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Criminal Inspector Schenke #3
A Death in Berlin
SPRING 1940. GERMANY IS AT WAR. HITLER IS PREPARING TO UNLEASH THE BLITZKRIEG. IN BERLIN, WHERE EVIL FLOURISHES, MURDERERS FEAR NO ONE.
When the owner of a nightclub is ambushed and gunned down in an alley, Criminal Inspector Horst Schenke faces a challenging investigation. The dead man is no innocent he was a known gangster. As further murders follow, it becomes clear that the mobsters running Berlin's two most brutal crime rings are locked in a desperate struggle for control.
In the murky underworld of Berlin's criminal gangs Schenke discovers new enemies just as ruthless as the monsters who control the Nazi regime. And Schenke's principles may have to be sacrificed to protect those closest to him.
One false step, one careless word out of place, and the consequences will be fatal...
When the owner of a nightclub is ambushed and gunned down in an alley, Criminal Inspector Horst Schenke faces a challenging investigation. The dead man is no innocent he was a known gangster. As further murders follow, it becomes clear that the mobsters running Berlin's two most brutal crime rings are locked in a desperate struggle for control.
In the murky underworld of Berlin's criminal gangs Schenke discovers new enemies just as ruthless as the monsters who control the Nazi regime. And Schenke's principles may have to be sacrificed to protect those closest to him.
One false step, one careless word out of place, and the consequences will be fatal...
352 pages, Paperback
Published December 16, 2025
About the author
Simon Scarrow
180 books2,225 followersSimon Scarrow is a UK-based author, born in Nigeria, and now living in Norfolk. He completed a master's degree at the University of East Anglia, and, after working at the Inland Revenue, went into teaching as a lecturer at City College, Norwich.
He is best known for his "Eagle" series. This is Roman empire military fiction, starting with the second invasion of Britain, and continuing with subsequent adventures in every corner of the empire. The stories are told through the eyes of two centurions, Macro and Cato. To date there are eighteen books in the series.
Scarrow has also written a series of four novels on the Napoleonic wars, focusing on the lives of Wellington and Napoleon.
He is best known for his "Eagle" series. This is Roman empire military fiction, starting with the second invasion of Britain, and continuing with subsequent adventures in every corner of the empire. The stories are told through the eyes of two centurions, Macro and Cato. To date there are eighteen books in the series.
Scarrow has also written a series of four novels on the Napoleonic wars, focusing on the lives of Wellington and Napoleon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 148 reviews
February 5, 2025
Mr Scarrow continues with the Schenke series and keeps the writing style and period details at the high level. I have read two previous books, and was delighted with Book 3.
Horst Schenke investigates another case which this time involves forgery of food coupons and brutal killings behind it. Horst's loyalties lie with his conscience despite attempts to bribe him.
Mr Scarrow shows both the official Nazi Berlin and the underworld which exist along each other. The series is well-researched and is an interesting take on the Nazi regime at its heart.
*A big thank-you to Simon Scarrow, Headline, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
Horst Schenke investigates another case which this time involves forgery of food coupons and brutal killings behind it. Horst's loyalties lie with his conscience despite attempts to bribe him.
Mr Scarrow shows both the official Nazi Berlin and the underworld which exist along each other. The series is well-researched and is an interesting take on the Nazi regime at its heart.
*A big thank-you to Simon Scarrow, Headline, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
October 7, 2025
This magnificent historical crime novel is the 3rd volume of the amazing "CI Schenke" thriller series.
At the beginning of the book you'll find a well-drawn map of Berlin and surroundings in May 1940, a Nazi Chain of Command, as well as an Author's Note.
At the end of the book you'll see an Historical Note, where the historical details concerning this story are superbly documented.
Storytelling is excellent, all figures, real historical and fictional, come vividly to life in this tale about the Nazis and of total War, and most of all about criminal warfare between different gang clubs in Berlin, while the dark and oppressive warlike atmosphere in Berlin comes splendidly off the pages, and the thriller is brought to us in a most authentic fashion possible by the author.
This thriller is set in May 1940, and as a starting point Kripo CI Horst Schenke and his team are investigating the murder of gang boss Remer in a dark alley in Berlin, and this murder will be the starting point of more deaths connecting to criminal Remer and forged coupons that are found on his premises after a lethal attack.
During this investigations, assisted by Sergeant Hauser and former SS man Liebwitz, they will unravel many more leads to a certain criminal person and area, while more murders and a betrayal will follow, until it will come to a final showdown between certain factions to end this lethal feud.
Very much recommended, this is a superb book, just like its predecessors "Blackout" and "Dead of Night" (see my reviews), to make this a fabulous series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Marvellous Emphatic Death"!
At the beginning of the book you'll find a well-drawn map of Berlin and surroundings in May 1940, a Nazi Chain of Command, as well as an Author's Note.
At the end of the book you'll see an Historical Note, where the historical details concerning this story are superbly documented.
Storytelling is excellent, all figures, real historical and fictional, come vividly to life in this tale about the Nazis and of total War, and most of all about criminal warfare between different gang clubs in Berlin, while the dark and oppressive warlike atmosphere in Berlin comes splendidly off the pages, and the thriller is brought to us in a most authentic fashion possible by the author.
This thriller is set in May 1940, and as a starting point Kripo CI Horst Schenke and his team are investigating the murder of gang boss Remer in a dark alley in Berlin, and this murder will be the starting point of more deaths connecting to criminal Remer and forged coupons that are found on his premises after a lethal attack.
During this investigations, assisted by Sergeant Hauser and former SS man Liebwitz, they will unravel many more leads to a certain criminal person and area, while more murders and a betrayal will follow, until it will come to a final showdown between certain factions to end this lethal feud.
Very much recommended, this is a superb book, just like its predecessors "Blackout" and "Dead of Night" (see my reviews), to make this a fabulous series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Marvellous Emphatic Death"!
May 9, 2025
with the passing away of Philip Kerr we lost future books about the Berlin Policeman Bernie Gunther whose stories told us a lot about Berlin at the beginning of WW2 and later of various parts of the war.
With CI Schenk we get a worthy continuation of a policeman caught up in the war. Schenk and Gunther served at the same time as policemen.
CI Schenk and his people have difficulty to tracé the fake foodcoupons that are released in Berlin when a famous nightclub owner gets attacked and killed, leaving his current girlfriend shot as well.
Schenk and his people get involved in this homicide investigation that clearly points to another gang in Berlin. it gives an interesting insight in the underworld of Berlin on the early days of World War 2.
And then there is Ruth a Jewish girl to whom Schenk did lose his heart to. And like last time she proves to be trouble for the Criminal Investgator.
this third novel about CI Schenk is again an improvement on the previous one, I can only hope that mr Scarrow will continue to write the series. Excellent Police novel and some modern historica insights of the beginning of 5 dark years in Europe.
Well worth your reading time.
With CI Schenk we get a worthy continuation of a policeman caught up in the war. Schenk and Gunther served at the same time as policemen.
CI Schenk and his people have difficulty to tracé the fake foodcoupons that are released in Berlin when a famous nightclub owner gets attacked and killed, leaving his current girlfriend shot as well.
Schenk and his people get involved in this homicide investigation that clearly points to another gang in Berlin. it gives an interesting insight in the underworld of Berlin on the early days of World War 2.
And then there is Ruth a Jewish girl to whom Schenk did lose his heart to. And like last time she proves to be trouble for the Criminal Investgator.
this third novel about CI Schenk is again an improvement on the previous one, I can only hope that mr Scarrow will continue to write the series. Excellent Police novel and some modern historica insights of the beginning of 5 dark years in Europe.
Well worth your reading time.
February 20, 2026
Madeira holiday #3 and the third book I have read in Scarrow’s Criminal Investigator Horst Schenke series (surprisingly all in order). This story has Schenke still trying to solve the forged black market ration coupons. A number of murders. And surprisingly as he has a high standard of morals he reveals a darker side in the lengths he goes to in the protection of his Jewish girl friend.
I still see the relationship between Schenke and his sergeant Hauser like that between Cato and Macro in the Authors Roman novels. But the seconded ex Gestapo man Liebwitz has some good lines and observations. Great quick read.
I still see the relationship between Schenke and his sergeant Hauser like that between Cato and Macro in the Authors Roman novels. But the seconded ex Gestapo man Liebwitz has some good lines and observations. Great quick read.
March 13, 2025
A Death in Berlin is the third book featuring Criminal Inspector Horst Schenke, the follow-up to Blackout and Dead of Night.
Horst Schenke is a brilliant character. He has a strong sense of justice and bringing criminals to book is what drives him. It enables him to temporarily put to one side his growing alarm at and distaste for what is happening to Germany under the Nazis. But that’s becoming increasingly difficult. The fact he has not yet joined the Nazi party or applied for membership of the SS and turned down a role working for Heydrich marks him out in the eyes of his new boss Oberfuhrer Radinsky as a maverick. Nazi Germany does not care for mavericks. It’s only Schenke’s excellent results that protect him. Oh, and his previous career as a famous racing driver. It turns out he has an unexpected fan too.
Schenke has an additional weak spot in the form of his relationship with Ruth, a Jewish woman. Their relationship must remain clandestine for both their sakes: snatched meetings in out of the way places organised by coded messages and constant vigilence. For Schenke, discovery would mean the end of his career, and possibly worse. For Ruth it would mean certain death. ‘Caution was not just a watchword but the essence of their survival.’
But a secret makes you vulnerable and open to manipulation, as Schenke discovers. It results in the most difficult moral dilemma he has faced in his career.
Schenke’s team return: the trusty Sergeant Hauser, handy in a brawl; and Scharfuhrer Liebwitz, seconded from the Gestapo and possessed of a remarkable memory and eye for detail. (I did love learning a little more about their personal lives.) Their investigation into forged ration coupons, a valuable commodity in a time of increasing deprivation for ordinary Germans (but not for high-ranking Nazis), takes them into the murky, dog-eat-dog, world of criminal gangs.
For Schenke, increasingly there’s little difference between the immorality of the criminal underworld and that of the Nazi regime. And sometimes – just sometimes – your enemy’s enemy is your friend and the end does justify the means. It’s the cue for some terrific action scenes, including one fuelled by revenge and a desperate attempt to save a life.
As Hitler unleashes the full might of the German army on Western Europe, Schenke can only despair at what his country has become. I’m sure we can all think of contemporary parallels.
If you’re looking for a brilliant historical thriller set against the backdrop of real events with a leading character you can’t help but root for, A Death in Berlin will not disappoint.
Horst Schenke is a brilliant character. He has a strong sense of justice and bringing criminals to book is what drives him. It enables him to temporarily put to one side his growing alarm at and distaste for what is happening to Germany under the Nazis. But that’s becoming increasingly difficult. The fact he has not yet joined the Nazi party or applied for membership of the SS and turned down a role working for Heydrich marks him out in the eyes of his new boss Oberfuhrer Radinsky as a maverick. Nazi Germany does not care for mavericks. It’s only Schenke’s excellent results that protect him. Oh, and his previous career as a famous racing driver. It turns out he has an unexpected fan too.
Schenke has an additional weak spot in the form of his relationship with Ruth, a Jewish woman. Their relationship must remain clandestine for both their sakes: snatched meetings in out of the way places organised by coded messages and constant vigilence. For Schenke, discovery would mean the end of his career, and possibly worse. For Ruth it would mean certain death. ‘Caution was not just a watchword but the essence of their survival.’
But a secret makes you vulnerable and open to manipulation, as Schenke discovers. It results in the most difficult moral dilemma he has faced in his career.
Schenke’s team return: the trusty Sergeant Hauser, handy in a brawl; and Scharfuhrer Liebwitz, seconded from the Gestapo and possessed of a remarkable memory and eye for detail. (I did love learning a little more about their personal lives.) Their investigation into forged ration coupons, a valuable commodity in a time of increasing deprivation for ordinary Germans (but not for high-ranking Nazis), takes them into the murky, dog-eat-dog, world of criminal gangs.
For Schenke, increasingly there’s little difference between the immorality of the criminal underworld and that of the Nazi regime. And sometimes – just sometimes – your enemy’s enemy is your friend and the end does justify the means. It’s the cue for some terrific action scenes, including one fuelled by revenge and a desperate attempt to save a life.
As Hitler unleashes the full might of the German army on Western Europe, Schenke can only despair at what his country has become. I’m sure we can all think of contemporary parallels.
If you’re looking for a brilliant historical thriller set against the backdrop of real events with a leading character you can’t help but root for, A Death in Berlin will not disappoint.
March 9, 2025
Berlin. 1940. Germany is about to escalate the war and march west.
CI Horst Schenke a Kripo investigator has other things on his mind.
He has a new boss, he is in a relationship with a Jewish woman he must keep secret, and he has to solve a murder, whilst trying to discover who is forging ration books.
All of this under the eyes of the Nazi party who are at the peak of their power, and to top things of a gangland dispute has risen, which he must stop before it gets out of control.
This is going to be the most difficult and perilous time in his career and if he doesn’t get results it could be the end for him.
This is the third book in this brilliant series and probably the best one so far.
Simon Scarrow has a wonderful eye for detail in his writing and not many writers can match him.
I found myself drawn into the story from the start and couldn’t put it down.
I hope there are more books in this series as they are exactly what I like to read.
A superb book and one I highly recommend.
CI Horst Schenke a Kripo investigator has other things on his mind.
He has a new boss, he is in a relationship with a Jewish woman he must keep secret, and he has to solve a murder, whilst trying to discover who is forging ration books.
All of this under the eyes of the Nazi party who are at the peak of their power, and to top things of a gangland dispute has risen, which he must stop before it gets out of control.
This is going to be the most difficult and perilous time in his career and if he doesn’t get results it could be the end for him.
This is the third book in this brilliant series and probably the best one so far.
Simon Scarrow has a wonderful eye for detail in his writing and not many writers can match him.
I found myself drawn into the story from the start and couldn’t put it down.
I hope there are more books in this series as they are exactly what I like to read.
A superb book and one I highly recommend.
February 6, 2026
4.5*
Tercer volum de la sèrie de l’Inspector Schenke i consolida definitivament aquesta saga com una de les meves preferides dins del thriller històric. Ambientada en plena Alemanya nazi, la novel·la combina investigació criminal, tensió política i una atmosfera opressiva on qualsevol error pot ser fatal. El cas atrapa des del principi, però el que realment fa brillar la història és com Scarrow converteix l’època en un personatge més: el Berlín del Tercer Reich és viu, brut i aterridorament creïble.
Un dels grans punts forts és, sens dubte, la profunditat dels personatges i la seva evolució al llarg de la sèrie. Schenke i els qui l’envolten no són simples peces d’un misteri, sinó figures humanes, plenes de contradiccions, que lluiten per mantenir-se sencers en un sistema que devora qualsevol rastre de moralitat. La prosa és excel·lent i la trama està construïda amb una precisió impecable, que equilibra ritme, emoció i un retrat històric tant fidel com colpidor.
En resum, un thriller brillant, intens i absorbent, amb un final brillant, que confirma la qualitat creixent de la sèrie. Després d’aquest volum, només puc esperar que la propera entrega es publiqui ben aviat.
Tercer volum de la sèrie de l’Inspector Schenke i consolida definitivament aquesta saga com una de les meves preferides dins del thriller històric. Ambientada en plena Alemanya nazi, la novel·la combina investigació criminal, tensió política i una atmosfera opressiva on qualsevol error pot ser fatal. El cas atrapa des del principi, però el que realment fa brillar la història és com Scarrow converteix l’època en un personatge més: el Berlín del Tercer Reich és viu, brut i aterridorament creïble.
Un dels grans punts forts és, sens dubte, la profunditat dels personatges i la seva evolució al llarg de la sèrie. Schenke i els qui l’envolten no són simples peces d’un misteri, sinó figures humanes, plenes de contradiccions, que lluiten per mantenir-se sencers en un sistema que devora qualsevol rastre de moralitat. La prosa és excel·lent i la trama està construïda amb una precisió impecable, que equilibra ritme, emoció i un retrat històric tant fidel com colpidor.
En resum, un thriller brillant, intens i absorbent, amb un final brillant, que confirma la qualitat creixent de la sèrie. Després d’aquest volum, només puc esperar que la propera entrega es publiqui ben aviat.
November 13, 2025
The third of Simon Scarrow's thrillers featuring Criminal Inspector Horst Schenke.
In 1940 Berlin Schenke finds life difficult in more ways than one. He is investigating the murder of a Berlin nightclub owner, trying to avoid joining the SS that his new boss insists he must do, and he's risking a relationship with a Jewish woman he may be falling in love with.
As usual author Simon Scarrow seemlessly mixes real and fictional characters in a well plotted crime thriller.
Let's hope this is not the final outing for Horst Schenke.
In 1940 Berlin Schenke finds life difficult in more ways than one. He is investigating the murder of a Berlin nightclub owner, trying to avoid joining the SS that his new boss insists he must do, and he's risking a relationship with a Jewish woman he may be falling in love with.
As usual author Simon Scarrow seemlessly mixes real and fictional characters in a well plotted crime thriller.
Let's hope this is not the final outing for Horst Schenke.
December 27, 2025
7.5/10
Tercera parte de esta saga y de nuevo lo que más me ha gustado es la ambientación lúgubre y la atmosfera pesada del Berlín nazi de 1940, donde el Fuhrer era casi una deidad para la mayoría de los alemanes, y el partido dominaba con mano de hierro todos los ámbitos de la sociedad.
Una vez más veremos al inspector Schenke metido en líos por su aversión al nazismo y a las leyes que estos promulgan, normal por otro lado para poder simpatizar con el protagonista, ya que si fuera un nazi consumado estos libros ni se habrían publicado.
La trama no está mal, tiene bastante ritmo, pero es un poco rocambolesca y la parte detectivesca no es la mejor de las 3 entregas.
En cualquier caso, me ha entretenido mucho y me ha parecido una lectura que merece la pena si ya te has leído los dos anteriores, y si no, le daría una oportunidad al primero.
Tercera parte de esta saga y de nuevo lo que más me ha gustado es la ambientación lúgubre y la atmosfera pesada del Berlín nazi de 1940, donde el Fuhrer era casi una deidad para la mayoría de los alemanes, y el partido dominaba con mano de hierro todos los ámbitos de la sociedad.
Una vez más veremos al inspector Schenke metido en líos por su aversión al nazismo y a las leyes que estos promulgan, normal por otro lado para poder simpatizar con el protagonista, ya que si fuera un nazi consumado estos libros ni se habrían publicado.
La trama no está mal, tiene bastante ritmo, pero es un poco rocambolesca y la parte detectivesca no es la mejor de las 3 entregas.
En cualquier caso, me ha entretenido mucho y me ha parecido una lectura que merece la pena si ya te has leído los dos anteriores, y si no, le daría una oportunidad al primero.
May 13, 2025
This is the third novel in the Horst Schencke series from Simon Scarrow. Horst works as a criminal detective in Nazi wartime Berlin, operating under the auspices of the Nazi regime while not being a Nazi himself. This novel remains much in the same vein as the prior novels with Horst solving a murder while also interacting with various echelons of the Nazi regime -- trying to keep them at arm's length. This whole series is classic potboiler work, but it is well done potboiler fare -- consider it chicken noodle soup. The writing remains elementary. The plotting remains basic. And the themes are basically tropes with heavy handed references to modern fascism. I have no complaints. The series is empty delicious calories, and it provided exactly what I expected.
4 stars.
4 stars.
October 12, 2025
Criminal Inspector Horst Schenke is back and it's 1940s Berlin and a gang war is about to erupt. Simon Scarrow has set a difficult scene for a policeman during this time. He doesn't really trust the new government but he wants to solve crime and keep the citizens safe. A Death in Berlin is the third book in this series and I find them very interesting and entertaining to read. The author has created some great characters and the setting is bound to be trying for all involved. What makes this extra good is the fact that I found another series set in Paris during almost the same time, it's great to see similarities and differences for the two detectives. I can recommend this series even if you have no interest in the second world war. It is a good crimestory.
March 13, 2026
The third, and currently last, but hopefully not final entry in the Schenke series from Simon Scarrow. I've never fancied his novels set in Roman times, but a detective in wartime Berlin was right up my street, and I've loved all of them so far. This time Inspector Schenke gets mixed up with criminal gangs, murders, blackmail and counterfeit ration coup0uns; all of which may be connected. He still has his trusty old-fashioned Sergeant and the intense young former Gestapo man to help with his investigations, as well as a complicated and dangerous personal life to deal with. There's all the ingredients for a compelling and exciting read here, and Scarrow doesn't let us down. There's definitely more mileage in Schenke and his comrades, so fingers crossed that there are further novels in this excellent series.
