Goldstein

Gereon Rath #3

by Volker Kutscher

Berlín 1931: Hospodářská krize, násilné střety mezi SA a Rudou frontou, mocenský boj berlínských gangů. Když Gereon Rath dostane za úkol sledovat amerického gangstera Abrahama Goldsteina, netuší, že z kolegiální výpomoci pro americkou Bureau od Investigation se brzy stane smrtící závod. Zatímco on se nudí na svém pozorovacím stanovišti v hotelu Excelsior, ozbrojený Goldstein se už dávno volně pohybuje po městě. Když pak Marlow, šéf podsvětí, donutí Ratha k soukromému pátrání, dostává se komisař mezi bojové linie ve válce zločineckých spolků. Charly Ritterová nastupuje přípravnou právní praxi, a když nechá ze své kanceláře utéct mladou bezdomovkyni přistiženou ve vlaku bez jízdenky, setkává se její pátrání s tím Gereonovým – a je z toho další konflikt…

Genres: Crime, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Mystery, German Literature, Germany, Thriller

640 pages, Hardcover

First published October 5, 2010

About the author

Volker Kutscher ist ein deutscher Schriftsteller. 1995 veröffentlichte er mit Bullenmord seinen ersten Kriminalroman im Kölner Verlag Emons. 2008 erschien unter dem Titel Der nasse Fisch der erste Band einer auf mehrere Bände angelegten Reihe von historischen Kriminalromanen um die literarische Figur des Kölner Kommissars Gereon Rath, die im Berlin der späten Weimarer Republik und des Nationalsozialismus spielen. Die bis 2019 erschienenen ersten 7 Bände spielen in den Jahren 1929 bis 1935.
Volker Kutscher lebt in Köln.

Reviews

[Jeffrey Keeten · Rating 4 out of 5]

”Berlin was a crazy city and it was getting crazier and crazier.”

It is 1931, and clashes between communists and fascists are almost becoming routine. Jews are starting to get the first taste of what the future will be, and law students are showing up to class espousing the fanatical views of the Nazi party. Against all this turmoil, Charlotte Ritter is trying to find a young girl who witnessed the murder of her friend by police. Gereon Rath is trying to figure out why people with mobster connections keep ending up in the canals. ”He didn’t realize until he saw the eyes staring back at him out of a face so pale and swollen it no longer looked human. But human it was, the skin waxy and green with algae, hair swaying like seaweed. There was a deep, and bloodless--and therefore all the more hideous--wound on the man’s face, which exposed half his teeth and made it look as though he were snarling. He was staring at a corpse.”

Investigating would be easier if he wasn’t, as it turns out ineptly, being forced to keep tabs on the American gangster Abraham Goldstein. Goldstein is as slippery as a greased pig. Back in the states, he learned some skills slipping away from G-men, and he soon has Gereon scrambling to keep up with his movements. The assumption is that Goldstein is up to no good, but his true purpose for being in Berlin remains a mystery. I really enjoy this character. He is a Jew unlike any Jew the fascists have encountered before. There is this scene where he comes upon four Nazis beating up an old Jew, and let’s just say the brownshirt bastards don’t do as well against an American mobster as they do against the nearly helpless people they are used to harassing.

Gereon and Charlotte are also trying to figure out their own relationship. They are crazy about each other, but often work at cross purposes. She is trying to establish a career for herself, a difficult task in 1930s Germany for a woman, and Gereon is often trying to figure out how he works into her future plans. Gereon is also caught between his own mob connections and his job as a police officer. He tries to use both forces to help solve his murder cases without compromising his own integrity. As Gereon and Charlotte pursue their investigations, it soon becomes apparent that their cases intersect, and as always, when they are at their best is when they are working together. I’d love to see them both leave their career paths and open their own private investigation firm.

I was first introduced to the works of Volker Kutscher when I watched the simply amazing TV show on Netflix called Babylon Berlin, which is based on the Kutscher novels. I then learned that Sandstone Press in the Highlands, the furthest North publisher in Britain, had decided to translate the books into English. There are five books out in the series, of which this is the third one. The covers are elegant, noir beauties, and they all match, making a very pleasing grouping on my shelves.

I absolutely adore the way the German actress Liv Lisa Fries plays Charlotte Ritter in the TV series. In fact, I prefer the Charlotte in the TV series to the one in the book, though I will say that in this book Charlotte shows more of the characteristics that I like about the Fries version. I’m hoping I continue to see a fine evolution of her character with each book.

I would suggest watching the three seasons of Babylon Berlin on Netflix first and then, if you want more Gereon and Charlotte, start tracking down the books. I enjoy both, but the TV series does such a wonderful job conveying the grit, the deviances, and the radical politics that turned Berlin in the 1930s into a cauldron of crazy.

If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
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[nettebuecherkiste · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 Sterne. Teil 2 fand ich etwas interessanter, aber mir gefällt, dass es politischer wird.

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Berlin, 1931
Darkness is starting to fall, and plans of inaction which once seemed acceptable have allowed elements to fester. These are not the halcyon days of summer.

"Believing in something other than the Great Big Nothing, they aroused his envy and scorn in equal measure. He scorned them for their naivety; he envied them their faith."

Oh, Rath I see more of myself in you the more I read.

"You should never talk about love, simply live it."

The failing economy and the scores of unemployed youths have created the perfect breeding ground for instability. The redshirts and the brownshirts clashes in the streets have intensified. The press are looking for the most polemic stories to sell more papers. The police monitor the tension as the gangs of communist and SA youths battle, trying to keep order, and hoping they keep their aggressions confined and collateral damage minimal. After all, if the redshirts and brownshirts only kill each other then it's not too bad.

But, they're not the only ones with ideas.

Rath, having ruffled feathers again, is saddled with babysitting a visitor to Berlin, the notorious Jewish gangster--Abraham Goldstein. Their cat and mouse game uncovers a disturbing incident, another, and then another. When Charlotte Ritter's investigative work collides with Rath's it sows doubt. It breeds in silence, and Charly, feeling further confined by recent events, makes several choices.

Goldstein's character is beautifully nuanced and you see the friction between old world and new world. With the rising unrest, anti-semitism is increasing, and Goldstein is a flawed hero. His motivation and actions are understandable, if not legal.

This installment moves faster than the previous two, I suspect in no small part to that fact that a good deal of background has been laid and less time is required for exposition and it is used for dramatic intents. Kutscher does a wonderful job showing how political the police force is internally. I'm not sure when the next book will be available in English translation, but I hope soon because my German is near nonexistent, but I want to read book #4. Hurry up already.

[Banu Yıldıran Genç · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goldstein'ı serinin ikinci kitabından daha çok beğendim. yine çok olay, çok insan ama kutscher en küçük detayı bile unutmadan her şeyi o kadar iyi bağlıyor ki birbirine. bu kez amerika'dan gelen bir gangsterin peşine düşen emniyet kendi içindeki pisliklerle yüzleşmek zorunda kalıyor.
amerikalı gangster goldstein'ın kökleriyle tekrar karşılaşması, berlin'deki ortodoks yahudiler ve kendini göstermeye başlayan antisemitizm romanın en önemli kısımlarıydı. kahverengi gömlekli pislikler, nazilerin kendi arasında bitmeyen hesapları, çatışmalar arasında yaşamaya alışan berlinliler ise bana yaşadığımız istanbul'u hatırlattı. akıllarına hayallerine gelmeyecek şeyler yaşayacak olmaları da öyle. romanda sık sık yargı bağımsızlığına, kuvvetler ayrılığına değiniliyor, eh onun da sonu gelecek :(
kutscher çok iyi bir araştırmacı, usta bir anlatıcı. suçluyu önceden tahmin edebildim son iki romanda ama polisiyeden çok tarihi roman diye okunabilir zaten.

