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Captain Martin Bora #4
Tin Sky
FOURTH IN THE MARTIN BORA SERIES.
SPELLBINDING MULTI-LAYERED CRIME NOVEL SET IN UKRAINE AS THE GERMANS REGROUP AFTER THE DISASTER OF STALINGRAD.
FOR FANS OF PHILLIP KERR (BERNIE GUNTHER SERIES), ALAN FURST (SPIES OF THE BALKANS).
THE HERO, MAJOR MARTIN BORA, IS AN ARISTOCRATIC GERMAN OFFICER OF THE ILK OF CLAUS VON STAUFFENBERG, TORN BETWEEN HIS DUTY AS AN OFFICER AND HIS INTEGRITY AS A HUMAN BEING.
Ukraine, 1943. Having barely escaped the inferno of Stalingrad, Major Martin Bora is serving on the Russian front as a German counterintelligence officer. Weariness, disillusionment, and battle fatigue are a soldier’s daily fare, yet Bora seems to be one of the few whose sanity is not marred by the horrors of war.
As the Wehrmacht prepare for the Kursk counter-offensive, a Russian general defects aboard a T-34, the most advanced tank of the war. Soon he and another general, this one previously captured, are found dead in their cells. Everything appears to exclude the likelihood of foul play, but Bora begins an investigation, in a stubborn attempt to solve a mystery that will come much too close to home.
SPELLBINDING MULTI-LAYERED CRIME NOVEL SET IN UKRAINE AS THE GERMANS REGROUP AFTER THE DISASTER OF STALINGRAD.
FOR FANS OF PHILLIP KERR (BERNIE GUNTHER SERIES), ALAN FURST (SPIES OF THE BALKANS).
THE HERO, MAJOR MARTIN BORA, IS AN ARISTOCRATIC GERMAN OFFICER OF THE ILK OF CLAUS VON STAUFFENBERG, TORN BETWEEN HIS DUTY AS AN OFFICER AND HIS INTEGRITY AS A HUMAN BEING.
Ukraine, 1943. Having barely escaped the inferno of Stalingrad, Major Martin Bora is serving on the Russian front as a German counterintelligence officer. Weariness, disillusionment, and battle fatigue are a soldier’s daily fare, yet Bora seems to be one of the few whose sanity is not marred by the horrors of war.
As the Wehrmacht prepare for the Kursk counter-offensive, a Russian general defects aboard a T-34, the most advanced tank of the war. Soon he and another general, this one previously captured, are found dead in their cells. Everything appears to exclude the likelihood of foul play, but Bora begins an investigation, in a stubborn attempt to solve a mystery that will come much too close to home.
402 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 11, 2013
46 people are currently reading
264 people want to read
About the author
Ben Pastor
32 books86 followersBen (Maria Verbena Volpi) Pastor was born in Rome, but her career as a college teacher and writer requires that she divide her time between the United States and Italy, where she is now doing research. Author of the internationally acclaimed Martin Bora war mysteries, she begins with Aelius Spartianus a new series of thrilling tales. In addition to the United States, her novels are published in Italy, Germany, Spain, Poland, and the Czech Republic. She writes in English.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
February 21, 2017
There are few books of this genre that I would feel compelled to give the highest rating. I will try to explain why Tin Sky merits it.
Let’s start out with the basics. This is either an unusual “police procedural” or a historical mystery set in the midst of World War II in Ukraine. The battle of Stalingrad is over. The Nazis and Russians have moved further west (along with some Ukrainian freedom fighters) and the German Army still controls vast tracts of land from Berlin to Kiev and beyond. We see everything from the perspective of Martin Bora, who comes from a German aristocratic family and who has chosen a Nazi military career.
Bora is a major in the Nazi Army. He has seen things at Stalingrad that have marked him for life. Not surprising because, “According to British military historian Anthony Bevoir, 1.1 million Soviet soldiers died in the Battle of Stalingrad” — and that does not include the at least 100,000 (and possibly three times as many civilian) inhabitants massacred by waves of indiscriminate Nazi air attacks. (“After 1945, a census showed only 1500 of these people remained in the pile of rubble that had once been Stalingrad.") The Germans, and their allies, the Italians, Hungarians and Romanians lost over 600,000 soldiers. The “battle” lasted for almost half a year with many starving and/or going insane during the winter of 1942-43.
Major Martin Bora is a collection of contradictions. He is a Catholic in the Nazi army. He does his duty as befits a German officer and, yet, feels compelled to “report” those who commit war “crimes.” His religious instruction continues with regular letters from Cardinal Hohmann , his former teacher. He could not live with himself if he did anything to impede the Abwehr success. Yet, he has a growing fatalism about the Nazi government’s ability to conquer. Now we come to the plot:
Bear in mind that for many of Tin Sky’s readers, myself included, there isn’t much history that we retain (if we ever knew) about the war in Russia after Stalingrad. In the summer of 1942 the Germany Second Army and Fourth Panzer Army exploded out of the area north of Kharkov and headed east. When the story joins Bora, post-Stalingrad, the remaining forces have fallen back to this area and Bora’s cavalry (yes, he is an Olympic-class horseman) are holding out waiting for a summer offensive in an area that is marked by swamps and forests much of it which has been sprinkled with landmines by one force or another.
Aside from his horsemanship, Bora is valued as an interrogator. A Russian general has been captured and he is refusing to talk. Bora is asked to step in. Soon after, another Russian general surrenders bringing a newly designed Russian tank. He wishes to collaborate. Bora is also asked to take charge of his interrogation. Within an eye blink, both are dead. Who or what is responsible? Bora is now adds detective to his resume.
The way that Pastor lets the plot evolve did not make me impatient to get on with it. There is so much more packed into this book. First, is the author’s mastery of the various elements of these armed forces in conflict. I am sure (from what I could check) that she got the names and roles right. Next, she understands the most minute details of topography and how that affects troop movements, etc. Her knowledge of the interplay of various groups (army, air force, district administrators, gestapo, local police, SS, Gestapo, Berlin inspectors, etc.) allow a further layer of plot. The real historical facts do not appear as limitations on the story she wants to tell; she integrates everything beautifully.