May 18, 2025
[18 May 2025] A classic crime mystery set in 1940s Nazi Berlin. The characters are well drawn, the scenes are described and the pace and narrative are all good. It moves along well and is an easy read. Manageable chapters with believable plot-lines and it grabs and holds your interest. I thought it got dangerously close to becoming a little far-fetched on a couple of occasions, but not so as to spoil things. The descriptions of Berlin at war are good and very atmospheric.
Generally a really cracking read following a Detective Police Inspector trying to unravel an organised crime ring while politically believing that Hitler and the government was more-or-less an organised crime ring. I won't include a spoiler but thought it was neatly done. I'd certainly read another of Simon Scarrow's books - so that is a recommendation.
Generally a really cracking read following a Detective Police Inspector trying to unravel an organised crime ring while politically believing that Hitler and the government was more-or-less an organised crime ring. I won't include a spoiler but thought it was neatly done. I'd certainly read another of Simon Scarrow's books - so that is a recommendation.
June 1, 2025
The third in this series, and possibly the best so far. Follow Inspector Schenke as he investigates a murder, and forged ration coupons in 1930s Berlin.
I've always enjoyed Scarrows historic fiction, which in this case explores the backdrop of prewar Germany as the Nazis took hold. In this installment I feel like he has also firmly gotten to grips with writing police investigation stories. Come for the crime, learn history by accident.
I've always enjoyed Scarrows historic fiction, which in this case explores the backdrop of prewar Germany as the Nazis took hold. In this installment I feel like he has also firmly gotten to grips with writing police investigation stories. Come for the crime, learn history by accident.
July 1, 2025
4 Stars - Intriguing crime series set in WWII Berlin 1940
Book part #3 😎 - I just like this series a lot. The third in a short time and with an excellent Swedish narrator in combination with a very interesting main character, Horst Schencke a German Criminal Inspector and his sometimes a bit unmanageable police-job in the then Nazi-ruled Berlin of 1939 / 1940. What an horrifying and unimaginable world. - Glad that that cruel regime was wiped out a few years later with its own delusion of grandeur. A small consolation after all the terrible things that hit so many people hard, that the saying "he who chases after too much ... easily falls into his own trap" is also sometimes true.
Looking forward to more books about the police-group in Berlin. May it be a happy end and good long life for any of them? Hard to believe, but I still hope.
Read June 30, 2025
Book part #3 😎 - I just like this series a lot. The third in a short time and with an excellent Swedish narrator in combination with a very interesting main character, Horst Schencke a German Criminal Inspector and his sometimes a bit unmanageable police-job in the then Nazi-ruled Berlin of 1939 / 1940. What an horrifying and unimaginable world. - Glad that that cruel regime was wiped out a few years later with its own delusion of grandeur. A small consolation after all the terrible things that hit so many people hard, that the saying "he who chases after too much ... easily falls into his own trap" is also sometimes true.
Looking forward to more books about the police-group in Berlin. May it be a happy end and good long life for any of them? Hard to believe, but I still hope.
Read June 30, 2025
December 8, 2025
Great war time crime thriller. Loved it
October 27, 2025
A third book in Scarrow's Berlin detective series this is pretty average stuff.
Featuring ex racing driver turned plod Horst von Schenke and his team of disparate Kriminal Polizei colleagues. This time they have to contend with forgery, turf wars and Nazi party corruption.
I like the time and setting, 1940, early WW2 but this type of thing is done so much better by Philip Kerr and Robert Harris.
Featuring ex racing driver turned plod Horst von Schenke and his team of disparate Kriminal Polizei colleagues. This time they have to contend with forgery, turf wars and Nazi party corruption.
I like the time and setting, 1940, early WW2 but this type of thing is done so much better by Philip Kerr and Robert Harris.
March 21, 2026
A harsh 4.5 stars but could easily have been a 5 star.
The book is so engaging and very moreish. Set in Nazi during the outbreak of WW2 after Germany have invaded Poland and is gearing up the invasion of France, Belgium and Netherlands, it follows the investigation of a string of crimes carried out by gangs set up to take advantage of the system during the war.
All the while, following the life of detective Schenke (Kripo officer) as he navigates handling the case and his private life dating a Jewish lady during the rise of the Third Reich - leading to some rather intense blackmail “attempts” from the criminal enterprises he is investigating.
Alongside the story it gives a eye opening and very real (albeit small) insight into how the lives of people living in that era under the dictatorship and just how destructive that period of time was on both a small and obviously global scale.
As far as historical crime novels go, this one is fantastic and well worth a read!
After easing this, I have bought a 10 book set of Simmon Scarrow books from his Eagle of the Empire (historical military fiction), a non-fiction book following the events and rise of World War 2 & bookmarked the other two Kripo / Detective Schenke books from this crime series to read at some point.
The book is so engaging and very moreish. Set in Nazi during the outbreak of WW2 after Germany have invaded Poland and is gearing up the invasion of France, Belgium and Netherlands, it follows the investigation of a string of crimes carried out by gangs set up to take advantage of the system during the war.
All the while, following the life of detective Schenke (Kripo officer) as he navigates handling the case and his private life dating a Jewish lady during the rise of the Third Reich - leading to some rather intense blackmail “attempts” from the criminal enterprises he is investigating.
Alongside the story it gives a eye opening and very real (albeit small) insight into how the lives of people living in that era under the dictatorship and just how destructive that period of time was on both a small and obviously global scale.
As far as historical crime novels go, this one is fantastic and well worth a read!
After easing this, I have bought a 10 book set of Simmon Scarrow books from his Eagle of the Empire (historical military fiction), a non-fiction book following the events and rise of World War 2 & bookmarked the other two Kripo / Detective Schenke books from this crime series to read at some point.
April 28, 2025
Not content with writing one excellent series of books, Simon Scarrow has produced a second which in my view is even better than the long running Cato and Macro Roman series.
Our hero as before is Criminal Investigator Horst Schenke who works for the Kripo in 1940 Berlin. The Kripo seems broadly equivalent to our CID. Schenke is an honest and talented investigator but has to work between Berlin’s crime gangs and the Nazis – clearly it is often difficult to tell the difference between the two and this is really where the series sits. How to work honestly within a corrupt regime.
Schenke and his colleagues are sent to investigate the murder of a nightclub owner while continuing an investigation into forged ration books. This puts them right in the middle of rival crime gangs and scheming Nazis – not a good place to be.
As the body count increases, the pressure on Schenke to ‘get a result’ increases both from his superiors and the criminals.
This is another really well written, historically interesting and enjoyable book. I hope Simon Scarrow writes many more in the series.
Our hero as before is Criminal Investigator Horst Schenke who works for the Kripo in 1940 Berlin. The Kripo seems broadly equivalent to our CID. Schenke is an honest and talented investigator but has to work between Berlin’s crime gangs and the Nazis – clearly it is often difficult to tell the difference between the two and this is really where the series sits. How to work honestly within a corrupt regime.
Schenke and his colleagues are sent to investigate the murder of a nightclub owner while continuing an investigation into forged ration books. This puts them right in the middle of rival crime gangs and scheming Nazis – not a good place to be.
As the body count increases, the pressure on Schenke to ‘get a result’ increases both from his superiors and the criminals.
This is another really well written, historically interesting and enjoyable book. I hope Simon Scarrow writes many more in the series.
August 26, 2025
Jag hoppade rakt in i serien med Döden i Berlin, den tredje boken om kriminalinspektör Horst Schenke. Att börja mitt i en serie är alltid en chansning, men i det här fallet fungerade det förvånansvärt bra. Jag saknade aldrig något avgörande, även om jag anar att vissa relationer och karaktärsutvecklingar hade känts ännu starkare om jag läst de två första delarna först.
Scarrow lyckas verkligen balansera det politiska allvaret med en spännande mordgåta som innehåller svek, kärlek och action. Berättelsen tar flera oväntade vändningar, och jag gillar hur tempot växlar mellan intensiva händelser och mer reflekterande partier.
Schenke är en fascinerande huvudperson – han har en tydlig moralisk kompass i ett samhälle där det är farligt att ifrågasätta makten. Det gör honom både intressant och lätt att känna med.
Det här är en bok jag verkligen uppskattade och som gav mersmak. Jag kommer definitivt att läsa vidare i serien, kanske till och med börja om från början för att få hela bilden av Schenkes resa.
Scarrow lyckas verkligen balansera det politiska allvaret med en spännande mordgåta som innehåller svek, kärlek och action. Berättelsen tar flera oväntade vändningar, och jag gillar hur tempot växlar mellan intensiva händelser och mer reflekterande partier.
