What do you think?
Rate this book
Time Lies
In ‘Time Lies’, a devious mystery-thriller set in Cold War Germany, a reluctant serial killer realises he has been murdering the wrong people.
But there is hope for him yet...
Karl wakes up in a locked room, a prisoner once again. But this unfamiliar place is no penitentiary. And this time he volunteered to be here.
A tragic accident took everything that was dear to Albert. Now everybody’s favourite twin sits in his wheelchair and contemplates the ultimate sin.
Dagmar was taken in by the church as a baby and has grown into a young woman with a ferocious appetite – and it’s not for food.
Tobias is the other twin, the also-ran whose greatest talent lies in impersonating his brother. Tobias' skills are less developed when it comes to killing.
But make no mistake - he'll catch on...
Four different people. Four different stories. One murderer. Maybe their lifelines crossed years ago.
But there is hope for him yet...
Karl wakes up in a locked room, a prisoner once again. But this unfamiliar place is no penitentiary. And this time he volunteered to be here.
A tragic accident took everything that was dear to Albert. Now everybody’s favourite twin sits in his wheelchair and contemplates the ultimate sin.
Dagmar was taken in by the church as a baby and has grown into a young woman with a ferocious appetite – and it’s not for food.
Tobias is the other twin, the also-ran whose greatest talent lies in impersonating his brother. Tobias' skills are less developed when it comes to killing.
But make no mistake - he'll catch on...
Four different people. Four different stories. One murderer. Maybe their lifelines crossed years ago.
- GenresHistorical
340 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 11, 2016
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 24, 2017
Time Lies is a complicated thriller, the tale sibling rivalry, and the scars of the past shaping the lives of those affected. Brothers Kurt and Toby live in a house with their bed-ridden father. As twins, they often confuse people by swapping personalities, and though one is deemed the good one, the boys often fool people by assuming the other's personalities. Just like the wall that separates East Germany from West Germany, the past is shrouded by secrecy. This was a great book. I ended up thinking about it all night- replaying scenes- it had a darkness that people who read the genre will like. There are parts that an American audience won't identify or understand. Not sure if they'll remember the paranoia of the Cold War or understand life in Germany post- WWII-The feeling of isolation. It read like a black and white film noir of the 60's. Good job.
In the end, while Cold War Germany is the backdrop, it is a book of kidnapping and murder, motivated by sinister intentions. Stanke craftily creates a tapestry of unlikely characters, then weaves them into an intricate design, capturing the reader and tying the unrelated threads into a neat conclusion.
Dark and calculating with surprising twists, Time Lies will satisfy crime/thriller readers.
In the end, while Cold War Germany is the backdrop, it is a book of kidnapping and murder, motivated by sinister intentions. Stanke craftily creates a tapestry of unlikely characters, then weaves them into an intricate design, capturing the reader and tying the unrelated threads into a neat conclusion.
Dark and calculating with surprising twists, Time Lies will satisfy crime/thriller readers.
December 30, 2019
Magnus Stanke weaves a complicated and rewarding Cold War mystery in Time Lies! The fates of four strangers are suddenly intertwined by one murder at the heart of the Cold War in Germany. Stanke builds a lot of depth and realism into his web of characters, a web whose tension and intrigue grow to the novel’s surprise end! I love the Cold War and I love mysteries, so Time Lies is perfect for fans like me!
April 17, 2019
I enjoyed this thriller set in cold war Germany. I found it to be a page-turner. A classic good twin vs evil twin with a twist I didn't see coming. Well done to the author for an entertaining read.
April 19, 2017
Sabine Schneider had been murdered. But Why?
Karl Ulbrict (East Germany’s leader) awoke & figured he was imprisoned. But where & for what?
Cordula Schwaiger & Albert Hoffmann (Catholic) got married. Soon along came Markus Hoffmann (son).
Eschershausen, Germany. It had been 3 yrs. (12/28/1978) since Albert Hoffmann (twin, wheelchair, recluse) accident.
The Mercedes had been stick & a rock from debris had hit him in the head.
The car had almost careened over the cliff.
Cordula (26, nee Schwaiger) & Markus (6) had been in grave danger.
Tobias Hoffmann (twin, University) also helped take care of him & now ran their factory.
Tobias had become quite good at impersonating Albert & vice versa.
Holzminden. Dagmar (f) enjoyed sex. Not all the time but quite a bit.
Anika was her BFF. She had taught her lots of things also.
Dagmar was quite the photographer & enjoyed going to the Catholic church.
She worked at the Hamachers’ shop.
1 day Albert had come in to shop. Their illicit affair took off from there.
What later happened to Markus & Cordula?
What shocking news would PI Dieter Schönfeld tell Tobias & Albert about their childhood?
Officer Schwarzer & Inspector Sübele (Kripo Holzminden) were investigating several homicide crimes in/around Holzminden, Germany area.
1992, Albert had decided to sell the business to Boris Garin for a huge profit.
They say sometimes evil lurks within a person!
