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Madness Locker
In the early hours of Christmas morning the body of an elderly widow is discovered inside a wheelie bin in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, Australia. There are no clues and no suspects. After an extensive investigation the police file the crime as a cold case. Four decades earlier two young girls living under the tyranny of a brutal and dictatorial Nazi regime experience a fateful twist leading one to escape to freedom and the other to be subjected to incarceration in a concentration camp. No one could have predicted that forty years later their paths will cross again in Australia. A chilling reminder: the past will always come back to haunt you ...
400 pages, Paperback
Published October 13, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
May 23, 2024
So this is one of those strange books that is "worth it" to read through to the end. By which I mean the initial chapters were kinda weird and at times a tough read. The main reason for this is the POV and perspective is very confusing, there is a mixture of 1st and 3rd person, time jumps and multiple characters.
Not only are their multiple characters but one major element (light spoilers I guess) is that characters lie about who they are and at times their identity is hidden in the narrative.
It's probably hard to capture without reading yourself, but I guess I would summarize the experience of reading this book as feeling more like a series of very challenging and intense scenes, almost like short stories, from Nazi Germany that take a while to become clear in how they are linked (possibly this would be more obvious to astute readers, but I have to stay in my lane I suppose)...
In terms of the mysterious characters they are very complex, not always sympathetic, but always interesting. There aren't really any heroes but there are heroic moments (alongside cowardly, despairing and sometimes just downright nihilistic).
Finally as the book is a work of historic fiction - it doesn't necessarily follow a comfortable fiction arc - which I personally see as a bit of a draw but if you're not looking for that sort of thing don't look here.
Not only are their multiple characters but one major element (light spoilers I guess) is that characters lie about who they are and at times their identity is hidden in the narrative.
It's probably hard to capture without reading yourself, but I guess I would summarize the experience of reading this book as feeling more like a series of very challenging and intense scenes, almost like short stories, from Nazi Germany that take a while to become clear in how they are linked (possibly this would be more obvious to astute readers, but I have to stay in my lane I suppose)...
In terms of the mysterious characters they are very complex, not always sympathetic, but always interesting. There aren't really any heroes but there are heroic moments (alongside cowardly, despairing and sometimes just downright nihilistic).
Finally as the book is a work of historic fiction - it doesn't necessarily follow a comfortable fiction arc - which I personally see as a bit of a draw but if you're not looking for that sort of thing don't look here.
January 4, 2026
3.75 ⭐️
My inner history nerd ate this one right up! I absolutely love a WW2 read.
A dual time line, jumping from 1930’s and 1940’s Germany where we follow the lives of multiple characters as they struggle to survive under the Third Reich and in Auschwitz - to 1986 Sydney Australia, where an elderly woman is found dead in a wheelie bin with little evidence or suspects.
This novel really explores the ramifications that follow from making choices in the name of survival, characters are unlikeable but they are also humans faced with unimaginable decisions. I really really enjoyed it, my only critique would be that there is room to go deeper with it, there are some minor characters where we don’t know what happens to them - which can be left up to interpretation - and the ending felt a little rushed. But if you are wanting to take a dive into a WW2 story this would be a great place to start!!
My inner history nerd ate this one right up! I absolutely love a WW2 read.
A dual time line, jumping from 1930’s and 1940’s Germany where we follow the lives of multiple characters as they struggle to survive under the Third Reich and in Auschwitz - to 1986 Sydney Australia, where an elderly woman is found dead in a wheelie bin with little evidence or suspects.
This novel really explores the ramifications that follow from making choices in the name of survival, characters are unlikeable but they are also humans faced with unimaginable decisions. I really really enjoyed it, my only critique would be that there is room to go deeper with it, there are some minor characters where we don’t know what happens to them - which can be left up to interpretation - and the ending felt a little rushed. But if you are wanting to take a dive into a WW2 story this would be a great place to start!!
May 19, 2025
A book everyone has to check out!
June 27, 2024
The Madness Locker by Eddie Russell is truly a one of a kind exploration into the varying degrees of right and wrong, the difference between purgatory and hell, and just what it means to be human. And for this to be Mr. Russell's debut book is an absolute astonishment. I can't begin to explain how many times I wanted to put this book down and say I wasn't going review it, or how many times I had to pause because I was crying too hard continue. And what's worse, I was at work a couple of I ended up crying in front of customers, and couldn't explain to them what was wrong! My manager thought I was crazy!
When you read about the book, you think it's about an older woman from the Concentration Camps now living in Sydney, Australia and after many years runs into a young girl (now an older woman herself) she used to know that ends up murdered, however this book is absolutely NOTHING like that at all.
The Madness Locker has three main characters, though it seems to really focus on two of them during WWII. The woman you think it's about has just a tiny portion in 1986, and even less during the war, but her part is very critical to the story. The other two, give the readers the most understanding and yes, uncomfortable telling of WWII from both a Shutzstaffel (SS agent, who didn't want to be in the war but did horrific things to survive, and ended up deserting, thus abandoning family and country) point of view and the point of view of a young German girl who is accused of being Jewish and taken to a Concentration Camp where on her first day she sees her aunts neighbors get killed in a gas chamber. As the years pass this girl is so traumatized from everything that has taken place: mass killings in gas chambers, shootings, rapes (to others and herself), starvation, daily threats of life, forced to strip dead bodies, and more, so much more.
This book brings so many different character traits to light, showing what really creates a person, especially times of such drastic measures. For two of the characters, it's all about trying to survive, though they use completely different techniques. One uses lying about everything to fit in: lying about ethnicity, lying about family, lying about where about where he is from, and lying about being in the war. This character has no backbone, no moral character. He does what is told of him just long enough to stay alive then flees in the middle of the night to start his lies all over again somewhere else. The other character bites her tongue, does what she is told, and tries not rock the boat even though she dreams killing the German captures. And when she is forced to endure the most degrading acts another person can perform against her, she keeps a level head. She knows any action on her part will get her killed, so she does the jobs assigned to her to the best of her ability and doesn't complain. She refuses to be a burden, and she survives the Concentration Camps until the end of the war.
I can't be positive, but I believe this book is loosely based on the 1986 cold case murder of Ms. Tatiana Sokoloff in Sydney, Australia. Mr. Russell says a couple of times this book is based loosely on the cold case murder of a Jewish woman found in a wheelie in 1986 on Christmas Day, and Ms. Sokoloff is who I was able to come with last night after I finished the book. The police are not releasing any information on suspect right now from everything I've been able to see. This just goes to show how amazing an author Mr. Russell is, turning only partial information into a story of what COULD HAVE HAPPENED. The upside is the police finally caught the killer. The downside? It took them over 32 years!
When you read about the book, you think it's about an older woman from the Concentration Camps now living in Sydney, Australia and after many years runs into a young girl (now an older woman herself) she used to know that ends up murdered, however this book is absolutely NOTHING like that at all.
The Madness Locker has three main characters, though it seems to really focus on two of them during WWII. The woman you think it's about has just a tiny portion in 1986, and even less during the war, but her part is very critical to the story. The other two, give the readers the most understanding and yes, uncomfortable telling of WWII from both a Shutzstaffel (SS agent, who didn't want to be in the war but did horrific things to survive, and ended up deserting, thus abandoning family and country) point of view and the point of view of a young German girl who is accused of being Jewish and taken to a Concentration Camp where on her first day she sees her aunts neighbors get killed in a gas chamber. As the years pass this girl is so traumatized from everything that has taken place: mass killings in gas chambers, shootings, rapes (to others and herself), starvation, daily threats of life, forced to strip dead bodies, and more, so much more.
This book brings so many different character traits to light, showing what really creates a person, especially times of such drastic measures. For two of the characters, it's all about trying to survive, though they use completely different techniques. One uses lying about everything to fit in: lying about ethnicity, lying about family, lying about where about where he is from, and lying about being in the war. This character has no backbone, no moral character. He does what is told of him just long enough to stay alive then flees in the middle of the night to start his lies all over again somewhere else. The other character bites her tongue, does what she is told, and tries not rock the boat even though she dreams killing the German captures. And when she is forced to endure the most degrading acts another person can perform against her, she keeps a level head. She knows any action on her part will get her killed, so she does the jobs assigned to her to the best of her ability and doesn't complain. She refuses to be a burden, and she survives the Concentration Camps until the end of the war.
I can't be positive, but I believe this book is loosely based on the 1986 cold case murder of Ms. Tatiana Sokoloff in Sydney, Australia. Mr. Russell says a couple of times this book is based loosely on the cold case murder of a Jewish woman found in a wheelie in 1986 on Christmas Day, and Ms. Sokoloff is who I was able to come with last night after I finished the book. The police are not releasing any information on suspect right now from everything I've been able to see. This just goes to show how amazing an author Mr. Russell is, turning only partial information into a story of what COULD HAVE HAPPENED. The upside is the police finally caught the killer. The downside? It took them over 32 years!
March 2, 2024
The Madness Locker by Australian author Eddie Russel is his debut historical fiction novel inspired by a true crime.
Christmas morning 1986 Sydney Australia an elderly widow’s body is discovered inside a wheelie bin in the Eastern Suburbs. The police begin a long and intensive investigation but fail to find clear witnesses, suspects, and evidence, without these factors it was declared a cold case.
1941, the Nazi Party rules Germany under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, although Jews were the main target other individuals and groups considered undesirable and enemies of the state were being captured. As part of the evacuation one young girl escape to freedom while another is arrested along with her parents, on her arrival to Auschwitz she is separated from her parents never to see them again.
After years of suffering forced hard labour, starvation, and punishments the young girl is freed six years later when Soviet troops liberate Auschwitz. She begins her journey and travels to Australia, is it freedom and a new life she seeks or is she in search of someone for justice?
The story takes readers on a voyage through various landscapes and periods, creating a rich tapestry of interconnected lives. We visit the most harrowing time of WWII and the aftermath of war to the backdrop of Sydney in the eighties.
The author utilised suspense to great effect with all the twists and turns, but I did find the numerous times shifts to be demanding at times. As much as I love a good challenge of reading a book that has them it was difficult to feel thoroughly grounded in the story.
There are a lot of characters in the narrative, some are well-drawn, but I found it hard to make a deep connection with them especially when they changed names. I feel no matter how interesting an episode from a character’s past may be, if it doesn’t colour the current story in some important way, it will not evoke the greatest response from a reader.
I thoroughly enjoyed the account of WWII and the Holocaust in the narrative, it is a powerful tool to engage readers awareness. Whether it be fiction or non-fiction it is a part of history we should be reminded of and not forgotten.
There is so much power in the haunting cover, you are wanting to see what is behind the doors and if you were to open them there is a silent scream you can’t turn away from. It has a beautiful colour palette that will stand out on a bookshelf making you want to pick it up with intrigue.
The Madness Locker is a tale of love and loyalty, of unravelling secrets and confronting the ghosts of the past. It will appeal to fans of the genre and anyone who enjoys a good crime mystery set against a richly detailed historical backdrop.
Thank you, Beauty and Lace and Big Sky Publishing for the opportunity to tread and review.
Christmas morning 1986 Sydney Australia an elderly widow’s body is discovered inside a wheelie bin in the Eastern Suburbs. The police begin a long and intensive investigation but fail to find clear witnesses, suspects, and evidence, without these factors it was declared a cold case.
1941, the Nazi Party rules Germany under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, although Jews were the main target other individuals and groups considered undesirable and enemies of the state were being captured. As part of the evacuation one young girl escape to freedom while another is arrested along with her parents, on her arrival to Auschwitz she is separated from her parents never to see them again.
After years of suffering forced hard labour, starvation, and punishments the young girl is freed six years later when Soviet troops liberate Auschwitz. She begins her journey and travels to Australia, is it freedom and a new life she seeks or is she in search of someone for justice?
The story takes readers on a voyage through various landscapes and periods, creating a rich tapestry of interconnected lives. We visit the most harrowing time of WWII and the aftermath of war to the backdrop of Sydney in the eighties.
The author utilised suspense to great effect with all the twists and turns, but I did find the numerous times shifts to be demanding at times. As much as I love a good challenge of reading a book that has them it was difficult to feel thoroughly grounded in the story.
There are a lot of characters in the narrative, some are well-drawn, but I found it hard to make a deep connection with them especially when they changed names. I feel no matter how interesting an episode from a character’s past may be, if it doesn’t colour the current story in some important way, it will not evoke the greatest response from a reader.
I thoroughly enjoyed the account of WWII and the Holocaust in the narrative, it is a powerful tool to engage readers awareness. Whether it be fiction or non-fiction it is a part of history we should be reminded of and not forgotten.
There is so much power in the haunting cover, you are wanting to see what is behind the doors and if you were to open them there is a silent scream you can’t turn away from. It has a beautiful colour palette that will stand out on a bookshelf making you want to pick it up with intrigue.