Schenke är en fascinerande huvudperson – han har en tydlig moralisk kompass i ett samhälle där det är farligt att ifrågasätta makten. Det gör honom både intressant och lätt att känna med.
Det här är en bok jag verkligen uppskattade och som gav mersmak. Jag kommer definitivt att läsa vidare i serien, kanske till och med börja om från början för att få hela bilden av Schenkes resa.
March 12, 2025
4.5 stars
It’s a rollercoaster of an adventure being back from Schenke and his team. Simon Scarrow has written another fantastic detective mystery, full of historical references to the Nazi uprising in early 1940’s Germany.
Dealing with the underworld of the seedier side of Berlin, whilst trying to navigate the complexity of politics in Nazi Germany has posed a complex investigation for Schenke and his men.
The characters in this one, as in the others in the series are cleverly detailed amongst the backdrop of Germany in the early stages of the war. Poland has been taken and everyone, including Schenke and his team are feeling the impact both personally and professionally. Not knowing who to trust their secrets to, it’s a dark world in which the darker side of life is currently winning.
It’s a rollercoaster of an adventure being back from Schenke and his team. Simon Scarrow has written another fantastic detective mystery, full of historical references to the Nazi uprising in early 1940’s Germany.
Dealing with the underworld of the seedier side of Berlin, whilst trying to navigate the complexity of politics in Nazi Germany has posed a complex investigation for Schenke and his men.
The characters in this one, as in the others in the series are cleverly detailed amongst the backdrop of Germany in the early stages of the war. Poland has been taken and everyone, including Schenke and his team are feeling the impact both personally and professionally. Not knowing who to trust their secrets to, it’s a dark world in which the darker side of life is currently winning.
January 23, 2026
The thing I like about this series of books is that they are so enjoyable to read. Accessible, readable and likeable all wrapped up into one. The atmosphere and historical background of WWII Germany provides an intriguing back drop to a gangster war with murder, theft, forgery and betrayal running riot. It all makes for a most enjoyable detective story. This is the third in the series and I do hope there are more to follow.
☘️
☘️
October 28, 2025
I think it is 2 years since I read a Criminal Inspector Schenke book. This latest in the series did not disappoint. An interesting storyline set in Berlin 1940, with the tension and power struggles in wartime Germany well recorded. The book moved along at a good pace. Roll on the next book in this series.
May 25, 2026
This one is very well put together. It strikes the right tone and is a thrilling race start to finish. I hope there are more books forthcoming in this series since they are well written and absorbing. Highly recommended?
July 2, 2025
Pacing thriller set in Berlin during the months pre WW2. Detective investigating the Berlin underworld and how his personal life pits him against Nazi ideology.
November 15, 2025
Spännande från början till sista meningen. Vad är bra med att läsa en bra bok? Den är så bra att det är svårt att sluta läsa Vad är dåligt med att läsa en bra bok? Den tar alldeles för snabbt slut. Nu vet du. Den här skall du inte missa helt enkelt.
April 12, 2025
Enjoyable, and would read the others in the series but the historical detail is superficially sketched, not a patch on Philip Kerr’s Bernie Gunther novels which really stand apart.
April 19, 2026
Thrilling read from start to finish
Chillingly believable
Read it willingly !!!
Chillingly believable
Read it willingly !!!
May 8, 2026
This book is the third in series by Simon Scarrow , in which Criminal Inspector Horst Schenke fights to keep criminals off his patch in war time Nazi Berlin in May of 1940. He wants nothing to do the Nazi regime. Just to do his job and catch criminals in Berlin, where the gangsters are more violent than ever. However his job is made more difficult as Nazi party members with absolute power protect the more sleazy as they are able to provide them with perks that unavailable to the masses.
However Schenke has a secret relationship with a Jewish woman, which if exposed would end his career This a gripping, compelling tale, which I could not put down. The plot is thrilling, resolved only on the last pages! Mr Scarrow has written a brilliant tale of wartime Nazi Berlin. I look forward to the next in the series!
However Schenke has a secret relationship with a Jewish woman, which if exposed would end his career This a gripping, compelling tale, which I could not put down. The plot is thrilling, resolved only on the last pages! Mr Scarrow has written a brilliant tale of wartime Nazi Berlin. I look forward to the next in the series!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 148 reviews