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Inspector Frank Stave #2
The Wolf Children
Hamburg 1947: It is the year of extremes.
After a bitterly cold winter of starvation, the bombed city groans under excruciating heat. And Chief Inspector Frank Stave is confronted with a new case.
In the ruins of a shipyard, the corpse of a boy is found and Stave's hunt for the killer leads him into the world of wolf children- orphaned children who have fled from the Occupied Eastern Territories and now united in gangs.
When two more bodies are discovered Stave is under even increasing pressure as he struggles to keep his personal life together too...
After a bitterly cold winter of starvation, the bombed city groans under excruciating heat. And Chief Inspector Frank Stave is confronted with a new case.
In the ruins of a shipyard, the corpse of a boy is found and Stave's hunt for the killer leads him into the world of wolf children- orphaned children who have fled from the Occupied Eastern Territories and now united in gangs.
When two more bodies are discovered Stave is under even increasing pressure as he struggles to keep his personal life together too...
241 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 16, 2012
61 people are currently reading
231 people want to read
About the author
Cay Rademacher
54 books132 followers1965 in Flensburg geboren, studierte in Köln und Washington Anglo-Amerikanische Geschichte, Alte Geschichte und Philosophie und lebt heute mit seiner Familie in der Provence.
Seit einigen Jahren Redakteur bei GEO sowie Geschäftsführender Redakteur des Geschichtsmagazins GEO EPOCHE. Außerdem schreibt R. historische Romane und Sachbücher.
Seit einigen Jahren Redakteur bei GEO sowie Geschäftsführender Redakteur des Geschichtsmagazins GEO EPOCHE. Außerdem schreibt R. historische Romane und Sachbücher.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
February 15, 2022
Hamburg im Mai 1947: In den Ruinen einer alten Werft wird die Leiche des 14-jährigen Adolf gefunden. Er wurde erstochen. Oberinspektor Frank Stave soll den Fall aufklären. Seine Ermittlungen gehen nur sehr langsam voran und werden erschwert durch die unerträgliche Hitzewelle und private Sorgen.
* Meine Meinung *
Ein großartiges Buch! Selten hat mich ein Krimi so berühren können wie dieser! Man taucht ein in die Geschichte, kann fast selbst die große Hitze spüren und die Sorgen von Oberinspektor Stave nachvollziehen. Sein Sohn Karl kommt aus Sibirien zurück. Wie hat er den Krieg und die Gefangenschaft überstanden? Was für einen Menschen hat dieser Krieg aus ihm gemacht? Und wie wird er auf seinen Vater und vor allem auf Anna, die Freundin seines Vaters, reagieren? Und wie wird Anna reagieren?
Man kann die Freude, die Hoffnung, die Angst und die Traurigkeit von Stave fast selbst spüren.
Und dann ist da natürlich noch der Mordfall, der aufgeklärt werden muss. Adolf war noch ein Kind; warum musste er sterben?
Die Ermittlungen führen Stave in die Welt der Wolfskinder. Waisenkinder ohne Familie und ohne Zuhause, die sich durchschlagen müssen. Was hatte Adolf mit ihnen zu tun? Adolf war auch ein Waisenkind, aber er hat bei seiner Tante gelebt.
Ganz langsam kommt Stave dem Täter auf die Spur, obwohl ihm immer wieder Steine in den Weg gelegt werden.
Das Buch ist eine gelungene Mischung aus einem spannenden Kriminalfall und einer ebenso spannenden Familiengeschichte aus der Nachkriegszeit. Ich glaube fast, ich habe durch dieses Buch mehr über das Leben in der Nachkriegszeit gelernt als damals im Schulunterricht.
Diesen Krimi kann ich auf jeden Fall weiterempfehlen! Er ist sehr spannend, sehr durchdacht und sehr interessant!
* Meine Meinung *
Ein großartiges Buch! Selten hat mich ein Krimi so berühren können wie dieser! Man taucht ein in die Geschichte, kann fast selbst die große Hitze spüren und die Sorgen von Oberinspektor Stave nachvollziehen. Sein Sohn Karl kommt aus Sibirien zurück. Wie hat er den Krieg und die Gefangenschaft überstanden? Was für einen Menschen hat dieser Krieg aus ihm gemacht? Und wie wird er auf seinen Vater und vor allem auf Anna, die Freundin seines Vaters, reagieren? Und wie wird Anna reagieren?
Man kann die Freude, die Hoffnung, die Angst und die Traurigkeit von Stave fast selbst spüren.
Und dann ist da natürlich noch der Mordfall, der aufgeklärt werden muss. Adolf war noch ein Kind; warum musste er sterben?
Die Ermittlungen führen Stave in die Welt der Wolfskinder. Waisenkinder ohne Familie und ohne Zuhause, die sich durchschlagen müssen. Was hatte Adolf mit ihnen zu tun? Adolf war auch ein Waisenkind, aber er hat bei seiner Tante gelebt.
Ganz langsam kommt Stave dem Täter auf die Spur, obwohl ihm immer wieder Steine in den Weg gelegt werden.
Das Buch ist eine gelungene Mischung aus einem spannenden Kriminalfall und einer ebenso spannenden Familiengeschichte aus der Nachkriegszeit. Ich glaube fast, ich habe durch dieses Buch mehr über das Leben in der Nachkriegszeit gelernt als damals im Schulunterricht.
Diesen Krimi kann ich auf jeden Fall weiterempfehlen! Er ist sehr spannend, sehr durchdacht und sehr interessant!
April 16, 2021
Having enjoyed The Murderer in Ruins by Cay Rademacher, and specifically the evocation of the grim reality of everyday life in the ruins of Hamburg during 1947, I decided to press straight on with this, the next in the trilogy.
The Wolf Children picks up the narrative a few months later. In contrast to the coldest winter in living memory (-36°C), the citizens of the bombed and ruined city now have to endure excruciating heat.
This time round Chief Inspector Frank Stave has to hunt for a child killer which leads him into the world of the wolf children. Wolf children were among the 40,000 orphaned children who lived feral, in gangs and on the city streets having fled from the Occupied Eastern Territories.
There's three elements to these books: Frank Stave's own story (his dead wife, his son missing in action, and his new love interest); the depiction of Hamburg in the immediate post-War period under occupation by the British army; and of course the murder case.
Once again it's the depiction of Hamburg which works best - there's lots of atmosphere and compelling detail about day to day life.
Frank Stave's story is interesting despite his somewhat bizarre personality and inability to be straightforward, and this novel leaves many threads still hanging and awaiting some kind of resolution in the final book.
It's as a police procedural and a murder mystery that this book is weakest. The denouement felt particularly anticlimactic and the rationale for what had happened was unconvincing and lacked credibility.
It all leaves me wondering whether to bother with the final instalment - The Forger. I probably will but primarily just to discover how things resolve for Frank.
3/5
The Wolf Children picks up the narrative a few months later. In contrast to the coldest winter in living memory (-36°C), the citizens of the bombed and ruined city now have to endure excruciating heat.
This time round Chief Inspector Frank Stave has to hunt for a child killer which leads him into the world of the wolf children. Wolf children were among the 40,000 orphaned children who lived feral, in gangs and on the city streets having fled from the Occupied Eastern Territories.
There's three elements to these books: Frank Stave's own story (his dead wife, his son missing in action, and his new love interest); the depiction of Hamburg in the immediate post-War period under occupation by the British army; and of course the murder case.
Once again it's the depiction of Hamburg which works best - there's lots of atmosphere and compelling detail about day to day life.
Frank Stave's story is interesting despite his somewhat bizarre personality and inability to be straightforward, and this novel leaves many threads still hanging and awaiting some kind of resolution in the final book.
It's as a police procedural and a murder mystery that this book is weakest. The denouement felt particularly anticlimactic and the rationale for what had happened was unconvincing and lacked credibility.
It all leaves me wondering whether to bother with the final instalment - The Forger. I probably will but primarily just to discover how things resolve for Frank.
3/5
August 28, 2017
A very good read of post-war Hamburg, atmosphere and reality well portrayed. Mind you, McDonald was in HIS not HER Majesty Service in 1947. Will follow Rademacher's next novels.
April 22, 2020
This started fine. Rademacher has researched his period and place, post-war Hamburg, and gives an excellent sense of it. Like Donna Leon, you feel you are walking the streets. The meals our undernourished detective hero eats compare poorly to the Italian fare of Leon's volumes. The simplest tramezzini that Brunetti consumes in a bar has more nutrition and interest than any meal that Stave can manage at home or in a restaurant. Some streets are gone or buried still in rubble, but Rademacher makes the city live. I enjoyed looking up places and getting a sense. I bought an old map to help, although I got one a little too old. There's no printed date on this Orfixplan, but it obviously was created between 1933 and 1945 because there are many Adolf Hitler platzes, strasses, etc. The climax and solution did not impress me as plausible. "Much ado about nothing" was the phrase that came to mind. People murder for all sorts of reasons, but when the smuggling and murder do not seem believable...well, I have to leave 3 stars. I don't read mysteries for the solution but for the consideration of possibilities, for the experience of immersing myself in another time, place, or point of view. So I give the author credit for that. The protagonist's personal life is in flux. There's one more book in the series, and I do want to see where the author takes it. I will get the next one.
March 28, 2018
Ce second tome est aussi poignant que le premier ! Le style d'écriture de Cay Rademacher vous emporte facilement à cette période critique de l'après guerre à Hambourg et vous vous retrouvez vous aussi étouffés par la chaleur de l'été ainsi que par l'ambiance du roman.
Les romans de cet auteur sont très atmosphériques du coup pour moi l'intrigue est presque secondaire au tableau peint par Cay Rademacher de la société allemande ou plutôt Hambourgeoise de l'époque.
Et quoi de plus tragique que les orphelins engendrés par cette terrible guerre ! Plus de 40 000 enfants se sont retrouvés orphelins du jour au lendemain à devoir se débrouiller seuls ou en petits groupes pour survivre tout d'abord au froid extrême de l'hiver puis à la chaleur cuisante de l'été.
Moins de la moitié d'entre eux a été réunie avec un membre de leur famille et pour le reste, ils ont dû se débrouiller comme ils peuvent dans une Allemagne saignée et en ruines.
Les romans de cet auteur sont très atmosphériques du coup pour moi l'intrigue est presque secondaire au tableau peint par Cay Rademacher de la société allemande ou plutôt Hambourgeoise de l'époque.
Et quoi de plus tragique que les orphelins engendrés par cette terrible guerre ! Plus de 40 000 enfants se sont retrouvés orphelins du jour au lendemain à devoir se débrouiller seuls ou en petits groupes pour survivre tout d'abord au froid extrême de l'hiver puis à la chaleur cuisante de l'été.
Moins de la moitié d'entre eux a été réunie avec un membre de leur famille et pour le reste, ils ont dû se débrouiller comme ils peuvent dans une Allemagne saignée et en ruines.
July 19, 2021
This sequel as good as the first one; important to read this one after that for plot details that would be missing otherwise.
Life continues to be grim in postwar Germany, but this time it's summer, so not quite so much so. Here, I found the story a bit less setting-driven, with a bit more emphasis on characters. Narration excellent as before, leaving me incredibly frustrated that the third (final) installment is not available as an audiobook!
Life continues to be grim in postwar Germany, but this time it's summer, so not quite so much so. Here, I found the story a bit less setting-driven, with a bit more emphasis on characters. Narration excellent as before, leaving me incredibly frustrated that the third (final) installment is not available as an audiobook!
September 20, 2015
3,5 von 4 Sternen
In seinem zweiten Fall wird Oberinspektor Stave von der Hamburger Kriminalpolizei mit der Aufklärung des Mordes an einem 14-jährigen Jungen beauftragt, der vom Mörder erstochen und auf einem Blindgänger in einer Lagerhalle im Hamburger Hafen drapiert wurde.
Zur Seite steht Stave, wie beim letzten Mal, Lieutenant MacDonald von der britischen Besatzung. Auch einige weitere Charaktere aus dem Umfeld von Stave sind von früher bekannt. Dazu zähle ich ganz bewusst auch die Stadt Hamburg aus dem Jahre 1947, die auch in dieser Geschichte eine prominente Rolle spielt. Überhaupt finde ich, dass die gut recherchierte und beeindruckend realistische Beschreibung der äußeren Umstände bei der Ermittlung der Fälle den besonderen Reiz diese Kriminalromane ausmachen.
"Der Schieber" fällt in meinen Augen jedoch leicht gegen den "Trümmermörder" ab. Das liegt in meinen Augen vor allem an dem zu abrupten Ende. Der Mörder wird gefunden, ich glaube da verrate ich nicht zu viel, aber trotzdem bleiben ein paar lose Enden, deren Auflösung ich noch gerne gelesen hätte. Ich hoffe und denke auch, dass im dritten Teil der Stave-Reihe diese Fäden nochmals aufgenommen werden. Den "Fälscher" werde ich mir jedenfalls auch nicht entgehen lassen!
Im einem Nachwort erklärt der Autor übrigens, was von dem Roman fiktional, was authentisch ist und wo die Authentizität zu Gunsten der Dramaturgie etwas geändert werden musste. Vorbildlich!
Diesen Review befindet sich auch in meinen Blog. Dort habe ich einige passende Bilder aus dem Deutschen Bundesarchiv hinzugefügt.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
In seinem zweiten Fall wird Oberinspektor Stave von der Hamburger Kriminalpolizei mit der Aufklärung des Mordes an einem 14-jährigen Jungen beauftragt, der vom Mörder erstochen und auf einem Blindgänger in einer Lagerhalle im Hamburger Hafen drapiert wurde.
Zur Seite steht Stave, wie beim letzten Mal, Lieutenant MacDonald von der britischen Besatzung. Auch einige weitere Charaktere aus dem Umfeld von Stave sind von früher bekannt. Dazu zähle ich ganz bewusst auch die Stadt Hamburg aus dem Jahre 1947, die auch in dieser Geschichte eine prominente Rolle spielt. Überhaupt finde ich, dass die gut recherchierte und beeindruckend realistische Beschreibung der äußeren Umstände bei der Ermittlung der Fälle den besonderen Reiz diese Kriminalromane ausmachen.
"Der Schieber" fällt in meinen Augen jedoch leicht gegen den "Trümmermörder" ab. Das liegt in meinen Augen vor allem an dem zu abrupten Ende. Der Mörder wird gefunden, ich glaube da verrate ich nicht zu viel, aber trotzdem bleiben ein paar lose Enden, deren Auflösung ich noch gerne gelesen hätte. Ich hoffe und denke auch, dass im dritten Teil der Stave-Reihe diese Fäden nochmals aufgenommen werden. Den "Fälscher" werde ich mir jedenfalls auch nicht entgehen lassen!
