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The City in Year Zero: The gripping WW2 historical thriller
Nothing thrived here, but something grew...
Germany, 1945. Year Zero. The war is at an end. When Ireland's ambassador to the Third Reich finally leaves the war-torn country, Garda detective Stefan Gillespie makes his way home under the watchful eye of British Intelligence, who are searching for some of the Irish citizens Ireland doesn't want back. The usual dirty business. But suddenly Stefan is drawn into a murder inquiry.
Unexpectedly arriving in a town he knew in his youth, on visits to his German relatives, Stefan feels compelled to help his cousin Annaliese and her hostile daughter Krista. Maybe it's nostalgia for first love, or for a time of peace, or maybe he just wants to do something that feels clean. But the past is a dangerous place to return to...
A darkness still hangs over Germany, and Stefan Gillespie is walking right into it.
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Praise for Michael
'Complex but compelling . . . utterly vivid and convincing' - Independent on Sunday
'A superb, atmospheric thriller' - Irish Independent
'A thriller to keep you guessing and gasping' - Daily Mail
'Atmospheric' - Sunday Times
Germany, 1945. Year Zero. The war is at an end. When Ireland's ambassador to the Third Reich finally leaves the war-torn country, Garda detective Stefan Gillespie makes his way home under the watchful eye of British Intelligence, who are searching for some of the Irish citizens Ireland doesn't want back. The usual dirty business. But suddenly Stefan is drawn into a murder inquiry.
Unexpectedly arriving in a town he knew in his youth, on visits to his German relatives, Stefan feels compelled to help his cousin Annaliese and her hostile daughter Krista. Maybe it's nostalgia for first love, or for a time of peace, or maybe he just wants to do something that feels clean. But the past is a dangerous place to return to...
A darkness still hangs over Germany, and Stefan Gillespie is walking right into it.
----------
Praise for Michael
'Complex but compelling . . . utterly vivid and convincing' - Independent on Sunday
'A superb, atmospheric thriller' - Irish Independent
'A thriller to keep you guessing and gasping' - Daily Mail
'Atmospheric' - Sunday Times
- GenresIreland
313 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 5, 2026
About the author
Michael Russell
212 books3 followersThis is the disambiguation profile for otherwise unseparated authors publishing as Michael Russell
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 30, 2026
The City in Year Zero by Michael Russell published March 5th with Constable. It is the tenth and final book in this series, which is described as ‘taking a sideways look at the Second World War through Irish eyes, and exploring some unexpected corners of the conflict, where crime and corruption thrives in the darkness of war’.
Stefan Gillespie is making his way home to Ireland, following his activities on mainland Europe during the war years. His position is quite fragile as he is caught between the British Intelligence and the remnants of the Third Reich. Gillespie has knowledge of certain individuals that British Intelligence would like, making him vulnerable in certain situations. Germany is a country in flux, with many missing and more wanted due to their Nazi involvement. As the Russians move in to the country, tensions rise and everybody is very careful with what they say and do.
Gillespie is a policeman with the habit of finding himself in uncompromising and dangerous situation. On his journey home, he is surprised to find himself assisting in a murder inquiry. His attempts at steering clear prove impossible so he side steps to visit some relatives in a town he knew well in his youth, having visited with his mother. His cousin Anneliese was once someone he admired and was infatuated with but now, after the war, everything has changed. Annaliese is struggling with her daughter, Krista, who had been indoctrinated by the Hitler youth and Annaliese herself has been complicit in some of the Nazi’s actions. Now she fears for their very existence as the Allied armies edge into their town.
Gillespie is caught between helping his cousin, which will put his own life and reputation at risk, or leaving on the next available route back to Ireland. He has survived thus far through this destructive war – is he about to risk his life one last time?
I didn’t read all the books in this series, jumping in at the later stages, which worked out fine, as each book is well fleshed out with sufficient back story where relevant. However, I would recommend that you read at least book 9 in the series in order to get a full sense of this one. The City in Year Zero is very much a wrap up novel, the one where Gillespie takes one final, personal, action before returning to Ireland. In the notes at the end Russell provides some really fascinating insights about certain factual characters, including that of the Irish diplomat Con Cremin. He also references specific locations and refers to the significance of the Line of Contact between the British/American forces and the Russians at the end of the war.
Vivid, atmospheric, convincing are all words I would use to describe these books. Russell takes the reader on an extraordinary journey through equally extraordinary times. With scintillating characters, both good and bad, he recreates a period in history that remains rooted in the minds of many.
The City in Year Zero is a fitting end to this series, one I was glad to have discovered. Meticulously researched throughout, these books offer a realistic portrait of those terrifying years. Definitely one for history buffs!!
Stefan Gillespie is making his way home to Ireland, following his activities on mainland Europe during the war years. His position is quite fragile as he is caught between the British Intelligence and the remnants of the Third Reich. Gillespie has knowledge of certain individuals that British Intelligence would like, making him vulnerable in certain situations. Germany is a country in flux, with many missing and more wanted due to their Nazi involvement. As the Russians move in to the country, tensions rise and everybody is very careful with what they say and do.
Gillespie is a policeman with the habit of finding himself in uncompromising and dangerous situation. On his journey home, he is surprised to find himself assisting in a murder inquiry. His attempts at steering clear prove impossible so he side steps to visit some relatives in a town he knew well in his youth, having visited with his mother. His cousin Anneliese was once someone he admired and was infatuated with but now, after the war, everything has changed. Annaliese is struggling with her daughter, Krista, who had been indoctrinated by the Hitler youth and Annaliese herself has been complicit in some of the Nazi’s actions. Now she fears for their very existence as the Allied armies edge into their town.
Gillespie is caught between helping his cousin, which will put his own life and reputation at risk, or leaving on the next available route back to Ireland. He has survived thus far through this destructive war – is he about to risk his life one last time?
I didn’t read all the books in this series, jumping in at the later stages, which worked out fine, as each book is well fleshed out with sufficient back story where relevant. However, I would recommend that you read at least book 9 in the series in order to get a full sense of this one. The City in Year Zero is very much a wrap up novel, the one where Gillespie takes one final, personal, action before returning to Ireland. In the notes at the end Russell provides some really fascinating insights about certain factual characters, including that of the Irish diplomat Con Cremin. He also references specific locations and refers to the significance of the Line of Contact between the British/American forces and the Russians at the end of the war.
Vivid, atmospheric, convincing are all words I would use to describe these books. Russell takes the reader on an extraordinary journey through equally extraordinary times. With scintillating characters, both good and bad, he recreates a period in history that remains rooted in the minds of many.
The City in Year Zero is a fitting end to this series, one I was glad to have discovered. Meticulously researched throughout, these books offer a realistic portrait of those terrifying years. Definitely one for history buffs!!
May 29, 2026
Not what I expected
This book is different from the others in the series. I enjoyed it, Stephan Gillespie 's character is as thoughtful as ever, but the book is probably closer to real life, less neat more messy.
This book is different from the others in the series. I enjoyed it, Stephan Gillespie 's character is as thoughtful as ever, but the book is probably closer to real life, less neat more messy.
March 25, 2026
Another brilliant, engrossing read.
April 7, 2026
Its unusual for book 10 of any series to be as strong as the rest but Michael Russell pulls of a bit of magic because this is certainly one of the best books in the Stefan Gillespie story. All of the background details from earlier books are used to bring together another story full of shades of grey, compromises and the compromised all of which makes it a very human story.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews