Death of the Blue Flower

by Roxann Hill, Paul Wagle (Translator)

Working in an exclusive, high-end rehab clinic in Germany, ex-con Alicia Petersen does her job well enough to get through the day. Battered by life, she’s generally not one for conversation, escaping her dreary existence through daydreams of her childhood. These dreams and the friendship of Miriam Morgenroth, an elderly patient, are all that keep her going. One day, Miriam disappears without a trace. But patients do walk away from rehab time and again, so no one suspects foul play—no one except Alicia. Determined to conduct her own search, she asks for help from a chemo-ravaged police detective, Chris Winkler, who jumps at a chance to put his dormant expertise to use in the investigation. From the Bavarian Alps to the northern German Coast, the two follow a bloody trail into a world of betrayal, revenge, and murder, with motives that reach far back into an appalling past. As Alicia and Chris grow closer, they soon discover that Miriam had many secrets—the sort that threaten the lives of those who attempt to bring them to light. Will they be able to uncover the truth before the past catches up with them?

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction

330 pages, Paperback

First published September 8, 2015

About the author

English:

Roxann Hill is one of the most successful thriller authors in the German-speaking world. Her novels have delighted millions of readers and are regularly among the top titles on the bestseller lists. Her books have been translated into multiple languages.
Born in Brno/Czech Republic, the author lives with her family and two large dogs in Middle Franconia.


Deutsch:

Roxann Hill gehört zu einer der erfolgreichsten Thriller-Autorinnen im deutschsprachigen Raum. Ihre Romane begeistern Millionen von Leserinnen und Lesern und sind regelmäßig auf den Bestsellerlisten von Amazon und BILD zu finden.
Ihre Bücher wurden in mehrere Sprachen übersetzt.

Die in Brünn/Tschechien geborene Autorin lebt mit ihrem Mann, ihren beiden Kindern und zwei großen Hunden in Mittelfranken.

Reviews

[CL · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unlikely couple ... and ex-con working in a re-hab clinic as an aide and a cancer riddled detective. Together they try to find out what happened to Alicia's patient who had become her friend when she disappears and no one really believes there has been anything suspicious about it. Not to mention the 3 hired killers that are lurking in the background committing murder for money. As they try to find Alicia's friend they uncover more and more that make her friend not seem to be the person Alicia thought but she is convinced something has happened to her. Makes you root for the underdog.

[ReadAlongWithSue ★⋆. ࿐࿔catching up · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started out quite strong, although it had some bit in it that I was going "urgggh aweful" because of the content, I was following it quite well.

Then it dipped a little for me, it did pick up again though after a time.

This is the only book I have ever written that has been translated, and its very hard to changed words from one language to another without loosing some meanings whilst doing so, and I think that's what happened in this one.

Its an OK read but not as "thrilling" as expected.

I would like to thank *Amazon Publishing* for my copy via Net Galley

[June · Rating 5 out of 5]

The two voices telling the store add to the intensity as the reader begins to dread the fateful collision. A protagonist as unforgettable as the tattooed Lisbeth. I'm fortunate to have won my First Reads copy through the Goodreads Giveaway.

[gaudeo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Writing not up to par. The characters are not developed fully enough to warrant their actions. I quit halfway through.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another of my kindle books. It was translated to English and sometimes you lose the gist of the story. This is a mystery about the disappearance of a rich old woman and her friend who cared for her. It was written well but the end was daily guessed although that didn't stop me from finishing the book

[Lauri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story of a caregiver in a rehab place in Germany, who ends up searching, with the help of a cop with cancer, for one of her elderly patients who mysteriously disappears. There are dangerous secrets going way back to the Nazis and stolen diamonds. Pretty good read. Translation was a bit rough around the edges.

[Roxann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received the book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.

From the cover: Working in an exclusive, high-end rehab clinic in Germany, ex-con Alicia Petersen does her job well enough to get through the day. Battered by life, she’s generally not one for conversation, escaping her dreary existence through daydreams of her childhood. These dreams and the friendship of Miriam Morgenroth, an elderly patient, are all that keep her going. One day, Miriam disappears without a trace. But patients do walk away from rehab time and again, so no one suspects foul play—no one except Alicia. Determined to conduct her own search, she asks for help from a chemo-ravaged police detective, Chris Winkler, who jumps at a chance to put his dormant expertise to use in the investigation.

