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Munich Wolf
MUNICH, 1935 - The Bavarian capital is a magnet for young, aristocratic Britons who come to learn German, swim in the lakes and drink beer in the cellars.
What they don't see - or choose to ignore - is the brutal underbelly of the Nazi movement which considers Munich its spiritual home.
When a high-born English girl is murdered, Detective Sebastian Wolff is ordered to solve the crime. Wolff is already walking a tight line between doing his job and falling foul of the political party he abhors. Now Hitler is taking a personal interest in the case.
Followed by the secret police and threatened by his own son, a fervent member of the Hitler Youth, the stakes have never been higher. And when Wolff begins to suspect that the killer might be linked to the highest reaches of the Nazi hierarchy, he fears his task is simply impossible - and that he might become the next victim.
What they don't see - or choose to ignore - is the brutal underbelly of the Nazi movement which considers Munich its spiritual home.
When a high-born English girl is murdered, Detective Sebastian Wolff is ordered to solve the crime. Wolff is already walking a tight line between doing his job and falling foul of the political party he abhors. Now Hitler is taking a personal interest in the case.
Followed by the secret police and threatened by his own son, a fervent member of the Hitler Youth, the stakes have never been higher. And when Wolff begins to suspect that the killer might be linked to the highest reaches of the Nazi hierarchy, he fears his task is simply impossible - and that he might become the next victim.
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 18, 2024
700 people are currently reading
1435 people want to read
About the author
Rory Clements
35 books540 followersRory Clements has had a long and successful newspaper career, including being features editor and associate editor of Today, editor of the Daily Mail's Good Health Pages, and editor of the health section at the Evening Standard. He now writes full-time in an idyllic corner of Norfolk, England.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 251 reviews
October 8, 2025
Sebastian Wolff is a old-style detective working for the Munich criminal police (Kripo). He is not part of the Bavarian political police (BPP), the local version of the Gestapo, and not is he a Nazi party member.
However, the murder of an English girl staying in Munich to learn German and enjoy the people and culture as countless others have done through the 1920s and 30s, changes Wolff's involvement with the BPP and the Nazis.
Called in to quickly solve the case by high-ranking Nazis who have Hitler's ear, Wolff is told to get a result quickly so that a diplomatic incident is not forthcoming and that a suggested naval agreement with Britain could possibly go ahead unaffected by the murder of this well-connected young girl. After all Germany in 1935 is a land of law, order and foreigners can feel safe in the land of National Socialism.
As Wolff struggles to make headway he starts to worry that not all is simple with his assigned case. With threats against himself, his family and some other very disturbing events, it is clear that the murder and those responsible may have connections in the highest echelons of Munich society and the Third Reich.
This is my first Rory Clements book and one that was enjoyable. Both Clements and his character, Sebastian Wolff, reminded much of Philip Kerr and his detectives in Third Reich Germany, Bernie Günther. Both authors write with a very good eye to historical events and the people who history records and some of the details are excellent and had me Googling for more detail. As such this was a very fun detective story, although a couple of the plot's avenues and events were a little too convenient to help the novel progress along.
Three stars, which using the GR rating system means "I liked it".
However, the murder of an English girl staying in Munich to learn German and enjoy the people and culture as countless others have done through the 1920s and 30s, changes Wolff's involvement with the BPP and the Nazis.
Called in to quickly solve the case by high-ranking Nazis who have Hitler's ear, Wolff is told to get a result quickly so that a diplomatic incident is not forthcoming and that a suggested naval agreement with Britain could possibly go ahead unaffected by the murder of this well-connected young girl. After all Germany in 1935 is a land of law, order and foreigners can feel safe in the land of National Socialism.
As Wolff struggles to make headway he starts to worry that not all is simple with his assigned case. With threats against himself, his family and some other very disturbing events, it is clear that the murder and those responsible may have connections in the highest echelons of Munich society and the Third Reich.
This is my first Rory Clements book and one that was enjoyable. Both Clements and his character, Sebastian Wolff, reminded much of Philip Kerr and his detectives in Third Reich Germany, Bernie Günther. Both authors write with a very good eye to historical events and the people who history records and some of the details are excellent and had me Googling for more detail. As such this was a very fun detective story, although a couple of the plot's avenues and events were a little too convenient to help the novel progress along.
Three stars, which using the GR rating system means "I liked it".
September 28, 2024
**Read 4.5 STARS!**
This excellent WWII novel is in essence in the same great league of police detectives as the likes of Simon Scarrow's 1939/1940s Berlin and Douglas Jackson's 1939/1940s Warsaw, with the only difference that this book is set in 1935 in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.
At the beginning of the book you'll notice two well-drawn maps, one of Munich 1935, and one of Bavaria with places and sites in 1935.
Storytelling is brilliant, all characters come vividly to life in this tale about Nazism, dictatorship, double dealing, torture and death, and not to forget the atmosphere and places in Munich and sites in Bavaria in 1935 are superbly described and pictured.
This book is set in June 1935, in Munich, where a young aristocratic British girl, Rosie Palmer, is found mutilated and murdered.
Anti Nazi Police Detective Sebastian Wolff, after being sent to Dachau for improper behaviour towards the Führer Adolf Hitler by Sergeant Winter and his boss at the BPP, and now released from Dachau due to his family Nazi connections, is put on this case and called the best Munich detective this case really needs.
Threatened and followed by various Nazi factions and confronted by his son Jürgen, a Hitler Youth, Detective Wolff is trying in this web of lies and deceit to do his utmost to come to the truth behind this murder, but in the meantime an innocent man is executed, while more girls are abducted and one more killed.