Did I say “she?” Yes, Ben Pastor is a pseudonym. Pastor is Maria Verbena Volpi . The author is Italian (though in the USA, I believe while writing this book). She has won the Premio Zaragoza for best historical fiction.
This book merits a fifth star because of the depth and imagination show in the psychological character study of Martin Bora. There are some very unexpected plot turns, but they are perfectly consistent. There are also convincing portraits of Bora's father (a concert pianist), Larisa Vasilievna Malinovskaya (a Russian operatic soprano), Soviet Lieutenant General Gleb Platonov, Soviet General Ghenrikh “Khan” Tibyetsky, Lt. Colonel Benno von Salomon, and District Commissioner Alfred Lothar Stark. Beware, this is a walk down a very dark alley, but the violence is not graphically described, nor does it dominate the plot.
There is a series of five Bora books (in English) of which Tin Sky is not the first chronologically.
Let’s start out with the basics. This is either an unusual “police procedural” or a historical mystery set in the midst of World War II in Ukraine. The battle of Stalingrad is over. The Nazis and Russians have moved further west (along with some Ukrainian freedom fighters) and the German Army still controls vast tracts of land from Berlin to Kiev and beyond. We see everything from the perspective of Martin Bora, who comes from a German aristocratic family and who has chosen a Nazi military career.
Bora is a major in the Nazi Army. He has seen things at Stalingrad that have marked him for life. Not surprising because, “According to British military historian Anthony Bevoir, 1.1 million Soviet soldiers died in the Battle of Stalingrad” — and that does not include the at least 100,000 (and possibly three times as many civilian) inhabitants massacred by waves of indiscriminate Nazi air attacks. (“After 1945, a census showed only 1500 of these people remained in the pile of rubble that had once been Stalingrad.") The Germans, and their allies, the Italians, Hungarians and Romanians lost over 600,000 soldiers. The “battle” lasted for almost half a year with many starving and/or going insane during the winter of 1942-43.
Major Martin Bora is a collection of contradictions. He is a Catholic in the Nazi army. He does his duty as befits a German officer and, yet, feels compelled to “report” those who commit war “crimes.” His religious instruction continues with regular letters from Cardinal Hohmann , his former teacher. He could not live with himself if he did anything to impede the Abwehr success. Yet, he has a growing fatalism about the Nazi government’s ability to conquer. Now we come to the plot:
Bear in mind that for many of Tin Sky’s readers, myself included, there isn’t much history that we retain (if we ever knew) about the war in Russia after Stalingrad. In the summer of 1942 the Germany Second Army and Fourth Panzer Army exploded out of the area north of Kharkov and headed east. When the story joins Bora, post-Stalingrad, the remaining forces have fallen back to this area and Bora’s cavalry (yes, he is an Olympic-class horseman) are holding out waiting for a summer offensive in an area that is marked by swamps and forests much of it which has been sprinkled with landmines by one force or another.
Aside from his horsemanship, Bora is valued as an interrogator. A Russian general has been captured and he is refusing to talk. Bora is asked to step in. Soon after, another Russian general surrenders bringing a newly designed Russian tank. He wishes to collaborate. Bora is also asked to take charge of his interrogation. Within an eye blink, both are dead. Who or what is responsible? Bora is now adds detective to his resume.
The way that Pastor lets the plot evolve did not make me impatient to get on with it. There is so much more packed into this book. First, is the author’s mastery of the various elements of these armed forces in conflict. I am sure (from what I could check) that she got the names and roles right. Next, she understands the most minute details of topography and how that affects troop movements, etc. Her knowledge of the interplay of various groups (army, air force, district administrators, gestapo, local police, SS, Gestapo, Berlin inspectors, etc.) allow a further layer of plot. The real historical facts do not appear as limitations on the story she wants to tell; she integrates everything beautifully.
Did I say “she?” Yes, Ben Pastor is a pseudonym. Pastor is Maria Verbena Volpi . The author is Italian (though in the USA, I believe while writing this book). She has won the Premio Zaragoza for best historical fiction.
This book merits a fifth star because of the depth and imagination show in the psychological character study of Martin Bora. There are some very unexpected plot turns, but they are perfectly consistent. There are also convincing portraits of Bora's father (a concert pianist), Larisa Vasilievna Malinovskaya (a Russian operatic soprano), Soviet Lieutenant General Gleb Platonov, Soviet General Ghenrikh “Khan” Tibyetsky, Lt. Colonel Benno von Salomon, and District Commissioner Alfred Lothar Stark. Beware, this is a walk down a very dark alley, but the violence is not graphically described, nor does it dominate the plot.
There is a series of five Bora books (in English) of which Tin Sky is not the first chronologically.
February 5, 2021
Slow-moving but satisfying. Martin Bora, the Wehrmacht officer, is in Ukraine after Stalingrad but before Kursk, as an interrogator. He investigates the deaths of two Russian officers, one a prisoner, the other a defector. Are they natural or a result of foul play? Also connected are a massacre of civilians in a ravine, Krasny Yar and one of Bora's own relatives of an older generation. Much is a character study of how the conflicted Bora is torn between devotion to duty and his own moral compass through entries in his diary and in different incidents.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
October 18, 2016
Set in a period of peculiar stillness between cataclysmic WW2 battles, Tin Sky is a meticulous historical novel constructed around not one but two locked-room murder mysteries.
Deeply scarred after barely surviving the horrors of Stalingrad, career Wehrmacht cavalry officer Martin Bora is assembling a new force in preparation for the coming conflict at Kursk. While he badgers and bargains for resources, men and horses, his talents as an interrogator are called for twice. Once to question a captured enemy officer. The second time, to assess the reliability of a remarkable Soviet defector who has crossed enemy lines – and one with whom Bora has a distant family connection. Yet before he can assess the bare intelligence they provide, both men die under bizarre circumstances. Bora must find out who – but more importantly, why...
Tin Sky is no rapid read, no rip-snorting thriller. It’s a painstakingly constructed and painfully credible representation of what life in Bora’s position might have been like. Fighting an immoral war, on the losing side. Full of desire for his young wife; beyond despair for his own life. Bora is from an old family, well-bred, a man who typically operates within the system – although when brutally provoked and personally exposed he’s entirely capable of taking radical action.
This isn’t a book to be skimmed in ten minute sessions when you’re tired. The author, Ben Pastor, weaves an intricate skein of narrative threads to form the final image which Bora uncovers and you need to pay attention to do her efforts justice. The experience is more than worth the effort – this is one of those few works of fiction which pulls the reader into its time and place, so you become immersed in the shattered landscape.
There are three earlier books in the Martin Bora series and, while Tin Sky was completely comprehensible read out of sequence, I recommend starting at the beginning with Lumen.
If, like me, you’ve found Alan Furst’s recent WW2 stories to be less than satisfying compared to his outstanding earlier work, then discovering Ben Pastor should be a delight.
8/10
There's a more detailed version of this review over at
https://murdermayhemandmore.wordpress...
Deeply scarred after barely surviving the horrors of Stalingrad, career Wehrmacht cavalry officer Martin Bora is assembling a new force in preparation for the coming conflict at Kursk. While he badgers and bargains for resources, men and horses, his talents as an interrogator are called for twice. Once to question a captured enemy officer. The second time, to assess the reliability of a remarkable Soviet defector who has crossed enemy lines – and one with whom Bora has a distant family connection. Yet before he can assess the bare intelligence they provide, both men die under bizarre circumstances. Bora must find out who – but more importantly, why...
Tin Sky is no rapid read, no rip-snorting thriller. It’s a painstakingly constructed and painfully credible representation of what life in Bora’s position might have been like. Fighting an immoral war, on the losing side. Full of desire for his young wife; beyond despair for his own life. Bora is from an old family, well-bred, a man who typically operates within the system – although when brutally provoked and personally exposed he’s entirely capable of taking radical action.
This isn’t a book to be skimmed in ten minute sessions when you’re tired. The author, Ben Pastor, weaves an intricate skein of narrative threads to form the final image which Bora uncovers and you need to pay attention to do her efforts justice. The experience is more than worth the effort – this is one of those few works of fiction which pulls the reader into its time and place, so you become immersed in the shattered landscape.
There are three earlier books in the Martin Bora series and, while Tin Sky was completely comprehensible read out of sequence, I recommend starting at the beginning with Lumen.
If, like me, you’ve found Alan Furst’s recent WW2 stories to be less than satisfying compared to his outstanding earlier work, then discovering Ben Pastor should be a delight.
8/10
There's a more detailed version of this review over at
https://murdermayhemandmore.wordpress...
September 3, 2023
This series gets better and better. In this one, the mystery does not take a second seat, as in previous ones, and is deftly intertwined. Bora is, as usual, a fascinating character, and it´s due to the author´s skills that we can see past his role (an officer in Nazi Germany,an automatically hated figure) and know him as a very complex human being,torn by ethical and moral dilemmas.
The reveal in the last page (won´t spoil) is masterful, and contributes to what is a superb exploration of a human soul.
The reveal in the last page (won´t spoil) is masterful, and contributes to what is a superb exploration of a human soul.
January 23, 2019
Skillfully evokes the Ukraine between the battles of Stalingrad and Kursk, but the plot meanders along with Bora's movements. We don't get as much of Bora's interior life as in other books; fair enough as he's dead inside post-Stalingrad, but this was more interesting overall than engrossing.
December 7, 2017
In occupied Ukraine, summer 1943, following the catastrophe of Stalingrad, the German army is regrouping for a new offensive. Two Soviet generals are in German custody, one a prisoner of war, the other a defector, who has brought across a state of the art T2 tank - their interrogator, Major Martin Bora. Before he can properly commence his interviews, both Russians are dead, apparently of natural causes, but that’s too much of a coincidence for Bora. In addition, close by Bora’s base, there is an area of woodland, abandoned by all, spurned by the native locals, the scene of some terrible event during the Russian Revolution.
There are those who think this novel too long and too slow moving. I am not one of them; I would happily have accepted another 200 pages. Pastor’s detailed and precise narrative seems to me to reflect the reality of the setting and the time.
There are those who profess not to understand Bora’s cold-blooded actions at the denouement of the plot. That is to fail to understand Bora, I think, a man tortured by his religion, his conscience and above all, a man who has managed to survive and escape from the Hell that was Stalingrad.
A terrific novel, then, an intricate, complex mystery in the sticky heat of a Ukrainian summer, on the cusp of the war’s turning point, bloodied at Stalingrad, but still believing the war in Russia could be won, immediately prior to the Battle of Kursk.
There are those who think this novel too long and too slow moving. I am not one of them; I would happily have accepted another 200 pages. Pastor’s detailed and precise narrative seems to me to reflect the reality of the setting and the time.
There are those who profess not to understand Bora’s cold-blooded actions at the denouement of the plot. That is to fail to understand Bora, I think, a man tortured by his religion, his conscience and above all, a man who has managed to survive and escape from the Hell that was Stalingrad.
A terrific novel, then, an intricate, complex mystery in the sticky heat of a Ukrainian summer, on the cusp of the war’s turning point, bloodied at Stalingrad, but still believing the war in Russia could be won, immediately prior to the Battle of Kursk.