[Emiliya Bozhilova · Rating 3 out of 5]

В тази част през новата 1931 г. инспектор Рат се запознава с истински американски гангстер и преживява ергенски терзания покрай любимата си Чарли. Облаците над Германия продължават да се сгъстяват.

Тук рискът с поредиците се е реализирал под формата на едни излишни поне сто страници. Авторът доста е пренебрегнал главните си герои, а не е развил новите такива. Доколкото чета, сериалът до голяма степен компенсира този недостатък, но пък напълно изменя всички герои и събития и за разлика от книгите не смее да прекрачи след 1933 г.

[Flannery · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this one was the best in the series so far — and definitely had an eerie setting in 1931 Berlin. I really hope they translate the remaining novels into English ... and quickly!

[Oguzcan Yesilyaprak · Rating 5 out of 5]

En sona doğru şaşırtmalı olmuş bu kitap. Dizideki gibi değil yine ama Goldstein muhteşem karakterini kitapta da gösteriyor. Dizinin aynı sezonunda ki bir grup ile burada tanışıyoruz. Kitabı gereğinden uzun buldum ama yine kitabı kötü yapmıyor bu. Kitabı okurken diziden farklı olsa da yaşıyorsunuz

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Berlin, 1931: Während die Wirtschaftskrise sich verschärft und die Auseinandersetzungen zwischen der SA und der Rotfront immer blutiger werden, bekommt Gereon Rath, Kriminalkommissar bei der Berliner Polizei, den Auftrag, den US-Gangster Abe Goldstein zu beschatten. Was sich anfangs wie eine lästige Laune seines Vorgesetzten anhört, entpuppt sich nach und nach als kleines Rädchen in einem größeren kriminellen Getriebe - denn nicht nur Nazis und Kommunisten schlagen über die Stränge, auch unter den berüchtigten Berliner Ringvereinen tobt ein Machtkampf. Als dann ein missglückter Raub und mehrere Morde zusammen kommen, begeben sich Kommissar Rath und die mittlerweile examinierte Juristin Charlotte Ritter auf eine rasante Spurensuche...

"Goldstein" ist der dritte Teil der historischen Krimi-Reihe um Gereon Rath und Charlotte Ritter von Volker Kutscher - und mit diesem Band hat sich der Autor nun endgültig auf meine persönliche Krimi-Bestenliste geschrieben. Kutschers Kriminalromane sind immer sehr, sehr komplex, es gibt mehrere Handlungsstränge auf einmal und bis kurz vor Schluss ist es fast unmöglich, die Zusammenhänge zwischen den verschiedenen Handlungen zu verstehen. So haben die Lesenden die Möglichkeit, viel mit zu rätseln und mit zu ermitteln, ohne dass die Handlung dabei zu absurd wird.

Besonders gelungen ist auch in diesem Teil wieder das Setting. Ich liebe Kriminalromane, die im historischen Berlin spielen und Volker Kutscher kostet die verschiedenen Schauplätze auch perfekt aus. Ihm gelingt es, die Atmosphäre von Berlin 1931 einzufangen und auch die politischen Spannungen in seinen Roman mit einzubauen. Zeitgeschichte trifft hier auf feinste Ermittlungsarbeit.

Was ich in diesem Band sehr erfreulich fand, waren die vielen Kapitel aus Charlotte Ritters Sicht. Sie ist meine absolute Lieblings-Figur in den Kutscher-Krimis und mal ehrlich - sie ist auch einfach die bessere Ermittlerin. Da kann Gereon Rath nicht mithalten. Umso besser, dass ihr nun auch in den Büchern eine etwas größere Rolle zuteil wurde.

Mit "Goldstein" ist Volker Kutscher eine wirklich sehr gute Fortsetzung seiner (zum Teil mit der Serie "Babylon Berlin" verfilmten) Kriminalromane gelungen. Wie gewohnt hat der Krimi mit über 500 Seiten auch wieder einen recht großen Umfang - kommt aber trotzdem fast ohne Längen aus. Wer in den Genuss von kniffligen, sehr gut konstruierten und wunderbar in den historischen Kontext eingebundenen Kriminalromanen kommen möchte, sollte diese Krimi-Reihe unbedingt lesen!

[Palomar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bello, scorrevole, forse all'inizio un po' straniante perché qualche differenza c'è rispetto alla (bellissima) serie Babylon Berlin, che per ora ha adattato i primi due romanzi. Quasi quasi mi leggo anche quelli.
L'atmosfera di Berlino alla fine della Repubblica di Weimar si sente crescere fra le pagine ed è manifesta nel finale, l'intreccio regge bene, i personaggi hanno lo spessore necessario.
Consigliato.

[LenaRibka · Rating 4 out of 5]



My favourite until now.

I have conflicted feeling about Gereon Rath. Somehow my image of him from the first two seasons of the TV series that I had seen before I picked up the series in books and his character in the written version do not fit together. And I don't mean his outward appearance.

[Gerhard · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,2, da zum letzten Teil eine Steigerung zu sehen ist. Marodierende SA, Aufstände von Kommunisten und eine Gruppierung mit dem Namen Weiße Hand. Letztere besteht aus frustrierten Polizisten, die Selbstjustiz ausüben. Es gibt zahlreiche Morde und der von Anfang an verdächtige Abraham Goldstein hat keinen begangen, wie sich am Schluss herausstellt. Das Jahr 1931 in Berlin.

[Ute · Rating 4 out of 5]

27. Juni bis 12. September 1931
Neben dem komplexen Fall um Goldstein ist auch das Verhältnis von Charly und Gereon kompliziert; beide reden zu wenig miteinander so daß es fast zu spät ist als beiden die Zusammenhänge ihrer Geheimnisse klar werden.

Die lakonische Sprache macht schon Spaß.

"Jedes Mal staunte Rath aufs Neue, wie viel Einfluss Johann Marlow in dieser Stadt zu haben schien. Wer eine Autowerkstatt auf Trab bringen konnte, und das sprichwörtlich über Nacht, der musste wirklich Macht haben. Nichts hatte Rath jemals mehr beeindruckt als der runderneuerte Buick hier vor seiner Haustür, nicht der Luxus, den Marlow sich leistete, nicht die kleine Privatarmee, und auch nicht die Verbindungen in allen Ebenen von Polizei und Magistrat." (S. 241)

1. Satz - Es roch nach Holz und Leim und frischem Lack.
letzter - Und sie schien immer verrückter zu werden.

[Hazel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third and best in this trilogy. Better character development, clearer story lines, excellent exposure of the insidious and invidious rise of the Nazis and the lack of understanding of the implications of this by the general public as well as the authorities.

[Elke · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Nathan kann es einfach. Den dritten Band der Gereon Rath Reihe von Volker Kutscher habe ich mir von ihm vorlesen lassen und was soll ich sagen? Ich wünschte, mein Mann hätte seine Stimme! Obwohl er ansonsten schon perfekt ist. 🥰 Der Krimi hat mich wieder zu 100 Prozent überzeugt. Ich bin davon fasziniert, wie Kutscher Zeitgeschichte und Kriminalroman miteinander verbindet. Das einzige, was ich sehr schade fand, war, dass das Hörbuch gekürzt wurde.

[Jindřich Čermák · Rating 5 out of 5]

Případy komisaře Ratha zrají jako dobré víno. Tíseň dějin, která začíná na Berlín dopadat, se už zde objevuje naplno a prostupuje celou společností.

Do dalšího dílu budu mít okousané nehty...

[Flo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nochmal etwas besser als die ersten beiden Teile, vor allem weil der historische Kontext stärker einbezogen wird und diesmal noch mehr auf die anderen Charaktere eingegangen wird. Ich freue mich schon auf den nächsten Part.

[Buchdoktor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gereon Rath zeigt sich als cholerischer, legalen und illegalen Genußmitteln zugeneigter Zeitgenosse, der zu beruflichen Alleingängen neigt. Rath unternimmt mal wieder Recherchen, zu denen er offiziell nicht beauftragt ist; eine Konstruktion, die in diesen Band für besondere Spannung sorgt. Volker Kutscher verknüpft in "Goldstein" mehrere Handlungsfäden zu einem spannenden historischen Krimi vor dem Hintergrund der Weimarer Republik. Von homsosexuellen Mitgliedern der SA bis zu den Lebensbedinungen der kleinen Leute werden die verschiedensten sozialen und politischen Fragen aufgeworfen. Kollege Tornow, ein Aufsteiger aus dem Streifendienst, verkörpert neben Raths Freundin Charly, die sich als erste Akademikerin für den Höhreren Polizeidienst interessiert, beginnende Veränderungen in den bürgerlichen Strukturen des Höheren Polizeidiensts. Durch Charly in der Funktion der halbofiziellen Ermittlerin werden zugleich die Lebensbedingungen der Berliner "Straßengören" deutlich. Interne Ermittlungen wegen Gewalttaten durch Polizeibeamte im Dienst zeigen, mit welch extremen politischen Strömungen Berliner Polizisten sympathisieren, die (noch) einem Dienstherrn jüdischer Herkunft loyal zu dienen hätten.

"Ich bin einer von den Guten," beruhigt Rath in einer Szene Alex. Ob Gereon Rath tatsächlich wie ein korrekter preußischer Polizeibeamter handelt, sorgt stets für Spannung in Kutschers Krimireihe. In "Goldstein" zeigt Volker Kutscher vielfältige Facetten des Alltags während des Nationalsozialismus. Die gegensätzlichen Milieus, in denen Rath und Charly sich bewegen, wie auch die zusätzliche Perspektive, die Charly als Beinahe-Ermittlerin in die "Burg" der Berliner Kriminalpolizei einbringt, haben mich an einem gemütlichen Lesewochende perfekt unterhalten.

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gereon Rath isn't always entirely above-board in his dealings with the law and criminals, but he's always, in the end, on the side of right. He also isn't always the brightest bulb in the basket, and he's often terribly inept when it comes to women. Nevertheless, he's rather appealing most of the time, and I found this third book in the series the best yet. The Jewish gangster from Brooklyn provides an interesting entry to at least one of the Jewish worlds of 1931 Berlin, and in this volume the Nazis become much more ominously present than in the earlier ones.

[Umberto Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ich habe den Eindruck, dass die Romane doch langsam besser werden. Es bleibt für mich allerdings eine Hörbuchreihe. Man hätte einen wesentlich sympathischeren Kommissar schaffen können. Bleib dabei, ich glaube der Erfolg der Serie beruht auf der Sehnsucht nach dem alten Berlin. Die damalige Zeit hat so viel mit unserer eigenen zu tun, dass wir an ihr kleben. Wie den meisten Romanen mangelt es auch hier an mangelnder Kommunikation zwischen den Protagonisten. Ich finde, dass das immer etwas faules hat. Aber vielleicht erwarte ich auch zu viel von einem Roman, der Zeitvertreib seien will.

[Lysergius · Rating 4 out of 5]

The setting is Berlin in 1931, as the economic crisis intensifies, and the clashes between the SA and the Red Front become more violent, a power struggle rages in the underworld, and Komissar Gereon Rath of the Berlin Kripo is commissioned to shadow the US gangster Abraham "Abe" Goldstein, as a favour for the FBI.

The action never stops and the conclusion is nail biting. Another winner from Volker Kutscher.

[Darrel Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely better than the second book. I liked how the story jumped around from person to person and how the characters progressed. I like Gereon Rath more than I did at the beginning.