What is to follow is an intriguing and exciting police thriller in which Detective Wolff and a very much changed Sergeant Winter, will get to the bottom of these murders and due to a fantastic plot in the end the real perpetrators of these horrific and insane murders will be revealed.
Highly recommended, for this is an excellent thriller which is very much worth to be read and enjoyed, and that's why I like to call this book: "A Captivating Hunting Wolf"!
This excellent WWII novel is in essence in the same great league of police detectives as the likes of Simon Scarrow's 1939/1940s Berlin and Douglas Jackson's 1939/1940s Warsaw, with the only difference that this book is set in 1935 in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.
At the beginning of the book you'll notice two well-drawn maps, one of Munich 1935, and one of Bavaria with places and sites in 1935.
Storytelling is brilliant, all characters come vividly to life in this tale about Nazism, dictatorship, double dealing, torture and death, and not to forget the atmosphere and places in Munich and sites in Bavaria in 1935 are superbly described and pictured.
This book is set in June 1935, in Munich, where a young aristocratic British girl, Rosie Palmer, is found mutilated and murdered.
Anti Nazi Police Detective Sebastian Wolff, after being sent to Dachau for improper behaviour towards the Führer Adolf Hitler by Sergeant Winter and his boss at the BPP, and now released from Dachau due to his family Nazi connections, is put on this case and called the best Munich detective this case really needs.
Threatened and followed by various Nazi factions and confronted by his son Jürgen, a Hitler Youth, Detective Wolff is trying in this web of lies and deceit to do his utmost to come to the truth behind this murder, but in the meantime an innocent man is executed, while more girls are abducted and one more killed.
What is to follow is an intriguing and exciting police thriller in which Detective Wolff and a very much changed Sergeant Winter, will get to the bottom of these murders and due to a fantastic plot in the end the real perpetrators of these horrific and insane murders will be revealed.
Highly recommended, for this is an excellent thriller which is very much worth to be read and enjoyed, and that's why I like to call this book: "A Captivating Hunting Wolf"!
January 17, 2024
I’m a huge fan of Rory Clements’ novels. I loved his John Shakespeare historical crime series set in Elizabethan England comprising Martyr, Revenger, Prince, Traitor, The Heretics, The Queen’s Man and Holy Spy. And I absolutely adore his Tom Wilde series set in WW2 Cambridge comprising (so far) Corpus, Nucleus, Nemesis, Hitler’s Secret, A Prince and a Spy, The Man in the Bunker and The English Führer.
So I came to Munich Wolf with high expectations; I wasn’t disappointed. Sebastian Wolff is, if you like, Tom Wilde’s German alter ego. Like Wilde, he has a strong sense of justice. And in the same way Wilde has his trusty Rudge Special motorcycle, Wolff has his beloved Lancia Augusta cabriolet. But in their personal lives they differ. Wolff’s barely disguised loathing for Hitler’s regime has created a breach in his relationship with his son Jurgen, who is a fervent admirer of the Führer and a member of the Hitler Youth. It’s only when an act of violence comes close to home for Jurgen that their frosty relationship thaws a little.
The book sees Wolff’s commitment to uncovering the truth come slap bang up against political interests, both domestic and international. There’s a quite complex structure of different security and police institutions, but stick with it. Given the period in which it’s set and what we now know about the dreadful acts perpetrated by the Nazi regime, it’s probably no surprise that the story goes to some dark, sinister and perverted places, places populated by fanatics. ‘Paganism, ritual murder, sex magic, the Thule Society [a German occultist and Völkisch group founded in Munich shortly after World War I], Hitler’s obsession with the occult, the runic symbol for the sun, the geblōt places of ancient Nordic sacrifices…’
In pursuing his investigation, Wolff faces personal risks but he doggedly persists resulting in confrontations with some particularly ruthless individuals and a spell in a concentration camp. He’s also hampered in his enquiries by being assigned an assistant, Sergeant Hans Winter, with whom Wolff had already had an inauspicious first meeting, and who in reality is his minder, informing his bosses in the Bavarian Political Police (the forerunner of the Gestapo) about Wolff’s movements. Things really hot up when Wolff gets a little too close to implicating some influential figures in the regime.
Real life figures abound, in particular English socialite Unity Mitford who as well as coming across as an utter snob, shows herself to be an antisemite and vile apologist for the Nazi regime.
Sebastian Wolff is a great character. He’s a man of action but the author has also given him an interesting personal hinterland. (He’s rather swoonworthy as well.) Although badged as a standalone novel, I can see Munich Wolf being the first book in a series – in fact, I’d be overjoyed if it is.
Action-packed, full of twists and turns, and with fascinating historical detail, Munich Wolf is another powerful thriller from the pen of Rory Clements, ideal for fans of the late lamented Philip Kerr’s Bernie Gunther series.
So I came to Munich Wolf with high expectations; I wasn’t disappointed. Sebastian Wolff is, if you like, Tom Wilde’s German alter ego. Like Wilde, he has a strong sense of justice. And in the same way Wilde has his trusty Rudge Special motorcycle, Wolff has his beloved Lancia Augusta cabriolet. But in their personal lives they differ. Wolff’s barely disguised loathing for Hitler’s regime has created a breach in his relationship with his son Jurgen, who is a fervent admirer of the Führer and a member of the Hitler Youth. It’s only when an act of violence comes close to home for Jurgen that their frosty relationship thaws a little.
The book sees Wolff’s commitment to uncovering the truth come slap bang up against political interests, both domestic and international. There’s a quite complex structure of different security and police institutions, but stick with it. Given the period in which it’s set and what we now know about the dreadful acts perpetrated by the Nazi regime, it’s probably no surprise that the story goes to some dark, sinister and perverted places, places populated by fanatics. ‘Paganism, ritual murder, sex magic, the Thule Society [a German occultist and Völkisch group founded in Munich shortly after World War I], Hitler’s obsession with the occult, the runic symbol for the sun, the geblōt places of ancient Nordic sacrifices…’
In pursuing his investigation, Wolff faces personal risks but he doggedly persists resulting in confrontations with some particularly ruthless individuals and a spell in a concentration camp. He’s also hampered in his enquiries by being assigned an assistant, Sergeant Hans Winter, with whom Wolff had already had an inauspicious first meeting, and who in reality is his minder, informing his bosses in the Bavarian Political Police (the forerunner of the Gestapo) about Wolff’s movements. Things really hot up when Wolff gets a little too close to implicating some influential figures in the regime.
Real life figures abound, in particular English socialite Unity Mitford who as well as coming across as an utter snob, shows herself to be an antisemite and vile apologist for the Nazi regime.
Sebastian Wolff is a great character. He’s a man of action but the author has also given him an interesting personal hinterland. (He’s rather swoonworthy as well.) Although badged as a standalone novel, I can see Munich Wolf being the first book in a series – in fact, I’d be overjoyed if it is.
Action-packed, full of twists and turns, and with fascinating historical detail, Munich Wolf is another powerful thriller from the pen of Rory Clements, ideal for fans of the late lamented Philip Kerr’s Bernie Gunther series.
March 11, 2024
Great read. I really enjoyed the story and the characters. I especially liked the way the professional relationship developed between Wolf and Winter into a kind of friendship. Hope the story continues and we see more of Wolf.
March 5, 2025
A gripping standalone novel perhaps unlike anything fans of this author would expect but demonstrating a grasp of historical events and how to weave a story between the established events.
Stepping outside the novel it tells of a changing Germany under the increasing influence and state control of the Nazi party and the personality of Adolf Hitler. A time when the older generation seem left behind due to their association with defeat and economic failure. While the younger generation are joining youth movements and adore the cult of Hitler and his government.
Inside the novel we find how these factors affect a patriotic German and his family and the consequences of not appearing to be a party member. At a time where opposition is quashed by disappearance and failed justice. Where the criminal police are subservient to the Gestapo and the SS holds sway over the political landscape as enforcers and role models.
The detective here is Sebastian Wolff a decent man, a war hero but haunted by his time on the Western Front. Recognised as the best and most competent murder squad leader and investigator only to be saddled with a suspicious death of a foreign student with political overtones. A no win scenario, as the higher authorities want a speedy resolution and a suitable scapegoat for the crime.
I found the whole story compelling and engrossing. Demanding of my attention and draining emotionally as I placed myself within the novel and wondered how I would behave when divergence from the party line or criticism of the Nazi hierarchy could lead to denouncement and a one way ticket to a concentration camp.
Wolff is favoured by a rich relative and has the advantage of his police badge but he leads a charmed life during his investigation when others favour a rush to judgement and execution of a suspect who happens to be a Jew.
In the shadow of the Holocaust this is a difficult read sometimes. But equally sinister and at the heart of the story are traditional Germanic values, some ancient values touching on mysticism under the banner of the Thule society.
Intriguing with heart stopping moments. The contrast between the extremes of National Socialism against more liberal thinking nationals from America and England makes for a unique time in history. Seen among the foreign students, the girls use of lipstick and have emotional desires beyond the good looking SS boys. The locations are another bonus and with political significance; Munich was at this time a special place, elements of which drive the story.
This novel will surely cement the author as a master historical story teller, able to carry suspense and threat throughout his writing. Totally riveting page turner which shows the dangers of totalitarian regimes and a state-led personality cult. I breathed a sigh of relief at the end that I live in a democracy.
Stepping outside the novel it tells of a changing Germany under the increasing influence and state control of the Nazi party and the personality of Adolf Hitler. A time when the older generation seem left behind due to their association with defeat and economic failure. While the younger generation are joining youth movements and adore the cult of Hitler and his government.
Inside the novel we find how these factors affect a patriotic German and his family and the consequences of not appearing to be a party member. At a time where opposition is quashed by disappearance and failed justice. Where the criminal police are subservient to the Gestapo and the SS holds sway over the political landscape as enforcers and role models.
The detective here is Sebastian Wolff a decent man, a war hero but haunted by his time on the Western Front. Recognised as the best and most competent murder squad leader and investigator only to be saddled with a suspicious death of a foreign student with political overtones. A no win scenario, as the higher authorities want a speedy resolution and a suitable scapegoat for the crime.
I found the whole story compelling and engrossing. Demanding of my attention and draining emotionally as I placed myself within the novel and wondered how I would behave when divergence from the party line or criticism of the Nazi hierarchy could lead to denouncement and a one way ticket to a concentration camp.
Wolff is favoured by a rich relative and has the advantage of his police badge but he leads a charmed life during his investigation when others favour a rush to judgement and execution of a suspect who happens to be a Jew.
In the shadow of the Holocaust this is a difficult read sometimes. But equally sinister and at the heart of the story are traditional Germanic values, some ancient values touching on mysticism under the banner of the Thule society.
Intriguing with heart stopping moments. The contrast between the extremes of National Socialism against more liberal thinking nationals from America and England makes for a unique time in history. Seen among the foreign students, the girls use of lipstick and have emotional desires beyond the good looking SS boys. The locations are another bonus and with political significance; Munich was at this time a special place, elements of which drive the story.
This novel will surely cement the author as a master historical story teller, able to carry suspense and threat throughout his writing. Totally riveting page turner which shows the dangers of totalitarian regimes and a state-led personality cult. I breathed a sigh of relief at the end that I live in a democracy.
February 23, 2024
7.5/10
I enjoyed Rory Clements other series with protagonist Tom Wilde set in the WW2 era Cambridge, so when I saw a new book in a similar time period but set in Nazi Germany I couldn't resist giving it a try.
Seb Wolff is the protagonist for this outing, I'm assuming soon to be series, as the lead investigator into a murder mystery surrounded by Nazi's, foreign politics, and the occasional trips to Dachau concentration camp. Clements paints a good picture of the period and Seb Wolff not being so keen on his leaders of the country even though his son is a staunch advocate and a member of the Hitler Youth.
Clements weaves the story of the murder mystery with the political intricacies well with plenty going on and not knowing who or what is to blame for the spate of murders. I liked the development of the characters over the story but the main win for me was the atmosphere. I would definitely be looking at more from the author, whether it be this series or Tom Wilde's.
Thank you to NetGalley for the copy for review
I enjoyed Rory Clements other series with protagonist Tom Wilde set in the WW2 era Cambridge, so when I saw a new book in a similar time period but set in Nazi Germany I couldn't resist giving it a try.
Seb Wolff is the protagonist for this outing, I'm assuming soon to be series, as the lead investigator into a murder mystery surrounded by Nazi's, foreign politics, and the occasional trips to Dachau concentration camp. Clements paints a good picture of the period and Seb Wolff not being so keen on his leaders of the country even though his son is a staunch advocate and a member of the Hitler Youth.
Clements weaves the story of the murder mystery with the political intricacies well with plenty going on and not knowing who or what is to blame for the spate of murders. I liked the development of the characters over the story but the main win for me was the atmosphere. I would definitely be looking at more from the author, whether it be this series or Tom Wilde's.
Thank you to NetGalley for the copy for review
June 2, 2024
The author made a bold call to make his principal character, Seb Wolff, a detective in Nazi Germany -- how does one follow the inestimable irreverent Bernie Gunther and his creator, the late much-missed Philip Kerr. The answer is Clements succeeds admirably. Not only due to a change of location swapping Berlin for Munich, the preferred city of the Nazis whose people were vastly more enthusiastic supporters of Hitler and his criminal gang, but also Wolff is a terrific personality. He like Gunther possesses a sense of humour but is used more sparingly and his family set up adds to the tension.
His uncle Christian 'The Pig' Weber a bigwig corrupt Nazi protects him to a certain extent, Mutti who fusses over him and his son Jurgen, who is constantly at odds with his father due to a fine brainwashing job done by the Hitler Youth. The plot is terrific, murder of an English rose, I learned Munich was quite the place to be for gilded English youth pre-war, and the prejudices of the time come to the boil. Further than that I shall not go so as not to spoil it for you!
Clements throws in plenty of real life characters from Hitler's press secretary 'Putzi' Hanfstaengel, who was later to defect and work for the FDR administration in the USA, to the ghastly 'sausage fingered' Hitler-obsessed Unity Mitford.
There are plenty of surprises along the way -- as indeed you cry there should be in a whodunnit/thriller -- and one involving his subordinate Sergeant Winter is perhaps the biggest of them all and one thinks not uncommon in Germany at the time.
Hope this turns into a series as it certainly merits it and we are only at 1935 so plenty of room for further adventures. This Wolff certainly has bite, one would think a Pig and someone with sausage fingers would be meat and drink for him....on verra. He just better watch out if a femme fatale pops up dressed in red.
A terrific read. Chapeau.
His uncle Christian 'The Pig' Weber a bigwig corrupt Nazi protects him to a certain extent, Mutti who fusses over him and his son Jurgen, who is constantly at odds with his father due to a fine brainwashing job done by the Hitler Youth. The plot is terrific, murder of an English rose, I learned Munich was quite the place to be for gilded English youth pre-war, and the prejudices of the time come to the boil. Further than that I shall not go so as not to spoil it for you!
Clements throws in plenty of real life characters from Hitler's press secretary 'Putzi' Hanfstaengel, who was later to defect and work for the FDR administration in the USA, to the ghastly 'sausage fingered' Hitler-obsessed Unity Mitford.
There are plenty of surprises along the way -- as indeed you cry there should be in a whodunnit/thriller -- and one involving his subordinate Sergeant Winter is perhaps the biggest of them all and one thinks not uncommon in Germany at the time.
Hope this turns into a series as it certainly merits it and we are only at 1935 so plenty of room for further adventures. This Wolff certainly has bite, one would think a Pig and someone with sausage fingers would be meat and drink for him....on verra. He just better watch out if a femme fatale pops up dressed in red.
A terrific read. Chapeau.
April 22, 2024
Unconvincing thriller set in 1935 Munich. Some interesting backdrop of the time - the Nazi town and the young English visitors. Despite the initial scenes there isn’t a real sense of menace through the book as Seb investigates the murder of a young English woman. Little suspense or mystery, and an ending which fails to rise to the occasion.
December 6, 2024
This was an exciting spy thriller but, I found a lot of the German names hard to read as I don't speak the language so, this did make the story hard to follow at times.
July 11, 2025
Set in 1935, my first Rory Clements book, and definitely not my last.
A stunningly written “ whodunnit” with a lone unpopular, brilliant detective against all odds.
A stunningly written “ whodunnit” with a lone unpopular, brilliant detective against all odds.
December 9, 2023
Rating: 2.4/5
Set between the two world wars, Munich Wolf is essentially a police procedural featuring Detective Sebastian Wolff, a veteran of the Great War, who is now a police inspector in the department roughly equivalent to the CID.
Having been a student of the German language and culture, the social history of the country is always of interest to me and I have a particular fascination with those dark and disturbing times that saw the rise of the National Socialists (Nazis). The action in this novel takes place in 1935, Hitler has risen to power, but although there has already been plenty of unpleasantness, he and his supporters are yet to commit the worst of the atrocities associated with that regime. Germany at this time is riddled with internal tensions and domestic conflicts. It is a period when supporters of Hitler are in the ascendancy and being placed in the positions of greatest influence. Consequently, any Nazi sympathisers - or even those who were simply prepared to tolerate the National Socialists for the sake of personal gain and advancement - could see the potential for great rewards and the realisation of their ambitions. Equally, anybody not seen to be wholeheartedly in support of the Führer could expect to be persecuted and, in all likelihood, permanently removed from the scene. Internationally, there is also uncertainty about how to deal with the leader of the Third Reich and there are those amongst the more privileged echelons of British society who feel a deep sense of empathy with Hitler.
As ever, Rory Clements displays sound levels of background knowledge and research as he weaves factual and fictional elements together in this story and it was that aspect of this novel that held my attention and kept me reading until the end. Unfortunately, there were other elements which impressed me far less and, as a result, "Munich Wolf" doesn't quite deliver on its potential. While I wouldn't say that the pace of the novel is slow, it is disjointed and at times felt more like the basis of a screenplay rather than a novel, cutting abruptly to the next action scene rather than flowing naturally. The investigation itself benefits from some very convenient developments, which aren't always entirely convincing. However, I think the most disappointing trait is the characterisation. There are far too many occasions when it is simplistically superficial and stereotypical. In my opinion, this has the adverse effect of diluting the impact of some of the socio-political themes.
Munich Wolff is described in the accompanying marketing blurb as being a standalone novel, though there is clear potential for this to be developed into a series, if the writer so chooses. If that were to be the case, then my fascination with this period of history may draw me back for more, although based on this book, it does not have the same appeal as Philip Kerr's "Bernie Gunther" series, nor Volker Kutscher's "Gereon Rath", which was developed into the "Babylon Berlin tv series.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.
Set between the two world wars, Munich Wolf is essentially a police procedural featuring Detective Sebastian Wolff, a veteran of the Great War, who is now a police inspector in the department roughly equivalent to the CID.
Having been a student of the German language and culture, the social history of the country is always of interest to me and I have a particular fascination with those dark and disturbing times that saw the rise of the National Socialists (Nazis). The action in this novel takes place in 1935, Hitler has risen to power, but although there has already been plenty of unpleasantness, he and his supporters are yet to commit the worst of the atrocities associated with that regime. Germany at this time is riddled with internal tensions and domestic conflicts. It is a period when supporters of Hitler are in the ascendancy and being placed in the positions of greatest influence. Consequently, any Nazi sympathisers - or even those who were simply prepared to tolerate the National Socialists for the sake of personal gain and advancement - could see the potential for great rewards and the realisation of their ambitions. Equally, anybody not seen to be wholeheartedly in support of the Führer could expect to be persecuted and, in all likelihood, permanently removed from the scene. Internationally, there is also uncertainty about how to deal with the leader of the Third Reich and there are those amongst the more privileged echelons of British society who feel a deep sense of empathy with Hitler.
As ever, Rory Clements displays sound levels of background knowledge and research as he weaves factual and fictional elements together in this story and it was that aspect of this novel that held my attention and kept me reading until the end. Unfortunately, there were other elements which impressed me far less and, as a result, "Munich Wolf" doesn't quite deliver on its potential. While I wouldn't say that the pace of the novel is slow, it is disjointed and at times felt more like the basis of a screenplay rather than a novel, cutting abruptly to the next action scene rather than flowing naturally. The investigation itself benefits from some very convenient developments, which aren't always entirely convincing. However, I think the most disappointing trait is the characterisation. There are far too many occasions when it is simplistically superficial and stereotypical. In my opinion, this has the adverse effect of diluting the impact of some of the socio-political themes.
Munich Wolff is described in the accompanying marketing blurb as being a standalone novel, though there is clear potential for this to be developed into a series, if the writer so chooses. If that were to be the case, then my fascination with this period of history may draw me back for more, although based on this book, it does not have the same appeal as Philip Kerr's "Bernie Gunther" series, nor Volker Kutscher's "Gereon Rath", which was developed into the "Babylon Berlin tv series.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.
November 25, 2024
Sebastian Wolff is a homicide detective in Munich in 1935. He's not a party member and has come afoul of the political police. But when a young British girl is murdered, Wolff is the best bet to find a killer who has caused a political incident. But then again, in Munich in the 1930s everything is political. And this investigation takes Wolff in to the upper echelons of the Munich power structure including a jaunt in to the Thule Society.
I didn't know a lot about Clements going in to this novel. I knew that he had written two different historical series' both of which had won historical fiction awards from the CWA, so there must be something going on there. But I had some trepidation. If you're writing about crime in Nazi-era Germany, I'm going to compare you to Phillip Kerr and his great Bernie Gunther. It may not be fair, but it's going to happen. Well Seb Wolff isn't going to replace Bernie yet, but he's enjoyable. It probably helps that this is set in Munich and Gunther generally hung out in Berlin. And Seb is a very different character. Not quite as cynical as Bernie and probably somewhat more capable of playing the games necessary to stay alive as a non-party member in a very political job.
The mystery was what it was. Neither super compelling nor super obvious. It was the work that Clements put in to the characters and the setting that was more intriguing. I really had no idea that Munich was a huge destination for young upper-class Brits in the early 1930s to "continue their education." This also introduced me to Unity Mitford and the Mitford Sisters, so that was interesting.
This was a solid historical mystery and I'd certainly read another case about Sebastian Wolff. And it seems increasingly likely I'll seek out Clements' earlier work as time allows.
I didn't know a lot about Clements going in to this novel. I knew that he had written two different historical series' both of which had won historical fiction awards from the CWA, so there must be something going on there. But I had some trepidation. If you're writing about crime in Nazi-era Germany, I'm going to compare you to Phillip Kerr and his great Bernie Gunther. It may not be fair, but it's going to happen. Well Seb Wolff isn't going to replace Bernie yet, but he's enjoyable. It probably helps that this is set in Munich and Gunther generally hung out in Berlin. And Seb is a very different character. Not quite as cynical as Bernie and probably somewhat more capable of playing the games necessary to stay alive as a non-party member in a very political job.
The mystery was what it was. Neither super compelling nor super obvious. It was the work that Clements put in to the characters and the setting that was more intriguing. I really had no idea that Munich was a huge destination for young upper-class Brits in the early 1930s to "continue their education." This also introduced me to Unity Mitford and the Mitford Sisters, so that was interesting.
This was a solid historical mystery and I'd certainly read another case about Sebastian Wolff. And it seems increasingly likely I'll seek out Clements' earlier work as time allows.
February 28, 2025
Very good book. Well paced, and it kept you guessing right to the end. Looking forward to reading my next Rory Clements book !
September 2, 2025
Didn’t actually want this book to end I was enjoying it so much!
January 31, 2024
I'm somewhat of a Rory Clements fan. I absolutely love his John Shakespeare and Tom Wilde series of books and when I saw this, my first thought was that it was perhaps a new Tom Wilde and thus, became rather excited. However after reading the blurb on the cover I quickly ascertained that it wasn't, it was Rory's first stand alone novel or the beginning of a new series featuring Munich kripo detective Sebastian Wolff, so because I'm a fan, I still retained my delight at a new Rory Clements outing.
Nevertheless, on completion, I've rather came away with a feeling of disappointment. Been somewhat let down, as I feel this book wasn't written for me.
I came away with the impression that the book has been written for people who have little or no previous knowledge of the Nazis and their beginnings, particularly once they came to power.
Indeed, the author even hints and mentions this in his letter to the readers at the back of the book and I quote,
"And for anyone new to the period, it is worth remembering that most Germans were not Nazis and did not vote for Hitler, they were trapped"
Anyone with even a modicum of knowledge about the Nazis beyond primary school level will probably feel they're being treated here like secondary school teenagers by the level of this story telling.
I was thinking of describing the writing as "by the numbers" but that wouldn't really have been applicable in this instance and may have came across as somewhat egregiously unfair, as the author's enthusiasm for the story was still very much apparent and not really in doubt and I wouldn't have expected anything less from such an accomplished writer of historical fiction as Rory Clements. It's just it would seem, he's writing a "dummies guide" to pre-war Nazis!
So I'm afraid this "back to school" style does render most of the detail of the story very clichéd and it's all rather cheesy with a “seen it, done it, shagged it!” ambience.
The scenes and interactions between the detective and his brainwashed Hitler Youth fanatical son are a prime example of this.
About the only thing that isn’t clichéd, is the fact that the author has chosen Munich as his principal setting, as “Berlin, just before the war” has been done to death, according to the author, which is all fair and well if the rest of the content is just as fresh, rather than the same old, tired Nazi tropes!
The author also seems to give a sympathetic ear to Nazis such as Ernst Hanfstaengl and unfortunately plays out a type of redemption for an extremely odious Bavarian Political Policeman (effectively Bavarian Gestapo), a sergeant Winter, who has been assigned to spy on detective Seb Wolff and is responsible for landing the detective in Dachau Concentration Camp right at the very beginning of the tale.
There is a revelation later on regarding sergeant Winter, which I presume is supposed to evoke some sort of reader sympathy for the character, but in reality, all it does is make one feel rather uncomfortable!
Thankfully there’s no such sympathy when the likes of the uber creep and utterly repugnant Unity Mitford and the deluded and sleazy Thule society enter into the fray.
If this is the start of a "Detective Sebastian Wolff" series, against my better judgement, I shall give the second instalment one more chance to see if the initial problems have been ironed out, but hopefully he's just a "lone" Wolff!
Nevertheless, on completion, I've rather came away with a feeling of disappointment. Been somewhat let down, as I feel this book wasn't written for me.
I came away with the impression that the book has been written for people who have little or no previous knowledge of the Nazis and their beginnings, particularly once they came to power.
Indeed, the author even hints and mentions this in his letter to the readers at the back of the book and I quote,
"And for anyone new to the period, it is worth remembering that most Germans were not Nazis and did not vote for Hitler, they were trapped"
Anyone with even a modicum of knowledge about the Nazis beyond primary school level will probably feel they're being treated here like secondary school teenagers by the level of this story telling.
I was thinking of describing the writing as "by the numbers" but that wouldn't really have been applicable in this instance and may have came across as somewhat egregiously unfair, as the author's enthusiasm for the story was still very much apparent and not really in doubt and I wouldn't have expected anything less from such an accomplished writer of historical fiction as Rory Clements. It's just it would seem, he's writing a "dummies guide" to pre-war Nazis!
So I'm afraid this "back to school" style does render most of the detail of the story very clichéd and it's all rather cheesy with a “seen it, done it, shagged it!” ambience.
The scenes and interactions between the detective and his brainwashed Hitler Youth fanatical son are a prime example of this.
About the only thing that isn’t clichéd, is the fact that the author has chosen Munich as his principal setting, as “Berlin, just before the war” has been done to death, according to the author, which is all fair and well if the rest of the content is just as fresh, rather than the same old, tired Nazi tropes!
The author also seems to give a sympathetic ear to Nazis such as Ernst Hanfstaengl and unfortunately plays out a type of redemption for an extremely odious Bavarian Political Policeman (effectively Bavarian Gestapo), a sergeant Winter, who has been assigned to spy on detective Seb Wolff and is responsible for landing the detective in Dachau Concentration Camp right at the very beginning of the tale.
There is a revelation later on regarding sergeant Winter, which I presume is supposed to evoke some sort of reader sympathy for the character, but in reality, all it does is make one feel rather uncomfortable!
Thankfully there’s no such sympathy when the likes of the uber creep and utterly repugnant Unity Mitford and the deluded and sleazy Thule society enter into the fray.
If this is the start of a "Detective Sebastian Wolff" series, against my better judgement, I shall give the second instalment one more chance to see if the initial problems have been ironed out, but hopefully he's just a "lone" Wolff!
March 21, 2025
I picked this up with some trepidation. Having read all of Philip Kerr’s Bernie Gunther novels at least twice my feeling is that the theme of the Nazi-hating murder detective working in Nazi Germany has been done very thoroughly and rather brilliantly. Seb Wolff of the Munich police was going to have to work very hard to achieve something as good and would have to be very different to Bernie. My other cause for concern before beginning was that I know Clements writing from other work. His research of the period and the setting is not in the same league as Kerr’s and the stories tend to be less realistic and convincing. Of course the other author to try and inhabit the space vacated by Kerr was Volker Kutscher, whose Babylon Berlin was so awful that I struggled to finish it.
Some of the ideas in this book have strong overlap with the Gunther series. Like Gunther, Wolff is imprisoned for a period of time in Dachau. Like Gunther, Wolff is an unlikeable loner who is ostracised by his superiors. Just like Gunther, Wolff will not join the Nazi Party and therefore suffers consequences for his career. He disrespects Nazi leaders and symbols and puts his life and liberty at risk. He unwittingly finds himself in the power of senior Nazis working on a case with political undertones and where he has to deal with the jeopardy of balancing the need for justice with the risk to his personal safety. Where is the originality?
Like Kutscher, Clements has made a poor fist of trying to move in on Kerr’s vacated space. This novel irritated me from the first chapter. The attempt to convey the atmosphere of the early days of the Third Reich was superficial; the Nazis comic-book stereotypes and the main character rather thinly drawn in my view- almost as if from time to time the author felt the need to add in some detail about Wolff’s emotional reaction to a particular situation because that’s what the ‘How to Write a Thriller’ manual was telling him to do. Given the scenario and the set up this just didn’t fulfil the potential. The direction of the plot was predictable and the final denouement came as no surprise.
As a thriller Munich Wolff lacked pace. I quite enjoy a police procedural, whether set in Nazi Germany, Glasgow or on the Moon, but they need to have a heartbeat - some quality that keeps the pages turning. Clues left by the killer, unexpected witnesses, dead-ends that are followed for too long. This one took way too long to get going and I had largely lost interest before we first encountered the unfortunate young English woman who met a grisly end.
Maybe I am like a reader of fantasy novels whose first encounter was Tolkien and therefore sees everything that follows as a Tolkien knock-off. (Hmmmm, actually that is me!) For me this was orders of magnitude behind Philip Kerr and every page screamed inferiority. Consequently, I can only give 2 stars.
Some of the ideas in this book have strong overlap with the Gunther series. Like Gunther, Wolff is imprisoned for a period of time in Dachau. Like Gunther, Wolff is an unlikeable loner who is ostracised by his superiors. Just like Gunther, Wolff will not join the Nazi Party and therefore suffers consequences for his career. He disrespects Nazi leaders and symbols and puts his life and liberty at risk. He unwittingly finds himself in the power of senior Nazis working on a case with political undertones and where he has to deal with the jeopardy of balancing the need for justice with the risk to his personal safety. Where is the originality?
Like Kutscher, Clements has made a poor fist of trying to move in on Kerr’s vacated space. This novel irritated me from the first chapter. The attempt to convey the atmosphere of the early days of the Third Reich was superficial; the Nazis comic-book stereotypes and the main character rather thinly drawn in my view- almost as if from time to time the author felt the need to add in some detail about Wolff’s emotional reaction to a particular situation because that’s what the ‘How to Write a Thriller’ manual was telling him to do. Given the scenario and the set up this just didn’t fulfil the potential. The direction of the plot was predictable and the final denouement came as no surprise.
As a thriller Munich Wolff lacked pace. I quite enjoy a police procedural, whether set in Nazi Germany, Glasgow or on the Moon, but they need to have a heartbeat - some quality that keeps the pages turning. Clues left by the killer, unexpected witnesses, dead-ends that are followed for too long. This one took way too long to get going and I had largely lost interest before we first encountered the unfortunate young English woman who met a grisly end.