Im einem Nachwort erklärt der Autor übrigens, was von dem Roman fiktional, was authentisch ist und wo die Authentizität zu Gunsten der Dramaturgie etwas geändert werden musste. Vorbildlich!
Diesen Review befindet sich auch in meinen Blog. Dort habe ich einige passende Bilder aus dem Deutschen Bundesarchiv hinzugefügt.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
March 10, 2017
I was interested in reading this book because it's something different to all the fantasy and ya I've been reading lately, I wasn't sure if I would like it or not as it is historical fiction set back in 1947 Hamburg Germany after the war and to be honest a time I know very little about. I have the vaguest knowledge of the world war/Hitler, I've read Anne Frank and watched some movies but I really don't know much about it or the aftermath. With The Wolf Children I not only learned some history about the war and the time after it but I also had a great detective story to solve, it left me wanting to learn more about Chief Inspector Frank Stave and his British friend Lieutenant James McDonald and so I am hoping there will be a third book. I will definitely be reading the first The Murder in Ruins. I have given this book 5 stars because I enjoyed reading it and would read and recommend to a friend. I'll have a full review up on my blog by the end of the week.
April 28, 2019
Second book in the series and despite some timeline issues, really liked it. The hot summer of 1947 after the coldest winter and Chief Inspector Stave is investigating the murder of a teenager.
May 20, 2021
Richtig guter „Zwitter“ aus Kriminal-, historischem und Hamburg-Roman – sehr spannend!
„Die alte Hutkrempenregel: Verletzungen, die durch einen Sturz verursacht werden, liegen am Kopf stets so, dass man sie sehen würde, hätte das Opfer einen Hut auf. Die meisten Schädelverletzungen hingegen befinden sich höher am Schädel.“ S. 214 So lernen Leser und Frank Stave gleichermaßen, der Hamburger Oberinspektor, der doch viel lieber wie vor dem Krieg „Kommissar“ heißen würde. Die Schädelverletzungen hat das bereits zweite Opfer – oder sind es gar drei Opfer? Alle sind Jugendliche – alle hatten zuvor bereits ihre Eltern an den Zweiten Weltkrieg verloren. Hamburg, ab dem 30.05.1947. Die Stadt liegt in Trümmern, steht unter britischer Verwaltung.
Cay Rademacher lässt das Nachkriegs-Hamburg plastisch auferstehen mit seiner Zerstörung, dem Schwarzmarkt, der Rationierung und Knappheit von fast allem – aber auch schon mit den ersten Gewinnlern und denen, die dauerhaft alles verloren haben: entwurzelten Kindern, die durch Bombenangriffe in Hamburg selbst oder auf der Flucht aus deutschen Ostgebieten ihre Eltern verloren haben, die von klein auf nur den Lebenskampf erlernt haben und sich so nicht mehr einfügen können in die „neue Zeit“. Da wird der Roman fast zur Gesellschaftsstudie, ohne erhobenen Zeigefinger, aber mit etlichen eingeflochtenen Persönlichkeiten des wahren Lebens, wenn sich sein Personal durchschlägt, wenn die Briten Blohm und Voss demontieren lassen, den früheren Konkurrenten, wenn es schiefe Blicke der Nachbarn gibt angesichts neuer Beziehungskonstellationen nach dem Verlust der alten, wenn die Alpträume kommen und die Heimkehrer aus den Gefangenenlagern. Der Text versetzt mich als Leser sehr plastisch hinein.
Und dennoch: Er bleibt Kriminalroman, rasant dazu, mit seiner unmittelbaren Wirkung auch durch das durchgängige Präsens des Textes, der sich nach meiner Meinung für Liebhaber des Genres als auch für Liebhaber historischer Romane gleichermaßen eignet und viel über Hamburg berichtet, besonders aus dem Milieu der Werften. Es ist kein klassischer „Whodunnit“, bei dem der Leser über Informationen zum Miträtseln verfügt, vielmehr begleitet er Stave und seinen britischen Gegenpart, Lieutenant James MacDonald, bei den Ermittlungen, wie auch schon im ersten Band der Reihe – in diesem Falle inklusive Showdown zum Ende, das Buch hat mir eine Nacht doch reichlich zum Tage gemacht. Ich hatte den ersten Teil vorher gelesen, jedoch ist das nicht zum Verständnis erforderlich; es gibt kurze Zusammenfassungen, ohne dass Autor Rademacher dabei zu ausschweifend wird.
Klare Leseempfehlung für Spannung, sympathische Protagonisten, eine nach meiner Meinung klug gewählte Auflösung, viel Zeit- und Lokalkolorit und dafür, dass ich neues gelernt habe sowohl über düstere Vergangenheit (Wolfskinder) als auch über (historisches) Arbeitsleben (Tallymann, Schauerleute, Stauer,…!). 5 Sterne, da Band 2 mir noch einen Tick besser gelungen erscheint als Band 1.