Warning: This book is for adults only & contains extreme violent or graphic adult content or profanity &/or sexually explicit scenarios. It may be offensive to some readers.
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written psychological thriller mystery book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a large set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great horror movie, or better yet a mini TV series. To be continued? There is no doubt in my mind this is a very easy rating of 5 stars.
Thank you for the free Goodreads; MakingConnections; Amazon Digital Services LLC; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
Karl Ulbrict (East Germany’s leader) awoke & figured he was imprisoned. But where & for what?
Cordula Schwaiger & Albert Hoffmann (Catholic) got married. Soon along came Markus Hoffmann (son).
Eschershausen, Germany. It had been 3 yrs. (12/28/1978) since Albert Hoffmann (twin, wheelchair, recluse) accident.
The Mercedes had been stick & a rock from debris had hit him in the head.
The car had almost careened over the cliff.
Cordula (26, nee Schwaiger) & Markus (6) had been in grave danger.
Tobias Hoffmann (twin, University) also helped take care of him & now ran their factory.
Tobias had become quite good at impersonating Albert & vice versa.
Holzminden. Dagmar (f) enjoyed sex. Not all the time but quite a bit.
Anika was her BFF. She had taught her lots of things also.
Dagmar was quite the photographer & enjoyed going to the Catholic church.
She worked at the Hamachers’ shop.
1 day Albert had come in to shop. Their illicit affair took off from there.
What later happened to Markus & Cordula?
What shocking news would PI Dieter Schönfeld tell Tobias & Albert about their childhood?
Officer Schwarzer & Inspector Sübele (Kripo Holzminden) were investigating several homicide crimes in/around Holzminden, Germany area.
1992, Albert had decided to sell the business to Boris Garin for a huge profit.
They say sometimes evil lurks within a person!
Warning: This book is for adults only & contains extreme violent or graphic adult content or profanity &/or sexually explicit scenarios. It may be offensive to some readers.
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written psychological thriller mystery book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a large set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great horror movie, or better yet a mini TV series. To be continued? There is no doubt in my mind this is a very easy rating of 5 stars.
Thank you for the free Goodreads; MakingConnections; Amazon Digital Services LLC; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
February 20, 2017
There are more mysteries, dysfunctional relationships, plot twists and quirky characters in this single book than some authors manage in an entire career. The author sets the scene with a cold-blooded killing then draws out a skein of enigmatic plot threads. Identical brothers; one beloved by all, the other disliked even by their own father. One sibling blessed with the perfect family: the other isolated, overshadowed and angry. After the first, unintentional killing, murder turns out to be habit-forming…
Although Time Lies is subtitled ‘a Cold War mystery’, this isn’t a spy story but instead a tight-knit murder mystery set in the two Germanys of the 1980s. It’s an intensely personal exploration of sibling rivalry in which intimate actions – taken on either side of the great divide – echo down the decades with dreadful repercussions.
I especially enjoyed the exploits of the female lead, Dagmar. Many writers would have used her simply as the sex object but Stanke gives her a complicated back story and a richly detailed narrative of her own. She’s nobody’s fool, but finds herself entangled in the most unusual love triangle anyone could imagine.
The author has an unusual writing style which veers clear of crime-thriller stereotypes and his use of English is at times ingenious – occasionally off-the-wall. Time Lies isn’t as slick as a mainstream thriller from a big publisher; the pace does pause in a few places where a commercial editor would’ve nudged it along and cut some of the tangential diversions.
Time Lies is an unusual and original story, cram full of chapter-end cliff-hangers and cliché-free characters. Stanke takes chances with his characters and steers the plot in genuinely unexpected directions. I was ultimately rewarded by an emotionally mature, satisfyingly significant payoff. I’ll definitely look out for more from this author in future.
7/10
There's a longer version of this review with more detail over at
https://murdermayhemandmore.wordpress...
Although Time Lies is subtitled ‘a Cold War mystery’, this isn’t a spy story but instead a tight-knit murder mystery set in the two Germanys of the 1980s. It’s an intensely personal exploration of sibling rivalry in which intimate actions – taken on either side of the great divide – echo down the decades with dreadful repercussions.
I especially enjoyed the exploits of the female lead, Dagmar. Many writers would have used her simply as the sex object but Stanke gives her a complicated back story and a richly detailed narrative of her own. She’s nobody’s fool, but finds herself entangled in the most unusual love triangle anyone could imagine.
The author has an unusual writing style which veers clear of crime-thriller stereotypes and his use of English is at times ingenious – occasionally off-the-wall. Time Lies isn’t as slick as a mainstream thriller from a big publisher; the pace does pause in a few places where a commercial editor would’ve nudged it along and cut some of the tangential diversions.
Time Lies is an unusual and original story, cram full of chapter-end cliff-hangers and cliché-free characters. Stanke takes chances with his characters and steers the plot in genuinely unexpected directions. I was ultimately rewarded by an emotionally mature, satisfyingly significant payoff. I’ll definitely look out for more from this author in future.
7/10
There's a longer version of this review with more detail over at
https://murdermayhemandmore.wordpress...
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews