ever really feeling a sense of excitement or peril or urgency. the writing was good, i just never connected with anyone enough to care what happened to them; and without that sense of connection i gave up caring about the story as a whole.
i am going to place this book on my 'abandoned' shelf but keep a little flag for it in my mind. perhaps, if i return to the book later, i'll be able to find that small something that trips the switch for readers and makes a story impossible to leave until you find out how it ends.
in the aftermath of world war ii, there is a serial killer loose on what remains of the streets of nuremberg. an american, former new york city homicide detective nathan morgan, who spent the war working for army intelligence is tasked with finding and stopping the killer.
i really wanted to like ruin value; i was excited by the premise and very excited to be selected to review it. i thought it was a fantastic concept, blending a murder mystery with post world war ii sensibilities and prejudices. i was looking forward to where the characters would go as they developed and how an almost impossible to avoid conflict between those in nuremberg who were disappointed in the war's outcome and those who were pleased would play out over the course of the novel.
unfortunately, i was disappointed. i never felt a connection with any of the characters and found myself drifting in and out of the story without ever really feeling a sense of excitement or peril or urgency. the writing was good, i just never connected with anyone enough to care what happened to them; and without that sense of connection i gave up caring about the story as a whole.
i am going to place this book on my 'abandoned' shelf but keep a little flag for it in my mind. perhaps, if i return to the book later, i'll be able to find that small something that trips the switch for readers and makes a story impossible to leave until you find out how it ends.
April 4, 2014
"Ruin Value" is from the German "Ruinenwert" and describes a building that has aesthetic appeal even after becoming a ruin. I take this to be ironic here because, in 1945 Nuremberg (and most of urban Germany), the ruins were definitely not aesthetic. The big story in 1945 Nuremberg is the war crimes trials but this mystery/thriller places them firmly in the background as Morgan (US military intelligence and ex-New York City police officer) pairs with Beck (ex-Kripo inspector) to track down a particularly brutal serial killer. The positives here are the main characters of Morgan and Beck and the noirish setting (the ruins obviously, the limited lighting at night, the bad weather - think "The Third Man"). Also of interest are descriptions of suburban Nuremberg, apparently little touched by the war, and hints that the Werwolves (German post-war resistance) might be responsible for the killings. I do hope this becomes a series as protagonists Morgan and Beck are strong, well-drawn characters.
July 26, 2013
This is a high class novel describing the search for a serial killer against the background of the ruins of Nuremberg as the Four Powers ready themselves to start the show trials. It nicely blends history and police procedural in a physical situation that should inspire readers to think about the morality of what actually happened in these difficult times.
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March 24, 2015
I received this book as a digital ARC from the publisher through Net Galley in return for an honest review.
Review is pending...
July 31, 2017
nesedlo mi to. neuměla jsem se zorientovat. nelíbil se mi ani styl psaní autora. ani členění Kapitol. ale to, co se mi líbilo, tak byly popisy poválečného Norimberku. to bylo dobré, vážně. :) ale zbytek...
December 27, 2016
"Ruin Value: A Mystery of the Third Reich", by J Sydney Jones, is one of those novels that I liked better when I was reading it, than afterward when I began to think about it. That's why I'm giving the book three stars.
"Ruin Value" is set in 1945 Nuremberg, right as the War Trials are set to begin. The city, mightily destroyed during the war by Allied bombing, is home to a variety of people - from wealthy women living in the untouched suburbs - to street people, living in and among the ruins, and eking out a difficult survival by begging and foraging, working the active market and selling their bodies to Allied soldiers occupying the town. It seems as if everyone has a "side" activity and people turn up wanted by the police and Occupying Powers for many different reason. In November, people start turning up dead, their throats slashed. It's a wide variety of people, too, everyone from soldiers, black marketeers, a woman in town to work at the Trials, and others. The murders take place every three days and the murderer leaves a set of clues at each murder site.
Two cops - one American, a former OSS agent - and a German cop are teamed together to solve the crimes. There are the usual unusual alliances between victims and suspects and many people are not who they are depicted as. The murders get solved, eventually, and here - SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT - is the problem with "Ruin Value". J Sydney Jones pulls his punches with his story line. It's the old "no one really important to the plot can be badly harmed, let alone killed". And this makes the ending unrealistic - though most murder mysteries are unrealistic - and is done either because the author wants to reuse the characters in another novel or he just doesn't have the heart or the nerve to make tough choices in the plot. Now, I see no indication that "Ruin Value" is book one in a series, so it means - to me - that Jones chickens out in the plot.