April 2, 2016
Tin Sky is the fourth book in the Martin Bora series to be translated into English (#9 in Italian). In temporal terms it’s the second, sitting between Lumen (set in Poland in 1939) and Liar Moon (set in Italy in Autumn 1943). This outing has Bora, a German military intelligence officer, located near to Kharkov in the Ukraine in the late spring, early summer of 1943. Having recovered from Stalingrad, Bora is back on the frontline, preparing a new regiment while investigating a local set of murders in a small wood and trying to extract information from captured Russians. When two Russian generals die within hours of each other, Bora investigates the circumstances but soon runs into resistance with colleagues. Bora is an interesting character, born into an aristocratic, military family, with a talent for music and horsemanship, who lacks charisma but is dogged and principled. His principles, however, are those of German military meaning he has no problem people being burned out of their homes or executed, or partisans being mowed down, as long as it occurs within and upholds the law. The story is full of good historical detail, but is a bit too drawn out, full of description that little moves the story on. This isn’t aided by the tale being told using a third person narrative and through Bora’s diary entries, the latter being somewhat redundant. Moreover, the plot is quite convoluted and it’s not really clear why Bora is not murdered himself, especially given he is clearly a target once he decides to investigate; nor is it clear why he resolves the case they way he does. The result is a story that while interesting, meanders, lacking pace, tension and a clear arc. Nonetheless, it is a fairly solid addition to the series.
September 2, 2023
I struggled a little with this book, and I'm hoping that's because I did the unthinkable and read it without realising that it was the fourth in a series. It's also been translated from Italian, translations often making for slightly uneasy reading experiences. For all that I thoroughly enjoyed it, despite not entirely understanding it. Set in German-occupied Ukraine during WWII, it's a fascinating study of bureaucracy. Major Martin Bora seems to spend the entire novel driving here and there and signing for things. The German love of order has become a bit of a joke since the war, but how fascinating it is when you see how they compartmentalised the big picture (war and mass slaughter) into the minutiae of forms and regulations. I'm not entirely sure why I enjoyed this book as much as I did, but it may be because as a reader I was drawn entirely into Bora's frustrating world of attempting to stay sane in the craziness around him. I'm fairly sure the author has read Catch 22.
Central to the plot are the deaths of two Russian high-ranking prisoners. Whilst Bora is trudging from one administrator's office to another, clues to these mysterious deaths are being subtly dropped by the author. I will now go and start the series with the first, Lumen, and hopefully that will put some of the oddities of this one into context.
Central to the plot are the deaths of two Russian high-ranking prisoners. Whilst Bora is trudging from one administrator's office to another, clues to these mysterious deaths are being subtly dropped by the author. I will now go and start the series with the first, Lumen, and hopefully that will put some of the oddities of this one into context.
July 9, 2019
I have to say that Ben Pastor is a superb writer. In Major Bora she has given us a fascinating, cerebral character. I liked the way I was just thrown into the story, no explanations, no expectations... you've just walked into the room and here you are, witnessing it all and learning who's who as you go along.
I was going to say that this is a very peaceful, calm story, set as it is in the limbo between Stalingrad and Kursk... but given that there are murders in the wood and other deaths elsewhere, plus a degree of animosity between the Abwehr and the SS which could so easily spark violence... actually there IS violence... well, at least death, so easily... Yet there IS a quiet and thoughtful calm, so is it the landscape, the fields and the woods? Or is it Bora?
Superb book, well worth the read.
I was going to say that this is a very peaceful, calm story, set as it is in the limbo between Stalingrad and Kursk... but given that there are murders in the wood and other deaths elsewhere, plus a degree of animosity between the Abwehr and the SS which could so easily spark violence... actually there IS violence... well, at least death, so easily... Yet there IS a quiet and thoughtful calm, so is it the landscape, the fields and the woods? Or is it Bora?
Superb book, well worth the read.
December 14, 2024
Another enjoyable story in the Martin Bora series. There is an unexpected twist at the end, which did answer some of the questions I had about the story. The protagonist remains somewhat unlikeable and morally ambiguous, which adds extra dimensions to the story.
January 2, 2016
I did not enjoy this book as much as previous novels in the Martin Bora series, though I still love the character and Pastor's depiction of his struggles to retain his humanity and moral compass with the demands put upon him as a Military Intelligence officer fighting for the Third Reich. Though issued as the fourth book published in English, in chronological terms it follows on from Book One, and I would recommend you read them in order or you might struggle with this one.
I must admit I missed Inspector Sandro Guidi from the previous two books set in Italy, and the American priest from the first novel. Bora's interaction with these characters is replaced in Tin Sky with sections of first person POV narrative in the form of diary extracts. This mix of first and first person somehow dilutes the mystery of Martin Bora and, at the same time, is a clumsy device I didn't much care for. Bora is a bit of a stuffed shirt, proud, arrogant and self-important, a character in need of a foil to be shown against, for contrast, to bring out his better qualities. Instead Pastor indulges Bora's tendency to self-flagellation and introspective self-criticism. I suppose this reflects Martin's Catholicism, his guilt complex. I suppose, too, we must remember this book takes place earlier in the timeline, before his serious doubts in the cause for which he is fighting take proper hold. I also found the coincidence of Bora's relative turning up just a tad stretching credulity, interesting though it was to hear the back story. The ageing Russian singer is something of a caricature, and the scenes where Bora brings her butter and sugar lead to some truly revolting images.
Please, could the publisher issue more of the Bora books in English, I NEED my fix!
I must admit I missed Inspector Sandro Guidi from the previous two books set in Italy, and the American priest from the first novel. Bora's interaction with these characters is replaced in Tin Sky with sections of first person POV narrative in the form of diary extracts. This mix of first and first person somehow dilutes the mystery of Martin Bora and, at the same time, is a clumsy device I didn't much care for. Bora is a bit of a stuffed shirt, proud, arrogant and self-important, a character in need of a foil to be shown against, for contrast, to bring out his better qualities. Instead Pastor indulges Bora's tendency to self-flagellation and introspective self-criticism. I suppose this reflects Martin's Catholicism, his guilt complex. I suppose, too, we must remember this book takes place earlier in the timeline, before his serious doubts in the cause for which he is fighting take proper hold. I also found the coincidence of Bora's relative turning up just a tad stretching credulity, interesting though it was to hear the back story. The ageing Russian singer is something of a caricature, and the scenes where Bora brings her butter and sugar lead to some truly revolting images.
Please, could the publisher issue more of the Bora books in English, I NEED my fix!
May 7, 2017
Español / English
En este libro seguimos al comandante alemán Martin Bora, que está organizando su recién formado escuadrón de caballería en Jarkov, Ucrania, preparándose para combatir con los rusos. Bora tiene prisionero a un comandante ruso importante, Platonov, cuando se entrega otro general ruso, Khan, a bordo de un tanque y no piensa hablar si no es con un general. Ambos tienen información crucial. Pero, de pronto, ambos mueren en circunstancias extrañas, lo que lleva a Bora a investigar estas muertes, adentrándose cada vez más en los secretos que hay en esa región de Ucrania, del ejército ruso, y del propio ejército alemán.
Me gustó seguir la perspectiva de un comandante nazi. Bora es una persona fría y calculadora, pero al mismo tiempo busca que se haga justicia y que trata con respeto a los pobladores rusos. No busca nunca ejercer autoridad sólo porque es comandante, sino que siempre busca la forma de justificar sus acciones y tratar a sus prisioneros con respeto. En cuanto al "misterio" también me pareció inteligente ya que vemos como este tipo de cosas son ignoradas en tiempos de guerra, aun cuando puedan contener información crucial.
En cuanto a cosas malas, a veces me confundía con tanto nombre de personas o lugares, e incluso la lista de carreteras y puntos de control que pasaban al ir de un lugar a otro. También se alargó demasiado, aunque no sé si lo consideren como un spoiler, pero bueno, por si acaso
Un libro entretenido, con una perspectiva única, pero que llegaba a cansar en varios momentos. Lo recomiendo para quienes gusten de misterios y novelas históricas, pero tengan dónde anotar nombres y lugares para no perderse.
_________________________________________
In this book we follow the german commander Martin Bora, who is organazing his recently created cavalry troops in Járkov, Ukraine, getting ready to fight against the russian army. Bora has a russian commander, Platonov, as his prisoner, when a russian general, Khan, surrenders and requieres to talk with a nazi general. Both have crucial information that will change the course of action of the german army. But, suddenly, both Platonov and Khan die in weird circumstances, and now Bora has to investigate their deaths, which will lead him into the deepest secrets of the region, the Red Army and even the Nazi Army.
I really liked to follow the POV of a nazi commander. Bora is a cold headed person, but at the same time always wants to be fair with everyone, and treats with respect germans and russians alike. He never uses his military authority to do whatever he wants, and always wants to use logical arguments to make people follow his orders. As for the mistery, it was a really interesting one, with weird circumstances, and it's important because a lot of this kind of issues are ignored in war times, while Bora doesn't want to let this crime just go away.
As for the bad side, sometimes I felt confused with so many names of people and places, the author even names the roads and highways that Bora takes to go places, and it was really confusing. Also the book goes on and on when it could have ended earlier, this explanation is ahead but I don't know if it's a spoiler or not (for me it is not)
Anyway, I would recommend this book to anyone who likes misteries and historical fiction, but keep something to take notes in next to you, so you don't get confused.
En este libro seguimos al comandante alemán Martin Bora, que está organizando su recién formado escuadrón de caballería en Jarkov, Ucrania, preparándose para combatir con los rusos. Bora tiene prisionero a un comandante ruso importante, Platonov, cuando se entrega otro general ruso, Khan, a bordo de un tanque y no piensa hablar si no es con un general. Ambos tienen información crucial. Pero, de pronto, ambos mueren en circunstancias extrañas, lo que lleva a Bora a investigar estas muertes, adentrándose cada vez más en los secretos que hay en esa región de Ucrania, del ejército ruso, y del propio ejército alemán.
Me gustó seguir la perspectiva de un comandante nazi. Bora es una persona fría y calculadora, pero al mismo tiempo busca que se haga justicia y que trata con respeto a los pobladores rusos. No busca nunca ejercer autoridad sólo porque es comandante, sino que siempre busca la forma de justificar sus acciones y tratar a sus prisioneros con respeto. En cuanto al "misterio" también me pareció inteligente ya que vemos como este tipo de cosas son ignoradas en tiempos de guerra, aun cuando puedan contener información crucial.
En cuanto a cosas malas, a veces me confundía con tanto nombre de personas o lugares, e incluso la lista de carreteras y puntos de control que pasaban al ir de un lugar a otro. También se alargó demasiado, aunque no sé si lo consideren como un spoiler, pero bueno, por si acaso
Un libro entretenido, con una perspectiva única, pero que llegaba a cansar en varios momentos. Lo recomiendo para quienes gusten de misterios y novelas históricas, pero tengan dónde anotar nombres y lugares para no perderse.
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In this book we follow the german commander Martin Bora, who is organazing his recently created cavalry troops in Járkov, Ukraine, getting ready to fight against the russian army. Bora has a russian commander, Platonov, as his prisoner, when a russian general, Khan, surrenders and requieres to talk with a nazi general. Both have crucial information that will change the course of action of the german army. But, suddenly, both Platonov and Khan die in weird circumstances, and now Bora has to investigate their deaths, which will lead him into the deepest secrets of the region, the Red Army and even the Nazi Army.
I really liked to follow the POV of a nazi commander. Bora is a cold headed person, but at the same time always wants to be fair with everyone, and treats with respect germans and russians alike. He never uses his military authority to do whatever he wants, and always wants to use logical arguments to make people follow his orders. As for the mistery, it was a really interesting one, with weird circumstances, and it's important because a lot of this kind of issues are ignored in war times, while Bora doesn't want to let this crime just go away.
As for the bad side, sometimes I felt confused with so many names of people and places, the author even names the roads and highways that Bora takes to go places, and it was really confusing. Also the book goes on and on when it could have ended earlier, this explanation is ahead but I don't know if it's a spoiler or not (for me it is not)
Anyway, I would recommend this book to anyone who likes misteries and historical fiction, but keep something to take notes in next to you, so you don't get confused.
October 24, 2025
This is the 4th title in the Martin Bora series. My advice is to read the series in order to best appreciate it. Tin Sky is a work of historical depth, moral complexity, and a slower-burning mystery set in an extreme wartime milieu, rather than a fast-paced morally simplistic work of crime fiction. The main protagonist is a major in the Wehrmacht, Martin von Bora. Bora's critical but Catholic informed conscience, aristocratic and 'pan-European' heritage make it tempting to view him as the now almost classic World War II literary cliche of the 'good German'. However, Bora is a much more nuanced character than that, and indeed it is the ambiguity surrounding his moral and ethical choices that helps make him a such a developed and intriguing character. As an army investigator & intelligence specialist Bora is privy to a lot more 'action' and intrigue than a straightforward combat officer, although he is no slouch at plain soldiering having been awarded the Iron Cross for his bravery at the infamous Siege of Stalingrad. Bora's complex inner life, his sense of trauma and battle fatigue (post the brutal, scarring experience at Stalingrad), his moral struggles, his keen analytical mind, all help render an engaging, flawed and sympathetic main character.
As I mentioned above, the crime/mystery element of the plot is not the sole focus of the novel, however it is still a fascinating and intriguing element keeping readers guessing until the final part of the novel. The book (similar to the other Bora titles) is a wonderfully textured, researched and authentic presentation of the historical, cultural and geographic setting of the story (in Tin Sky's case: Ukraine, 1943). Linguistic, topographical, cultural and manifold other details provide a rich tapestry of veritable detail for a murder mystery that also incorporates superb portrayal of the infighting, politiking and skullduggery at play among the various German and Nazi military formations and organizations.
Some readers may find that the mystery element of the story is not the prime driving force of the plot, although it is certainly central but inter-weaved with the other elements I have outlined, and therefore they may accuse the book of lacking momentum. However, I believe the novel is a rich and complex read, asking a little more of the reader perhaps than some more 'straightforward' thrillers. I do believe the challenge is well worth the reward - this is a superb historical war based murder mystery infused with an absolute wealth of convincing period detail and featuring a deeply human main character.
As I mentioned above, the crime/mystery element of the plot is not the sole focus of the novel, however it is still a fascinating and intriguing element keeping readers guessing until the final part of the novel. The book (similar to the other Bora titles) is a wonderfully textured, researched and authentic presentation of the historical, cultural and geographic setting of the story (in Tin Sky's case: Ukraine, 1943). Linguistic, topographical, cultural and manifold other details provide a rich tapestry of veritable detail for a murder mystery that also incorporates superb portrayal of the infighting, politiking and skullduggery at play among the various German and Nazi military formations and organizations.
Some readers may find that the mystery element of the story is not the prime driving force of the plot, although it is certainly central but inter-weaved with the other elements I have outlined, and therefore they may accuse the book of lacking momentum. However, I believe the novel is a rich and complex read, asking a little more of the reader perhaps than some more 'straightforward' thrillers. I do believe the challenge is well worth the reward - this is a superb historical war based murder mystery infused with an absolute wealth of convincing period detail and featuring a deeply human main character.
October 2, 2021
It was difficult for me to decide how many stars to give this one. It's a 'good-bad book'. It has merit in that the author has done a great deal of research on the Eastern Front of WW2 and has produced a story that is certainly engaging. I read it through to the end, despite reservations noted below.
The big one is that it is sloowww. It runs to 140,000 words, but in my view it's so loaded with superfluous detail and sections moving between scenes that could have been cut that proper editing would have cut it in half.
The next complaint is ignorance about firearms. There is one place where the author apparently does not understand the obvious visual difference between rifle and pistol ammunition and refers to a cartridge case as a "shell". Elsewhere the author talks about "silenced rifles". It is not possible to silence a rifle. Even if the report can be suppressed, the sonic boom of the bullet certainly cannot.
My next complaint is about the central character Martin Bora. He appears much too petulant for a major of the German army, especially one who survived Stalingrad. He would not get all heated up about slights from other people. Also, I don't find it plausible that someone who has hardly been practising the piano for years could sit down and play a difficult piece with a professional's aplomb.
My last complaint is that the plot was unduly complex and rested on trivial details like whether a general in custody had eaten a candy bar or not (there is an embarrassing scene where two officers are arguing this point). This is a pity, because if better handled the intrigue could have taken on a much more sinister level of suspense.
The bottom line is that this is good entertainment but it has an awful lot of flaws that are avoided by those at the top of the game in historical detective mysteries.
The big one is that it is sloowww. It runs to 140,000 words, but in my view it's so loaded with superfluous detail and sections moving between scenes that could have been cut that proper editing would have cut it in half.
The next complaint is ignorance about firearms. There is one place where the author apparently does not understand the obvious visual difference between rifle and pistol ammunition and refers to a cartridge case as a "shell". Elsewhere the author talks about "silenced rifles". It is not possible to silence a rifle. Even if the report can be suppressed, the sonic boom of the bullet certainly cannot.
My next complaint is about the central character Martin Bora. He appears much too petulant for a major of the German army, especially one who survived Stalingrad. He would not get all heated up about slights from other people. Also, I don't find it plausible that someone who has hardly been practising the piano for years could sit down and play a difficult piece with a professional's aplomb.
My last complaint is that the plot was unduly complex and rested on trivial details like whether a general in custody had eaten a candy bar or not (there is an embarrassing scene where two officers are arguing this point). This is a pity, because if better handled the intrigue could have taken on a much more sinister level of suspense.
The bottom line is that this is good entertainment but it has an awful lot of flaws that are avoided by those at the top of the game in historical detective mysteries.
August 19, 2018
Good characterisation is essential for any story: in Martin von Bora, Pastor has created one of the most in depth and well developed characters I’ve ever come across. As a German Army officer who’s been through some of the worst of the fighting on the Russian Front, you’d expect him to carry some deep scars, but just how deep those scars go, and just what lengths he will go to to maintain some sense of personal decency, we don’t really find out until near the end of the book.
The background is equally well developed. German-occupied Ukraine is vividly evoked, with all it’s casual cruelty and the pervading tension as the Wehrmacht prepare for the next big battle.
And, whilst coping with his own personal issues and his responsibilities as commander of a newly formed unit, von Bora finds himself trying to unravel a complex murder mystery who’s roots, he discovers, go deep into the past. A task made more complicated by the internal divisions between the Army and the SS.
The result is an absorbing and hugely satisfying story. It is one that requires the reader to concentrate – small details that are slipped into the narrative later turn out to be significant, and if you missed it, you might end up scratching your head and wondering where that came from. In fact, if I have a criticism it’s that the author is a little too fond of that tactic, and a touch more clarity at some points would have been helpful.
But, that minor point aside, this was overall a very well written book. It’s the first I’ve read by this author, I hope it will not be the last.
The background is equally well developed. German-occupied Ukraine is vividly evoked, with all it’s casual cruelty and the pervading tension as the Wehrmacht prepare for the next big battle.
And, whilst coping with his own personal issues and his responsibilities as commander of a newly formed unit, von Bora finds himself trying to unravel a complex murder mystery who’s roots, he discovers, go deep into the past. A task made more complicated by the internal divisions between the Army and the SS.
The result is an absorbing and hugely satisfying story. It is one that requires the reader to concentrate – small details that are slipped into the narrative later turn out to be significant, and if you missed it, you might end up scratching your head and wondering where that came from. In fact, if I have a criticism it’s that the author is a little too fond of that tactic, and a touch more clarity at some points would have been helpful.
But, that minor point aside, this was overall a very well written book. It’s the first I’ve read by this author, I hope it will not be the last.
October 4, 2018
Excellent. If - like me - you’re interested in the German war in Russia, and like a well-detailed, studied, and excellently characterised plot, then this one is worth a punt.
I’ve not read any of Ben Pastor’s books prior to this one, but it is one of her ‘Martin Bora’ series that cover the significant moments in Hitler’s wars. This one sits between two significant events that were turning points for Hitler’s armies; the defeat at Stalingrad (42/43) and the Battle Of Kursk (July 43). There is an astonishing amount of detail and knowledge regarding the locale and it’s inhabitants (the locals and the uninvited guests). And in Bora the author creates a cavalry officer from a good family, who understands duty, but is also human.
This isn’t your run-of-the-mill procedural. It’s well-crafted novel of nigh-on 400 pages.
Highly recommended.
I’ve not read any of Ben Pastor’s books prior to this one, but it is one of her ‘Martin Bora’ series that cover the significant moments in Hitler’s wars. This one sits between two significant events that were turning points for Hitler’s armies; the defeat at Stalingrad (42/43) and the Battle Of Kursk (July 43). There is an astonishing amount of detail and knowledge regarding the locale and it’s inhabitants (the locals and the uninvited guests). And in Bora the author creates a cavalry officer from a good family, who understands duty, but is also human.
This isn’t your run-of-the-mill procedural. It’s well-crafted novel of nigh-on 400 pages.
Highly recommended.
January 28, 2018
The setting, Ukraine 1943, ensures a read that incidentally describes the barbarity of the War but also the internal conflict amongst the Nazis. Ostensibly, it is about aristocratic German Army Major Bora, survivor of Stalingrad, investigating murders in the woods of Krasny Yar outside Kharkov, which ultimately connects to the deaths of a captured and later a defected Soviet general. The occasional “diary” format is artificial, the case pretty irrelevant but the authentic-feeling background and the moral quagmire are very powerful.
May 28, 2021
Above average second world war thriller.
Faced with the suspicious deaths of two high ranking Soviet officers German Major Von Bora must decide if foul play was employed and if there is any link to a series of murders in a nearby Ukrainian wood.
This is a slow and considered novel. It's very detailed and builds slowly towards it's climax. I enjoyed it but at times felt it a little lacking in pace.
I'd definitely read another in the series, maybe the one set in Crete.
Faced with the suspicious deaths of two high ranking Soviet officers German Major Von Bora must decide if foul play was employed and if there is any link to a series of murders in a nearby Ukrainian wood.
This is a slow and considered novel. It's very detailed and builds slowly towards it's climax. I enjoyed it but at times felt it a little lacking in pace.
I'd definitely read another in the series, maybe the one set in Crete.
June 21, 2023
Talvez possa ter uma opinião diferente no futuro, mas o que posso dizer hoje é que foi um livro difícil de compreender provavelmente por causa do pouco conhecimento com o contexto histórico em que a história se passa. Por isso, não me cativou.
Apesar disso, o tema é interessante, especialmente pelo contexto político atual na Ucrânia. Além disso, tem excelentes reflexões pelo meio sobre vulnerabilidade, consciência moral e dignidade humana.
Apesar disso, o tema é interessante, especialmente pelo contexto político atual na Ucrânia. Além disso, tem excelentes reflexões pelo meio sobre vulnerabilidade, consciência moral e dignidade humana.
May 29, 2019
Great historical novel that moves along in action, yet leans towards literary fiction. A rare opportunity to get a sense of the eastern front as seen through the eyes of an intelligent German officer.
July 14, 2018
Its long and boring. Not much history within, it could be any war at any time. There is not historical fiction.
October 24, 2019
Complex historical crime novel of German army in Ukraine during WWII.
January 30, 2021
Pastor - cielo di stagno 6.5 - giallo non sofisticatissimo ma buona l’ambientazione e la caratterizzazione del protagonista.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 12, 2024
Anche questo romanzo si è dimostrato interessante. Questa autrice ha una grande capacità di far rivivere avvenimenti storici, insieme ai suoi personaggi. Davvero interessante!