[Elina · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 αστεράκια. Πολύ καλή η υπόθεση και πολλά και ενδιαφέροντα στοιχεία βασισμένα σε πραγματικό ιστορικό πλαίσιο, αλλά σε μερικά σημεία αδύναμη μετάφραση και κακή επιμέλεια.

[Gözde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bir Gereon Rath polisiyesinden beklediğim her şey Goldstein’da mevcuttu. Öyle ki, çok beğensem ve hızlı okunsa da ikinci kitap şimdi biraz “filler” konumuna bile düştü.

Abraham Goldstein (ben tabii ki Almanca sevdamla Prusyalılar gibi “Gold-ştayn” diye telaffuz ettim kafamda; hâlbuki kendisi Amerika’ya göç etmiş bir Yahudi, “Gold-stiin” olarak telaffuz edilmesini istiyor isminin) kendi başına zaten çok renkli ve kaliteli bir karakter. Gerçekten filmlerdeki fötr şapkalı Amerikan gangsterleri gibi; ben, kendisinin Berlin macerasını çok severek okudum. Onun yanı sıra Kutscher sahneye birden fazla karakter sürüyor ama bunu yaparken yine çok başarılı. Kişiler kafanızda karışmıyor; her birinin kendine ait özellikleri ve davranış biçimleri var. Dolayısıyla olay örgüsü çok karmaşık olsa da okuru zorlamadan ilerliyor.

Kutscher yine dersine çok iyi çalışmış. Ben tabii Yahudilik ve o dönem özellikle Hasidik Yahudilerin yükselen Nazi terörü altında neler yaşadığıyla alakalı kısımları çok beğenerek okudum. Bu arada, beklediğim gibi, polis teşkilatının içindeki Nazi yapılanmaları, kahverengi gömleklilerin henüz ayyuka çıkmamış olsa da kendi içlerinde nasıl disiplinli bir biçimde örgütlendikleri, ve yargıyı dağıtmayı da cezayı infaz etmeyi de kendi ellerine aldıkları, bu esnada “biz iyi polisiz” diyen Rath ve onun gibilerin gördükleri ve öğrendikleri karşısında düştükleri dehşet hikâyeye çok güzel yedirilmiş.

Yıl artık 1932 olmak üzere ve ismen anılmasa da Ernst Röhm’den çokça bahis var; onun SA’sının gitgide ne hâle geldiği Rath ve Berlin polisinin de malumu olmaya başlıyor. Zaten var olan antisemitizmin nasıl bir anda göz göre göre ve şiddetle yükseldiği, sokaktaki şiddetin de artık o eski “komünistler faşistlere karşı” yapısından çıkarak Yahudilere yönlendiği bu kitabın belkemiği aslında. Tarihi arka planı beni, bütün cinayetlerden ve “katil kim acaba”dan daha çok ilgilendirdiği için Rath polisiyelerini çok seviyorum. Her ne kadar Gereon’un kendisi, Prusyalı bir polis komiseri için bazen fazla saf olsa da.
•
Irkçılıkla birleşen toplumsal kıskançlık iğrenç bir karışımdı.

“Unutmayın, Eyüp’ü icat eden de biz Yahudileriz.”

“Tesadüfen anahtarın nerede olduğunu da biliyor olabilir misiniz?”
“Sanırım Herr Kuschke anahtarı hep yanında taşırdı.”
“İyi,” dedi Lange. “Buna el koyuyoruz. İsterseniz size buna dair bir belge de verebilirim, sonra giderken yanımızda götüreceğiz.”
“Burada açmak istemiyor musunuz?” diye sordu ev sahibesi. Hayal kırıklığını da az önceki merakı gibi suratından okumak mümkündü.
“İyi ama,” dedi Lange gayet üzgün bir sesle, “o zaman kutuyu kırmamız gerekir. Prusyalı bir memurdan bunu talep edemezsiniz.”