I liked the plot/story in the book. It seemed to have potential, but it never seemed to quite get there –ie being a thriller. Maybe it has something to do with the translation from German to English. Anyway I liked Miriam’s character-yes she had secrets she kept for decades, but I liked her attitude and poems. The other two main characters, Alicia and Chris; well I didn’t identify with them. I don’t like Alicia. She seemed to have such a ‘bad’ attitude about almost anything and then suddenly she latches onto Miriam. Chris was supposed to be a good detective, but I didn’t quite read that in his character as the book progressed through chapters. I did have the ‘bad guy’ figured out early in the book. The three hired killers were interesting, but I sometimes wonder how they could kill so many people and still use all the drugs.

Overall an ok to a good book.

[Daryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is an art to the translation of a text or a novel. One must convey the plot, story, and characters, but also important is the language used. Translations can be marvelous (I'm thinking of Perfume by Patrick Suskind) or they can be problematic. This one, unfortunately, falls into the latter category. The story, by Roxann Hill, is a fairly standard mystery, set in Germany, involving a murder, the disappearance of an elderly woman, with past references to the Nazis, the Holocaust, and missing diamonds. Not bad stuff, but the most interesting chapters were the few that followed not the main characters, but a trio of criminal sociopaths and their trail of destruction. There's also a romance at the center of the story which seemed superfluous at best. It's hard to judge the writing, but the translation seems awkward and stiff at times. As an example: "I was greeted by a mild wind bearing moisture." That feels too much like a literal translation. I received a copy from Goodreads First Reads giveaway program.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a mystery novel set in Germany. Like most mystery novels there is more than one mystery that the story centers around. We have a dead woman and some missing diamonds stolen back in Nazi times. There are quite a few characters to keep track of, but they are written differently enough that there isn't much confusing. I did find the dialog to be slightly flat. The whodunit was easy for me to figure out early on, but there was just enough story there to save me from boredom.

This was originally translated from German. The translator did an amazing job.

Recommanedations:

You may like this if you are a fan of mystery novels and do not find subject such as Nazi Germany difficult to read about. This definitely meant for adults do to sensitive subject matter.

I won this book on Goodreads.

[Njkinny (Njkinny's Blog) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Death of the Blue Flower by Roxann Hill is the first mystery in a long time that I have read that has been translated into English.

I loved the cover, the title and the blurb and knew I had to read it.

While the plot is very promising, the execution had its ups and downs. In my opinion, some things lost their significance in translation. The mystery element is good but it dips in the middle and then picks up again in the end.

All in all, Death of the Blue Flower by Roxann Hill is an okay mystery that can be read once. 3 out of 5 to it and recommended to mystery lovers.

I received the book from the publishers via Netgalley and I am very thankful to them. The above review is my honest and unbiased opinion and in no way influenced.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is a mystery about the disappearance of Miriam from an elderly care facility. The police assume she has just wandered off, but one of her caregivers, Alicia Peterson knows she would have had no reason to just wander off. With the blessing of a family member she continues to look for Miriam and who would have wanted to harm her.

The story was good and it kept me interested, but the 3 hired killers were a bit annoying. The excessive drug use seemed to add no value to the story line.

Overall the book was complete with a HEA ending.

An ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's nothing exceptional about this book and yet its not a bad book. As many reviewers have stated, maybe it has to do partly due to the translation. It holds together well enough, but not well, if you understand me. It's thin and the characters aren't really fleshed out enough to hold the story together in a cogent manner. Too much is lost or glossed over between situations. It's a book that had potential but never lived up to it...I kept reading though in hopes that it would.

[Lacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book free from Goodreads Giveaways. I did enjoy this book but felt that some of the content got lost in translation. I felt like the translation resulted in a very "tell" not "show" type of book. I found myself wondering if the original book was better due to the loss during translation.

[Nancy]

Working in an exclusive, high-end rehab clinic in Germany, ex-con Alicia Petersen does her job well enough to get through the day. Battered by life, she’s generally not one for conversation, escaping her dreary existence through daydreams of her childhood. These dreams and the friendship of Miriam Morgenroth, an elderly patient, are all that keep her going.

DIDN'T READ. COULDN'T GET INTO IT.

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first few chapters of the book I wasn't sure where the story was going. As I got farther into the book the different stories began to tie into each other and by the end of the book, with a surprise ending, I was satisfied with how everything came together.

[Judith Lott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Thanks, Goodreads, for a book I couldn't put down until the end.

[Phyllis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book.

[Donna Vasser · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book.It had some interesting turns.

[marvin shults · Rating 5 out of 5]

Death

I enjoyed this story very much. It was well written and should be of interest to anyone who likes romance and mystery.