January 15, 2025
Scritto molto bene, pare di essere in Ucraina nel '43, tra Kharkov, Kiev e Krasny Yar.
Davvero una scrittura piena e scorrevole.
Davvero una scrittura piena e scorrevole.
July 16, 2023
Maggio 1943: il maggiore Martin Bora reduce dalla battaglia di Stalingrado si trova nella zona di Kharkov in Ucraina. Là dove corre la linea del fronte è chiamato a risolvere un caso dove si mischiano il millenario tragico passato di quella terra e le sue credenze con i sospetti e i tradimenti di uomini che hanno visto il peggio che si possa immaginare. I libri della Pastor ambientati durante la seconda guerra mondiale possono creare dipendenza: sarà per il malinconico protagonista, sarà per i suoi cieli di stagno, sempre gli stessi, che incombono in quegli anni terribili attraverso tutto il continente. Tant’è, personalmente non riesco a smettere di leggerli e li consiglio vivamente.
February 22, 2023
No es una novela negra al uso. También es bélica, con lo que supone combinar lo histórico y lo literario. No he estado en Ucrania, pero describe los escenarios con un gran detalle. Está muy bien hecha, la trama es compleja, no se limita a crímenes que hay que resolver y ya. Se mueve entre personajes históricos, inventados y después está Martin Bora, que es un tipo curioso que te arrastra a leer una tras otra las novelas en las que aparece.
May 7, 2016
Threading the Nazi needle...
"Tin Sky" is the fourth mystery in author Ben Pastor's "Martin Bora" series. Set in WW2, Bora, is a major with the German Abwehr service. The first three books, set in Crakow and and Rome, are followed by "Tin Sky", which takes place in Kharkov, Ukraine, in late Spring, 1943, after the German defeat at Stalingrad. Bora is involved in duties of protecting a Russian general who is defecting to the German side, cleaning out a mysterious forest area - said to be full of ghosts and murderers - and setting up a new fighting unit.
Martin Bora - the son of a famous musician and the step-son of a famous German general - is written as a man at odds with the world around him. Ben Pastor, the author, has to thread a very small Nazi needle here with her character. Is Martin Bora a murderer of Jews and other civilians, or is he a "good guy"? Does he only kill other soldiers, Russian soldiers? So much random and organised killing is done on the Russian front; how much is Bora responsible for? He does mount an offensive to kill Russian partisans in the forest and is successful at that.
In "Tin Sky", Ben Pastor mixes the personal with the professional. She writes Martin Bora as a soldier - dedicated to his tasks - but also as a son, brother, friend, and yearning husband. The merging of the two views of Bora give Pastor's readers a well-rounded look at a very complicated man.
I can't imagine much more of a difficult writing task than to write about German soldiers in WW2. Ben Pastor does a pretty good job in her series, but it can't be easy to do. Her books really cannot be compared to other authors writing about WW2, like Alan Furst, Philip Kerr, and David Downing, to name a few. Their books are usually of a larger picture of the war, whereas Ben Pastor gets down and dirty with her character and plots. Death is ever-present, in military action and in murders.
"Tin Sky" has a very complicated plot and readers should know something already about the German occupation in Ukraine after the Battle of Stalingrad. For those readers, "Tin Sky" is a very good book.
"Tin Sky" is the fourth mystery in author Ben Pastor's "Martin Bora" series. Set in WW2, Bora, is a major with the German Abwehr service. The first three books, set in Crakow and and Rome, are followed by "Tin Sky", which takes place in Kharkov, Ukraine, in late Spring, 1943, after the German defeat at Stalingrad. Bora is involved in duties of protecting a Russian general who is defecting to the German side, cleaning out a mysterious forest area - said to be full of ghosts and murderers - and setting up a new fighting unit.
Martin Bora - the son of a famous musician and the step-son of a famous German general - is written as a man at odds with the world around him. Ben Pastor, the author, has to thread a very small Nazi needle here with her character. Is Martin Bora a murderer of Jews and other civilians, or is he a "good guy"? Does he only kill other soldiers, Russian soldiers? So much random and organised killing is done on the Russian front; how much is Bora responsible for? He does mount an offensive to kill Russian partisans in the forest and is successful at that.
In "Tin Sky", Ben Pastor mixes the personal with the professional. She writes Martin Bora as a soldier - dedicated to his tasks - but also as a son, brother, friend, and yearning husband. The merging of the two views of Bora give Pastor's readers a well-rounded look at a very complicated man.
I can't imagine much more of a difficult writing task than to write about German soldiers in WW2. Ben Pastor does a pretty good job in her series, but it can't be easy to do. Her books really cannot be compared to other authors writing about WW2, like Alan Furst, Philip Kerr, and David Downing, to name a few. Their books are usually of a larger picture of the war, whereas Ben Pastor gets down and dirty with her character and plots. Death is ever-present, in military action and in murders.
"Tin Sky" has a very complicated plot and readers should know something already about the German occupation in Ukraine after the Battle of Stalingrad. For those readers, "Tin Sky" is a very good book.
September 13, 2016
Tin Sky, the fourth book in the Martin Bora series, is not as good as the others. There isn't any depth to the characters and there's no tension. This book just gently rools along without much point. Since the first three books were good, I'll give the next book a try.
November 13, 2015
in Sky is the third novel in the Martin Bora Series written by Ben Pastor. Martin Bora is a Wehrmacht officer. In Tin Sky, which takes place in 1943, Bora is sent to Ukraine. While there, he witnesses a Soviet officer defecting to the German side. While in Nazi custody, he dies under suspicious circumstances, and it is up to Martin Bora to figure out what happened. Read the entire review at http://www.sandiegobookreview.com/tin...
Reviewed by Michael Shulman
Reviewed by Michael Shulman
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