[AnnaZ. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Надзвичайно цікава третя історія берлінського поліцейського Гереона Рата (Gereon Rath) розгортається у 1931 на тлі буремних політичних і соціальних змін у Німеччині. У цій історії, на відміну від попередніх, нацисти виступають на перший план і все частіше присутні у міських перипетіях. Знову зустрічаються у книзі вже знайомі колеги Рата з Polizei, любовна історія з Шарлоттою Рітер набирає нових обертів. Головна інтрига твору - американський гангстер Гольдштайн, який прибуває у Берлін з секретною місією, мету якої Гереон і має відгадати...

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found Goldstein to be a nice step forward in this series and enjoyed it more than the first two books. As described, it centers on Kommisar Gereon Rath's assignment to tail an American gangster and a simmering conflict in the Berlin underworld but Kutscher also does a fine job to weave in exploration of the growing economic despair and expanding Nazi influence of the period. He does a fine job to establish interesting threads and slowly bring them together in a way that kept my interest but was also more grounded than the second book.

Interestingly, in addition to still being pretty unlikable, Rath is also a pretty poor investigator in this book. Hercule Poirot he is not. It makes me feel that there could be a better series centered on Charly instead. However, I am still very interested to see where Kutscher takes the series as political events in Germany grow more desperate.

[Jill Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Goldstein" is the third novel in German author Volker Kutscher's "Gereon Rath Mystery" trilogy. I have the English version of the paperback, but the audio version is in French. Definitely some marketing issues here on Amazon, but that may be because I think Kutscher's work has been adapted for television in one language or another. I've read the first two books in the series, which is set in Berlin in the late 20's, early 30's, in the later days of the Weimar Republic, when the brown-shirts are battling on the streets with other factional groups. And woe to people caught in the middle.

The series features police officer Gereon Rath, who has lately transferred from the Cologne police department to the Berlin department. Housed in the famous Alexanderplatz building - known as "Alex" - Rath is a young man with a future, if he can break his little cocaine habit and stop consorting with some of the same criminals he should be putting behind bars. But what cop can remain totally honest in the miasma of corruption and vice that seems to hang heavy over the Prussian capital?

Kutscher's story is full of bloodshed and bad guys. People get knocked off (sometimes indiscriminately), department stores get robbed, bar brawls turn into street brawls, and one hit man - Abraham Goldstein - is visiting from the United States. Who has he come over to make a hit on? Rath is assigned to keep his eye on Goldstein, while his girlfriend, Charly, is trying to find a young hooligan she allowed to escape from custody in the department store robberies. A lot is happening in "Goldstein", and Kutscher keeps up the pace in the 535 pages of the book.

Volker Kutscher's work can be compared to the books of the late Philip Kerr. Kerr's "Bernie Gunther" series, which also features pre-war police and detective work in Berlin, is more concisely written. The only problem with Kutscher's book is that it's a bit too long. That's why I'm giving it four instead of five stars. But I can still heartily recommend it, particularly for those who have read the first two books in the series.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give the first three books of this series all 3.5 stars if I could, but their setting (in Weimar Berlin) is really vivid and exciting, so closer to a 4 than a 3 in my humble hardboiled opinion

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Geweldig boek. De derde uit de reeks politieromans die speelt tijdens het einde van de Republiek van Weimar. Deel 1 in 1929, deel 2 in 1930 en deze in 1931. Alles zit erin: spanning, historische achtergronden, de opkomst van de nazis en de botsingen met de communisten. Een geweldig plot en niet te vergeten de hoofdpersoon commissaris Gereon Rath met zijn hond en moeilijke verhouding met zijn vriendin Charly. En natuurlijk Berlijn. Ik kan niet wachten op het volgende deel.

[Bill Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent police story improved by its time and place. Gereon Rath walks a line between law and vice as Germany reels toward the abyss. I got a little tired of the soapy elements here but the overall story -- lost Weimar youth with Nazis and a Jewish gangster -- is a vigorous page turner. I'll buy and read these books as fast as they can be translated.

[John Lester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!