I did enjoy the book when I was reading it and I would welcome a return look at Captain Nathan Morgan and his German police partner. Jones is the author of a series of book set in Vienna in the late 1800's that are well written. He's also the author of a new stand-alone, "The Edit", which I thought was terrific. He pulled no punches in "The Edit" and the book was the better for it. I just wish this book were a bit better...
"Ruin Value" is set in 1945 Nuremberg, right as the War Trials are set to begin. The city, mightily destroyed during the war by Allied bombing, is home to a variety of people - from wealthy women living in the untouched suburbs - to street people, living in and among the ruins, and eking out a difficult survival by begging and foraging, working the active market and selling their bodies to Allied soldiers occupying the town. It seems as if everyone has a "side" activity and people turn up wanted by the police and Occupying Powers for many different reason. In November, people start turning up dead, their throats slashed. It's a wide variety of people, too, everyone from soldiers, black marketeers, a woman in town to work at the Trials, and others. The murders take place every three days and the murderer leaves a set of clues at each murder site.
Two cops - one American, a former OSS agent - and a German cop are teamed together to solve the crimes. There are the usual unusual alliances between victims and suspects and many people are not who they are depicted as. The murders get solved, eventually, and here - SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT - is the problem with "Ruin Value". J Sydney Jones pulls his punches with his story line. It's the old "no one really important to the plot can be badly harmed, let alone killed". And this makes the ending unrealistic - though most murder mysteries are unrealistic - and is done either because the author wants to reuse the characters in another novel or he just doesn't have the heart or the nerve to make tough choices in the plot. Now, I see no indication that "Ruin Value" is book one in a series, so it means - to me - that Jones chickens out in the plot.
I did enjoy the book when I was reading it and I would welcome a return look at Captain Nathan Morgan and his German police partner. Jones is the author of a series of book set in Vienna in the late 1800's that are well written. He's also the author of a new stand-alone, "The Edit", which I thought was terrific. He pulled no punches in "The Edit" and the book was the better for it. I just wish this book were a bit better...
May 27, 2016
As soon as I found out about Ruin Value I was eager to get ahold of a copy of it and begin reading. The singularly dramatic historical setting of the novel in the badly war-ravaged city of Nuremberg on the eve of the trials there for notorious Nazi war criminals coupled with a suspenseful story of a serial killer on the loose sounded like an altogether unbeatable plot to me.
The story was a very interesting one, but several aspects of the novel combined to create a less compelling and memorable reading experience than I had personally anticipated.
First off, the transitions in the story were rather abrupt; I can't say I saw evidence of the author's fine craftsmanship throughout the narrative. This may however be wholly attributable to the fact that I read an electronic advance galley of this novel on NetGalley by permission of the publisher.
Another feature of this book that ultimately turned me off -- but will no doubt be appealing to some other readers -- was the decidedly gritty tone of this mystery. For example, the novel opens with an entirely unsentimental -- in fact quite cold -- appraisal of the first character encountered by the reader. We learn of his counting compulsion, the habitual behavior it motivates, and the advantageous effect of that behavior on his efficacy in his job. We learn of his preferred currency, his prosperity, and his death. The description of the attack by the murdering villain is incredibly dry; the victim,a blood type and its clotting mechanisms are discussed rather than the victim's experience (of fear, physical pain, or any other subjective aspect. After the narrator describes the sadistic pleasure of the killer, the story moves on to an active interrogation of a German soldier by an American officer.
The most off putting quality of the storytelling in Ruin Value is its markedly masculine point of view. It's not just a masculine perspective at the center of the story--I found it to be downright alienating in its frequent sexual objectification of female characters according to my viewpoint.
Despite its drawbacks, this novel's storyline made it a worthwhile read for me in the end.
The story was a very interesting one, but several aspects of the novel combined to create a less compelling and memorable reading experience than I had personally anticipated.
First off, the transitions in the story were rather abrupt; I can't say I saw evidence of the author's fine craftsmanship throughout the narrative. This may however be wholly attributable to the fact that I read an electronic advance galley of this novel on NetGalley by permission of the publisher.
Another feature of this book that ultimately turned me off -- but will no doubt be appealing to some other readers -- was the decidedly gritty tone of this mystery. For example, the novel opens with an entirely unsentimental -- in fact quite cold -- appraisal of the first character encountered by the reader. We learn of his counting compulsion, the habitual behavior it motivates, and the advantageous effect of that behavior on his efficacy in his job. We learn of his preferred currency, his prosperity, and his death. The description of the attack by the murdering villain is incredibly dry; the victim,a blood type and its clotting mechanisms are discussed rather than the victim's experience (of fear, physical pain, or any other subjective aspect. After the narrator describes the sadistic pleasure of the killer, the story moves on to an active interrogation of a German soldier by an American officer.