Maybe I am like a reader of fantasy novels whose first encounter was Tolkien and therefore sees everything that follows as a Tolkien knock-off. (Hmmmm, actually that is me!) For me this was orders of magnitude behind Philip Kerr and every page screamed inferiority. Consequently, I can only give 2 stars.
July 17, 2024
What an incredible book! To choose Bavaria in the 1930s as a setting in which to place a non-Jewish German policeman is brave, but Rory Clements does a superb job. The plot is gripping, and the setting is both beautiful and chilling. There's so much information in this, both subtle and unvarnished. After the end of the story, he posts a note about the history of that period in the run-up to WWII, so much of which has been overlooked and forgotten, but is essential to our understanding of today's Europe.
Five glittering stars and highly recommended. Would I read it again? Yes, definitely.
Five glittering stars and highly recommended. Would I read it again? Yes, definitely.
April 12, 2025
A great thriller by Rory Clements that I found hard to put down. Having read the Tom Wilde series, which I thoroughly enjoyed, moving on to a new lead and location did leave a twinge of sadness at missing the characters in those books, however I shouldn’t have worried.
Seb Wolff is a complex character, a good detective but in an almost no win situation given the prevailing politics in Germany at that time. Given a high profile murder to solve he is pushed along the investigation by higher political interests and this thriller aspect of the book is worth the read alone. I won’t go into the story as it is for readers to enjoy.
The fascinating thread through the whole book is how does a person keep their compassion, humanity and integrity when so many people are dehumanising sections of society and throwing people into concentration camps for daring to show any noncompliance? Even in his own home he risks being denounced by his son, what horror it must have been to live in such times.
An excellent book, I am already looking forward to Seb’s next case.
Seb Wolff is a complex character, a good detective but in an almost no win situation given the prevailing politics in Germany at that time. Given a high profile murder to solve he is pushed along the investigation by higher political interests and this thriller aspect of the book is worth the read alone. I won’t go into the story as it is for readers to enjoy.
The fascinating thread through the whole book is how does a person keep their compassion, humanity and integrity when so many people are dehumanising sections of society and throwing people into concentration camps for daring to show any noncompliance? Even in his own home he risks being denounced by his son, what horror it must have been to live in such times.
An excellent book, I am already looking forward to Seb’s next case.
August 2, 2024
Reading (listening actually) this excellent detective/murder thriller set in the late interwar years in Nazi controlled Germany, highlights the national and individual fear and paranoia generated by a mostly unquestioning state implementing racially abhorrent dictatorial decrees.
We have a civilised and cultured society riven with evil and great violence perpetrated against those unfortunates who did not fit a particularly twisted eugenics vision. Chilling and almost incomprehensible, it is dispiriting how such cold-hearted and despicable attitudes and views seeped beyond borders to infect the English hierarchy and class.
Recommended.
We have a civilised and cultured society riven with evil and great violence perpetrated against those unfortunates who did not fit a particularly twisted eugenics vision. Chilling and almost incomprehensible, it is dispiriting how such cold-hearted and despicable attitudes and views seeped beyond borders to infect the English hierarchy and class.
Recommended.
November 5, 2024
This took me so long to get into. It was a different kind of book for me. I love historical novels based on real life and this was set in the 1930s in Munich as Hitler was taking over Germany
Sebastian Wolf is a police officer trying to tackle doing his job without falling foul of the Nazi’s that he despises
As a young English girl is murdered he tries to discover who has committed this awful crime…when another body turns up and his young son and girlfriend then fall foul of the murderers
Really enjoyed it once I got into it
Sebastian Wolf is a police officer trying to tackle doing his job without falling foul of the Nazi’s that he despises
As a young English girl is murdered he tries to discover who has committed this awful crime…when another body turns up and his young son and girlfriend then fall foul of the murderers
Really enjoyed it once I got into it
March 11, 2025
Audiobook. Gripping. In the heart of the rise of Nazi Germany and in the shadow of Hitler’s growing tyranny inspector Wolff has to unravel and identify a serial killer. He’s a tough SOB considering the number of car crashes beating and attempted murders he has to battle, not to mention enmity from the Bavarian secret police. He’s a pretty dedicated cop. I think the appeal of the story is really the setting and his determination to be a man of justice in spite of the political trauma of the time. Of course Wolff always gets his man (and his woman as it turns out).
July 4, 2024
Wolff is no Bernie Gunther, but his sardonic cynicism certainly brings him to mind. Most enjoyable.
October 12, 2024
Good murder mystery. New Author, want read more.
October 13, 2024
Really really enjoyed that. Lots of names to contend with but a constantly moving story with plenty of drama. The author might be a little bit horny but we can ignore that.
December 23, 2024
Incredible
January 8, 2025
New hero for Rory. Following the (mis)adventures of Sebastian Wolf a detective in Hitlers Germany
April 22, 2025
fun read.
I liked it. Great noire murder mystery set in early nazi germany. Lots of suspects and possible motives with the evil specter of hitler abounding.
I liked it. Great noire murder mystery set in early nazi germany. Lots of suspects and possible motives with the evil specter of hitler abounding.
May 1, 2025
Compulsive reading
After a bit of a drought it was terrific to cone across a pacy, well structured thriller with a compelling protagonist and some excellent twists and turns. Highly recommended.
After a bit of a drought it was terrific to cone across a pacy, well structured thriller with a compelling protagonist and some excellent twists and turns. Highly recommended.
June 10, 2024
Interesting period piece about a nasty series of crimes taking place in Nazi Germany. Full of politics and nasty goings on.
June 16, 2025
8/10. Goede karakters, interessante tijd en een goed plot!
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