„Die alte Hutkrempenregel: Verletzungen, die durch einen Sturz verursacht werden, liegen am Kopf stets so, dass man sie sehen würde, hätte das Opfer einen Hut auf. Die meisten Schädelverletzungen hingegen befinden sich höher am Schädel.“ S. 214 So lernen Leser und Frank Stave gleichermaßen, der Hamburger Oberinspektor, der doch viel lieber wie vor dem Krieg „Kommissar“ heißen würde. Die Schädelverletzungen hat das bereits zweite Opfer – oder sind es gar drei Opfer? Alle sind Jugendliche – alle hatten zuvor bereits ihre Eltern an den Zweiten Weltkrieg verloren. Hamburg, ab dem 30.05.1947. Die Stadt liegt in Trümmern, steht unter britischer Verwaltung.
Cay Rademacher lässt das Nachkriegs-Hamburg plastisch auferstehen mit seiner Zerstörung, dem Schwarzmarkt, der Rationierung und Knappheit von fast allem – aber auch schon mit den ersten Gewinnlern und denen, die dauerhaft alles verloren haben: entwurzelten Kindern, die durch Bombenangriffe in Hamburg selbst oder auf der Flucht aus deutschen Ostgebieten ihre Eltern verloren haben, die von klein auf nur den Lebenskampf erlernt haben und sich so nicht mehr einfügen können in die „neue Zeit“. Da wird der Roman fast zur Gesellschaftsstudie, ohne erhobenen Zeigefinger, aber mit etlichen eingeflochtenen Persönlichkeiten des wahren Lebens, wenn sich sein Personal durchschlägt, wenn die Briten Blohm und Voss demontieren lassen, den früheren Konkurrenten, wenn es schiefe Blicke der Nachbarn gibt angesichts neuer Beziehungskonstellationen nach dem Verlust der alten, wenn die Alpträume kommen und die Heimkehrer aus den Gefangenenlagern. Der Text versetzt mich als Leser sehr plastisch hinein.
Und dennoch: Er bleibt Kriminalroman, rasant dazu, mit seiner unmittelbaren Wirkung auch durch das durchgängige Präsens des Textes, der sich nach meiner Meinung für Liebhaber des Genres als auch für Liebhaber historischer Romane gleichermaßen eignet und viel über Hamburg berichtet, besonders aus dem Milieu der Werften. Es ist kein klassischer „Whodunnit“, bei dem der Leser über Informationen zum Miträtseln verfügt, vielmehr begleitet er Stave und seinen britischen Gegenpart, Lieutenant James MacDonald, bei den Ermittlungen, wie auch schon im ersten Band der Reihe – in diesem Falle inklusive Showdown zum Ende, das Buch hat mir eine Nacht doch reichlich zum Tage gemacht. Ich hatte den ersten Teil vorher gelesen, jedoch ist das nicht zum Verständnis erforderlich; es gibt kurze Zusammenfassungen, ohne dass Autor Rademacher dabei zu ausschweifend wird.
Klare Leseempfehlung für Spannung, sympathische Protagonisten, eine nach meiner Meinung klug gewählte Auflösung, viel Zeit- und Lokalkolorit und dafür, dass ich neues gelernt habe sowohl über düstere Vergangenheit (Wolfskinder) als auch über (historisches) Arbeitsleben (Tallymann, Schauerleute, Stauer,…!). 5 Sterne, da Band 2 mir noch einen Tick besser gelungen erscheint als Band 1.
April 24, 2022
There are two detective series on Kindle Unlimited written by German authors and focused on murder mysteries set in Germany in the aftermath of WW2. When I read the first book of each series I felt that the Frank Stave (this one) was the less imaginative and least satisfying narratively, not the least reason for which was that it had a very unsatisfying ending. Having picked up the second books in the series I’m finding my opinions reversing. It’s just not as fun to have Germans eking out some sort of narrow justice under harsh Soviet rule. To make it work you need to get fairly implausible. At least with this series we get British-occupied Hamburg and the complexity of working alongside allies you share certain values with while still being tied to your own background.
The basic focus here is children of the war. The victims are all streetkids and it is unclear what ties them together or to the murderer. The wolf children of the title are only one (oddly unimportant) aspect of these as they are orphans who were driven west by the war and now live by their wits. We also get Stave’s son back from the war and their fractured relationship. This may be a cultural or a personal thing but their relationship confused me. They seem incapable of dealing with any sort of emotional connection. Given how much time he focuses on it the inability to advance their relationship or even develop one was frustrating.
The ending is too abrupt. I happened to glance down at the page count when things started to build up towards a conclusion and realized that the grand climax was already underway. The identity of the murderer was obvious too. You know by about 2/3 of the way through who it is. I thought it might be a red herring but no, it just was. The question then switches from who to why. A much less interesting question. Columbo can reveal the murderer and build a cat and mouse game over motive and how they get caught. Here there isn’t much tension to it – they simply need to figure out where to position their stakeout. Whoopee. Still, the journey was fun and the characters enjoyable. If it’s not the most thrilling of mysteries it does at least offer an interesting look at a devastated postwar world I hope I never have to experience.