The most off putting quality of the storytelling in Ruin Value is its markedly masculine point of view. It's not just a masculine perspective at the center of the story--I found it to be downright alienating in its frequent sexual objectification of female characters according to my viewpoint.
Despite its drawbacks, this novel's storyline made it a worthwhile read for me in the end.
October 20, 2013
I had never read one of J. Sydney Jones’ books prior to having the opportunity to read Ruin Value: A Mystery of the Third Reich through Netgalley. I found Ruin Value to be a strong historical WWII mystery that fell between the grittiness of Alan Furst’s WWII spy novels and the lighter Billy Boyle WWII series.
Post-war Nuremberg just as the Nazi war trials are getting underway provides a new and interesting setting for Jones’ mystery that explores the relations between the inhabitants of the ruined city and the allied forces struggling to rebuild the political and social infrastructure before tackling the physical ruins of Germany in the fall of 1945. While most of us are familiar with the generalities of the trials, Jones’ captures the brokenness of the city and the German people as they begin to recovery from the havoc of the war.
In the midst of ravaged, war torn Nuremberg, a killer stalks, slashing throats in the middle of the night. Are the allied dead targeted because of a turf war the black market? Or do the cyphered notes from an old western novel the signal a more intricate motive. American Captain Nate Morgan, a former NYPD inspector, is paired with German police officer Chief Inspector Werner Beck as they are charged with solving the murders before the press can discover them and pull attention away from the war trials.
After reading Ruin Value, I look forward to discovering more of Jones’ novels and exploring turn of the century Vienna.
Post-war Nuremberg just as the Nazi war trials are getting underway provides a new and interesting setting for Jones’ mystery that explores the relations between the inhabitants of the ruined city and the allied forces struggling to rebuild the political and social infrastructure before tackling the physical ruins of Germany in the fall of 1945. While most of us are familiar with the generalities of the trials, Jones’ captures the brokenness of the city and the German people as they begin to recovery from the havoc of the war.
In the midst of ravaged, war torn Nuremberg, a killer stalks, slashing throats in the middle of the night. Are the allied dead targeted because of a turf war the black market? Or do the cyphered notes from an old western novel the signal a more intricate motive. American Captain Nate Morgan, a former NYPD inspector, is paired with German police officer Chief Inspector Werner Beck as they are charged with solving the murders before the press can discover them and pull attention away from the war trials.
After reading Ruin Value, I look forward to discovering more of Jones’ novels and exploring turn of the century Vienna.
September 3, 2013
*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book on Netgalley from the publisher in return for an honest review*
Author
J. Sydney Jones is the author of a dozen books of fiction and nonfiction. He lived for many years in Vienna and has written several books about the city. Jones has also lived and worked as a correspondent and freelance writer in Paris, Florence, Molyvos, and Donegal. He and his wife and son now live on the coast of Central California.
Review
Just after the war in the rubble of a bombed city and murder I knew this could be an interesting read and it was. This book is not an action filled it is slow and builds op tension. It has a great atmosphere for a mystery very dark. The development in the story was well done too. Even though you learn halfway the book who the killer is and bits and pieces about the motives it is still interesting to see where it all will end.
I did have a problem though with the characters. None of them really sparked in my opinion. You get some background about all of them that sets a basic for their personalities. There are few characteristics to recognize them by making that I often mistook the one man for the other. Morgan has a bit more personality available but even he could not really impress me.
Author
J. Sydney Jones is the author of a dozen books of fiction and nonfiction. He lived for many years in Vienna and has written several books about the city. Jones has also lived and worked as a correspondent and freelance writer in Paris, Florence, Molyvos, and Donegal. He and his wife and son now live on the coast of Central California.
Review
Just after the war in the rubble of a bombed city and murder I knew this could be an interesting read and it was. This book is not an action filled it is slow and builds op tension. It has a great atmosphere for a mystery very dark. The development in the story was well done too. Even though you learn halfway the book who the killer is and bits and pieces about the motives it is still interesting to see where it all will end.
I did have a problem though with the characters. None of them really sparked in my opinion. You get some background about all of them that sets a basic for their personalities. There are few characteristics to recognize them by making that I often mistook the one man for the other. Morgan has a bit more personality available but even he could not really impress me.
April 20, 2015
The story takes place in Berlin in the months after the end of World War II. After a series of murders, American Nathan Morgan teams up with former Berlin cop Werner Beck to find the killer. I found that Morgan and Beck made a good team, and a Berlin in ruins, the perfect setting for their investigations. The problem with the story is that it is an endless series of murders in which the reader has no emotional investment in the victims. The killer grows frustrated with the lack of press attention to the murders, but leaves clues written in code!
The weakest part of the story centers around Kay, the female interest. We are told a lot about her privileged background, but not a lot about her. Morgan quickly falls for her, but we don't know why. And this woman, who has been given a coveted position in covering the Nuremberg War Trials for a magazine, turns out to be a dim bulb. Author Jones knows how to write male characters, but comes up short on the women. If a man, whom you do not know, stuck his hand up your dress, would you reply: "Excuse me, sir! What do you think you are doing?" Not once, but twice? After slugging the guy, my follow-up would be, "I hope that hurt." Despite the flaws, it's a decent read, especially if you enjoy books about post-WWII Germany.
The weakest part of the story centers around Kay, the female interest. We are told a lot about her privileged background, but not a lot about her. Morgan quickly falls for her, but we don't know why. And this woman, who has been given a coveted position in covering the Nuremberg War Trials for a magazine, turns out to be a dim bulb. Author Jones knows how to write male characters, but comes up short on the women. If a man, whom you do not know, stuck his hand up your dress, would you reply: "Excuse me, sir! What do you think you are doing?" Not once, but twice? After slugging the guy, my follow-up would be, "I hope that hurt." Despite the flaws, it's a decent read, especially if you enjoy books about post-WWII Germany.
April 27, 2014
This book was set in Nuremberg,Germany during the famous trials of Nazi war criminals. There is no control over the city , the criminals run wild and the prostitutes are all over the bombed out buildings. The security teams are extremely nervous because there is someone killing GI's in a very horrific way, which brings Nate Morgan, aka Nathan Morgenstern. He is a member of the OSS which has been disbanded by the president. Colonel Geoffrey Adams brings him in to catch the murderer, he thinks he has Col. Adams full support but in truth he does not.
This is a well written suspenseful book and the characters are well developed. I highly recommend this book.
*** This book was received free in return for an honest review***
This is a well written suspenseful book and the characters are well developed. I highly recommend this book.
*** This book was received free in return for an honest review***
November 16, 2013
I like how this story revolved around some historical facts and events. Post World War II, I was able to be a part of the ruin and downfall of Germany, provided by the vivid decsriptions by the author. Ruin Value was a great combination of history and mystery, as well as packed with action. There was an easy build-up of the plot, leading to a steady rise to the climax. Although the reasons for such actions of the killer and the eventual resolution did not give that much justice to the story, I still loved the book in general.
March 2, 2016
It was a struggle for me to be invested at the beginning. The historical details were spotty, especially since there was such a specific location and time. The character development left some to be desired, perhaps due to the large cast. Also, the title and brief overview of what "ruin value" actually means led me to believe it would be more focused on the culture. I think the best part was the writing/structure of the crime portion.
January 29, 2015
The Ruin Value combines my two favorite genres - historical fiction and thrillers/mysteries. In Nuremberg the war trials are set to begin in 1945. As preparations are made, a serial killer has surfaced and it is up to a former American policeman to find the killer, while keeping the story out of the press. Jones paints a vivid picture of the destruction and hardships faced by the Germans after the war as his protagonists race to solve the murders before the trials begin.
December 11, 2015
It's tough to review this without giving anything away, but I'll try. I read a lot of murder mysteries and I liked this one because it's different, and not just because of the setting. I liked the way the plot unfolded and I liked the reveal of the killer. Even the romance didn't bother me that much, though it was sort of awkwardly inserted into the story. There are some good twists and a satisfying ending.
September 7, 2013
A good mystery, with some unexpected twists and turns. Murders in Nuremberg threaten to derail the Tribunals after WWII, shifting public focus away from Hitler and the SS. The fighting may have ceased, but some, unhappy with the outcome, are still fighting the battles.
I read this as an e-book courtesy of NetGalley.
I read this as an e-book courtesy of NetGalley.
August 19, 2015
This author is truly masterful in carefully crafting the murder mystery. I had previously read "Basic Law," a Cold War novel set in Vienna. Now we have the saga of a serial killer loose in Berlin just as the Nuremberg War Trials are about to commence. Lots of suspense, realistic characters & dialogue, nicely researched. My rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
April 11, 2015
This book combines my 2 favorite genres: historical fiction and mystery/thrillers. I thoroughly enjoyed the search for a serial killer set against the back drop of post war Germany and the Nuremberg trials. It made for an engaging story.
August 3, 2015
The setting is interesting and quite different, Nuremburg, 1945. This is a dark book even without the time period taken into account; the killer is creepy and disgusting on many levels. The characters are interesting and that's probably the best part of the book.
May 9, 2015
There isn't any depth to Ruin Value - the characters are shallow - so once I found out who the murderer was, my interest flagged. There wasn't anything to sustain the tale.
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