The basic focus here is children of the war. The victims are all streetkids and it is unclear what ties them together or to the murderer. The wolf children of the title are only one (oddly unimportant) aspect of these as they are orphans who were driven west by the war and now live by their wits. We also get Stave’s son back from the war and their fractured relationship. This may be a cultural or a personal thing but their relationship confused me. They seem incapable of dealing with any sort of emotional connection. Given how much time he focuses on it the inability to advance their relationship or even develop one was frustrating.
The ending is too abrupt. I happened to glance down at the page count when things started to build up towards a conclusion and realized that the grand climax was already underway. The identity of the murderer was obvious too. You know by about 2/3 of the way through who it is. I thought it might be a red herring but no, it just was. The question then switches from who to why. A much less interesting question. Columbo can reveal the murderer and build a cat and mouse game over motive and how they get caught. Here there isn’t much tension to it – they simply need to figure out where to position their stakeout. Whoopee. Still, the journey was fun and the characters enjoyable. If it’s not the most thrilling of mysteries it does at least offer an interesting look at a devastated postwar world I hope I never have to experience.
March 19, 2017
The first thing I thought after I had finished reading this book was how much I learnt about the effects of the war on Germany. I really liked this as I'm all about learning new things. Learning whilst enjoying reading the book was even better. I've found that some historical based books can give too much information and it feels as though you're reading a non-fiction book, however, this novel got the balance just right. The information was woven through the vivid descriptions which not only created an atmosphere, but made the history come alive with a very powerful effect.
The Wolf Children is the second novel in the Inspector Stave series. (The first is 'The Murderer in Ruins') I had absolutely no trouble understanding what was going on and so it works perfectly well as a standalone. Despite this, I would still recommend reading the first novel in the series, simply because if it's anything like this one, it's too good to miss.
Stave was a brilliant character, I especially enjoyed seeing the development of his friendship with MacDonald. He was well developed and I liked the side plot of his personal life which didn't take over the story, but instead built on the main plot and enhanced it well.
The ending tied up events of the novel and I thought the last page, in particular the last couple of paragraphs, were extremely harrowing and the words have stayed with me since I finished the book.
Overall, I'd give this novel 5 out of 5 and add it to my five star favourites shelf! It's my first five star read of the year and is very deserving of this title! I'd recommend picking up a copy of this, if not the first book too! It was compelling, eye-opening and a brilliant read.
This book was provided to me for free in exchange for an honest review.
The Wolf Children is the second novel in the Inspector Stave series. (The first is 'The Murderer in Ruins') I had absolutely no trouble understanding what was going on and so it works perfectly well as a standalone. Despite this, I would still recommend reading the first novel in the series, simply because if it's anything like this one, it's too good to miss.
Stave was a brilliant character, I especially enjoyed seeing the development of his friendship with MacDonald. He was well developed and I liked the side plot of his personal life which didn't take over the story, but instead built on the main plot and enhanced it well.
The ending tied up events of the novel and I thought the last page, in particular the last couple of paragraphs, were extremely harrowing and the words have stayed with me since I finished the book.
Overall, I'd give this novel 5 out of 5 and add it to my five star favourites shelf! It's my first five star read of the year and is very deserving of this title! I'd recommend picking up a copy of this, if not the first book too! It was compelling, eye-opening and a brilliant read.
This book was provided to me for free in exchange for an honest review.
October 3, 2018
One of the best.
This is writing at its best. A well crafted murder hunt set in haunting landscape of post war Hamburg. Cay Rademacher has again written a book that will stay in my memory for a long time.
Original plotting, characters that leave you wanting to know more about them and storytelling that never falters are usually ingredients that produce great books. Not only does this series have all of that, but it also has a setting that at times just leaves you gasping at what survival meant in such apocalyptic conditions.
This is not a forum in which to discuss German civilian wartime guilt and complicity( those who do should read Daniel Goldenhagen's fine books on the subject) and this book does not ask you to do so but what I came away with, was the overwhelming guilt of the adults, regardless of side, who could inflict, through their actions, such suffering on children, again regardless of side. It's a sobering thought, that even today, children are reliving the same suffering through the actions of grown men and women.
It's one of the wonders of reading that you can be held captive by a fictional narrative whilst at the same time being made to confront deep lying questions of morality. This is such book.
Well done Cay Rademacher.
This is writing at its best. A well crafted murder hunt set in haunting landscape of post war Hamburg. Cay Rademacher has again written a book that will stay in my memory for a long time.
Original plotting, characters that leave you wanting to know more about them and storytelling that never falters are usually ingredients that produce great books. Not only does this series have all of that, but it also has a setting that at times just leaves you gasping at what survival meant in such apocalyptic conditions.
This is not a forum in which to discuss German civilian wartime guilt and complicity( those who do should read Daniel Goldenhagen's fine books on the subject) and this book does not ask you to do so but what I came away with, was the overwhelming guilt of the adults, regardless of side, who could inflict, through their actions, such suffering on children, again regardless of side. It's a sobering thought, that even today, children are reliving the same suffering through the actions of grown men and women.
It's one of the wonders of reading that you can be held captive by a fictional narrative whilst at the same time being made to confront deep lying questions of morality. This is such book.
Well done Cay Rademacher.
July 1, 2016
Ich lese gerne gute Krimis. Am liebsten solche mit interessanten Schauplätzen und Ermittlern, die Ecken und Kanten und dadurch Charakter haben. Cay Rademacher hat mich vor Jahren schon einmal mit "Der Trümmermörder" überzeugt - einem Krimi über eine Serie von Mordfällen im Nachkriegshamburg 1947. In "Der Schieber" ermittelt Oberinspektor Stave erneut, diesmal in einem grausamen Mordfall an einem Teenager, der wohl in Schwarzmarktgeschäfte verwickelt war. Mich fasziniert an dieser Krimiserie das Setting: Cay Rademacher erweckt die deutsche Nachkriegszeit regelrecht zum Leben: Ich sehe beim Lesen die zerstörten Straßen, den Schwarzmarkt und die ständig müden, erschöpften Menschen beinahe vor mir und meine, dadurch ein besseres Bild vom Leben nach dem Krieg zu bekommen, von dem mir meine Großeltern manchmal erzählten. Dazu kommen glaubwürdig herausgearbeitete Charaktere und ein spannender Aufbau. Im Hörbuch gewinnt "Der Schieber" noch durch den herausragenden Vorleser Burghart Klaußner. Mir ist beim Hören nicht mal aufgefallen, dass das Hörbuch gekürzt ist.
October 11, 2017
I like Chief Inspector Stave a lot. I don't always agree with his personal choices (hug him for goodness sake) but he's a good cop and a nice guy. His interactions with the 14-year old girl were kind.
Hamburg in 1947 is another character in the book. Not a city that has been featured a lot. Very interesting place and time. I do question whether the term "baby bump" was used in the Forties though.
Excellent narration.
I hope there are more books. I look forward to them.
Hamburg in 1947 is another character in the book. Not a city that has been featured a lot. Very interesting place and time. I do question whether the term "baby bump" was used in the Forties though.
Excellent narration.
I hope there are more books. I look forward to them.
November 5, 2019
Another crime series set in post-war Germany, in Hamburg this time. The usual mix of black marketeering and occupation forces. The protagonist is a Kripo detective with a clean record who has been installed by the occupying forces, in this zone the British. The novel is a little leisurely but the plot unfolds steadily to its conclusion underneath the Elbe.
August 2, 2017
Very atmospheric and nice to have a post WW II book set outside Berlin, in this case the ruins of Hamburg. Preferred the bits to do with Frank Stave's personal life to the crime storyline, the former is touching and the principal character is well-drawn. Certainly will read the next instalment.
April 3, 2018
Solid crime story that was a little bit too solvable. I was also left hanging in terms of plot about his son, which does not really get a lot of resolution after a very promising beginning, I would have liked to see more of that.
August 17, 2017
This is Cay Rademacher's Second novel in the Frank Stave Series. In this book, Stave has been asked to investigate the deaths of several children, the first was found in a storage shed at the Hamburg port having been stabbed, during the course of the book two other children were to die. The question is why? Set in the British Control Zone of Germany in 1947. There are children roaming the streets, having lost there parents during allied bombing raids. The Children, known as "Wolf Children" live rough in the ruins of the city, do what ever they can to make ends meet, usually involving some connection to the city's black market. Stave is keen to solve the case, particularly, after the death of one of the children, an under-age prostitute, who has become tangled up in the saga. Stave of course has much besides the case on his mind, his son, Karl has been missing since the end of the war, is he still alive? If he is, where is he? Stave has recently started a relationship and he worries about how Karl will react.
The Wolf Children, is a great second novel, a worthy follow up to his debut, Murderer in the Ruins. The book has many inter-woven strands which makes the Wolf Children an engaging read, It develops the characters from the first book, particularly James C McDonald, a British Army Officer who has been called upon again to assist Stave with his enquiries. I'm looking forward to Stave's next outing - hopefully, it won't be a long wait
The Wolf Children, is a great second novel, a worthy follow up to his debut, Murderer in the Ruins. The book has many inter-woven strands which makes the Wolf Children an engaging read, It develops the characters from the first book, particularly James C McDonald, a British Army Officer who has been called upon again to assist Stave with his enquiries. I'm looking forward to Stave's next outing - hopefully, it won't be a long wait
June 16, 2018
As a piece of historical fiction this is a fascinating book. Rademacher’s research is impressive and extensive as she bases her story around the forty thousand orphaned children who lived on Hamburg’s streets in years after the war. Parents or relatives were found for some in the zones of occupation, but more than half remained unaccounted for. Rademacher’s ‘afterword’ is worth reading also as she describes more fully the plight of these children.
Specifically though the novel is set in 1947 and concerns the murder of a fourteen year old boy which is investigated by Chief Inspector Stave. Unfortunately as a crime novel it isn’t quite as strong, the more intricate aspects of the police investigation are somewhat mundane compared to the city and its inhabitants struggling though such a dark period that seems to be forgotten these days.
Specifically though the novel is set in 1947 and concerns the murder of a fourteen year old boy which is investigated by Chief Inspector Stave. Unfortunately as a crime novel it isn’t quite as strong, the more intricate aspects of the police investigation are somewhat mundane compared to the city and its inhabitants struggling though such a dark period that seems to be forgotten these days.
Do you know why most of these kids turn up to school? It’s for the school dinners the English provide: hot soup every day, soya meal and meat extract or semolina with sugar. That’s three hundred calories, three hundred good reasons not to miss school. Of my fifty (in the form), barely half of them have any interest in the subject. The English have banned most textbooks from the Nazi era: too much propaganda. But there aren’t any new books. What am I to do? Well, I use the old German textbook and the old history textbook, but keep them under the desk.
June 9, 2024
The setting of this crime novel about chief inspector and war widower Frank Stave is the city of Hamburg in the summer of 1947. The murder case is only the trigger; the author's crime novel actually gives me an insight into everyday life in war-ravaged Hamburg. I am familiar with the places mentioned in the city, which is why the vivid depictions captivated me all the more easily. I also like the character Stave, his private issues and his professional side are carefully worked out. Stave's other cases will be my next vacation read. For the best rating, I'm missing something lasting for the head at the end.
May 20, 2022
Spannender und vor allem atmosphärisch dichter Kriminalroman aus dem Hamburg der direkten Nachkriegszeit. Dieses zweite Buch über Kommissar Stave schreibt auch dessen persönliche Geschichte weiter: Sohn Karl kommt aus dem Krieg, Sekretärin Erna ist schwanger von einem britischen Offizier, als ihr vermisste Ehemann doch noch heimkehrt, seine Geliebte Anna und er wagen nicht, über die Vergangenheit zu sprechen. Selten haben Bücher diese Probleme der direkten Nachkriegszeit, den Hunger und Magel so deutlich beschrieben. Daher kann ich diese kleine Krimireihe von drei Büchern nur empfehlen.
May 5, 2021
2.5 stars. Thank god the divorce hearing was in eight days and they had to crack the case by then because otherwise Stave would still be mooning round the ruins. Maybe the aimlessness is meant to convey the torpidity of the hot, stuck summer of 1947 but it makes for a draggy narrative. As in the previous book, the atmosphere of ruined Hamburg is the main thing here but the frozen winter of 1946 was a bit better.
April 20, 2022
Inspector Stave returns to solve the murder of a child in a post-WWII Hamburg ship factory. At the same time he struggles with a relationship with a woman and the expected return of his son from a Russian POW camp. The neat thing about Stave is that he’s a normal guy. Many inspectors/detectives in fiction are damaged in some way or rub the establishment the wrong way. Not Stave. He’s just trying to do his job and survive. Kind of refreshing.
September 29, 2020
Die Stärke des Buches liegt in der Schilderung der Nachkriegszeit mit all ihren Umständen. Die Kriminalgeschichte erschien mir eigentlich nur als Beiwerk - sie ist ja auch in die Zeit eingebettet und ist nicht gerade besonders spannend - aber darauf kommt es nicht an. Für mich war dies eine interessante Zeitreise
November 10, 2025
I have found a new series to follow. I read the first one a bit ago and am happy to report this second one was better than the first. I had it figured out and then with a big twist I thought I was wrong. Mr. Rademacher fooled me. Great Job. I recommend this book but suggest you read Murder in the Ruins first. It helps with the back story.
December 16, 2018
Another Hamburg adventure
Quite enjoying a post war visit to Hamburg, a city I had visited, but only known post war via my late fathers reminiscing.
I'm sure I'll continue to follow the intrepid Chief Inspector on further adventures.
Quite enjoying a post war visit to Hamburg, a city I had visited, but only known post war via my late fathers reminiscing.
I'm sure I'll continue to follow the intrepid Chief Inspector on further adventures.
January 3, 2021
If you like Bernie Gunther you'll love Frank Stave
Atmospheric with characters who have depth and a great plot coupled with first rate research give this an authenticity that few writers in this genre manage to achieve. I couldn't out it down.
Atmospheric with characters who have depth and a great plot coupled with first rate research give this an authenticity that few writers in this genre manage to achieve. I couldn't out it down.
April 21, 2021
Good combination of fiction and hist!ory
Although Chief Inspector Stave seems overly introverted, his internal musings provide a good means to frame the action of the novel. There are several editing oversights, but nothing that interferes with comprehension.
Although Chief Inspector Stave seems overly introverted, his internal musings provide a good means to frame the action of the novel. There are several editing oversights, but nothing that interferes with comprehension.
July 4, 2021
This series always has some very interesting facts about WW2, but also always long winded by description of journeys around the city, and the ending, along boat ride. The mystery, this time, was anticlimactic.
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