The Madness Locker is a tale of love and loyalty, of unravelling secrets and confronting the ghosts of the past. It will appeal to fans of the genre and anyone who enjoys a good crime mystery set against a richly detailed historical backdrop.
Thank you, Beauty and Lace and Big Sky Publishing for the opportunity to tread and review.
September 23, 2024
A historical fiction tale, The Madness Locker (2024) by Eddie Russell occurs predominantly in Europe during the 1930s and 1940s and in Sydney in 1986. The story begins in 1934 Germany and reveals the lives of several different characters as they unfold against the backdrop of the cultural change, occurring in those foreboding portent times. With richly drawn characters and capturing the atmospheric darkness sweeping the world at that time, and with its subsequent consequences of the Second World War, they are finally played out decades later in Sydney. The final climatic ending felt like an add-on crime element and somewhat jarring given such an enticing historical fictional story, with a four stars read rating. With thanks to Big Sky Publishing and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without any inducement.
June 27, 2024
At first I was excited because this was market as thriller based in the 80s and WW2. In this story we follow different characters who seem to be related to this body that was found in Australia. This was more historical fiction than thriller.
It was SO confusing. There are multiple POVs and they changed without any warning. They are also written in 1st and third person. Makes it difficult to know where we are in the plot.
I enjoyed reading from the perspective of the SS soldier, mostly because he was not your average soldier. because it explored having to do immoral things in able to get by.
I liked how it talked about different boxes that we use to put our thoughts, especially when it’s coming from somebody who is suppressing their trauma as holocaust survivors.
August 13, 2024
Wow!!!! What a very powerful story to read! Coming from a German background whose grandparents were in WW2. I wish that I was able to hear more about it, but it was a hard thing for them to talk about. The story is kinda confusing at times. Just trying to keep up with who is who and what is happening since it does jump around a lot. But it is a story that should not be glossed over. I was not happy with the ending it seemed to just end. But I understand why it was the way it was. If you enjoy powerful storytelling especially based around WW2 this is a definite must read. It really hits home. Even with the confusing nature of it I still have to give it 5 stars.
August 16, 2024
The Madness Locker
by Eddie Russell
Pub Date: Oct 13 2021
Many thanks to NetGalley and BigSky Publishing for the opportunity to read The Madness Locker by author: Eddie Russell. This book was published in October of 2021.
It starts out on Christmas Day in 1986 but goes backwards a half a century earlier to the Third Reich, where it ramps up its offensive to arrest and deport to the East the Nazi regime’s classification of undesirables.
It's a strange story at times but definitely worth reading. Some chapters were tough to read and confusing at times. Keep in mind, this is a work of historic fiction.
by Eddie Russell
Pub Date: Oct 13 2021
Many thanks to NetGalley and BigSky Publishing for the opportunity to read The Madness Locker by author: Eddie Russell. This book was published in October of 2021.
It starts out on Christmas Day in 1986 but goes backwards a half a century earlier to the Third Reich, where it ramps up its offensive to arrest and deport to the East the Nazi regime’s classification of undesirables.
It's a strange story at times but definitely worth reading. Some chapters were tough to read and confusing at times. Keep in mind, this is a work of historic fiction.
October 17, 2024
WoW.......The Madness Locker by Eddie Russell was a book that had me scratching my head!!!! especially as it was one of the strangest books I have read in a long time.........However, some of these chapters were a tough read and confusing at times. stick with it and it will all fall into place! I did enjoyed it!!! and interesting read!
I am so glad the cover caught my eye.
Big Thank you to NetGalley, author Eddie Russell and Big Sky publishing for the ARC and opportunity to review this book.
I am so glad the cover caught my eye.
Big Thank you to NetGalley, author Eddie Russell and Big Sky publishing for the ARC and opportunity to review this book.
October 31, 2021
It was okay, but I found the characters lacked depth and when they did some extraordinary things, or behaved appallingly they seemed to lack motivation. It was like the author made characters do things to fit the plot, rather than their actions being driven by character. I half liked the plot, but by the finish felt it was all a bit silly and implausible.
January 5, 2024
This was a Goodreads win. I like all the characters and their story lines but the timeline was very hard to follow. Especially when people start sharing the same names. The author had a wonderful story line but I feel the editor/publisher could have cleaned it up a bit. The twist to the murder was a bit far fetched but the book comes together in the last 15%.
January 20, 2024
I enjoyed The Madness Locker. The time shifts kept me intrigued because I'm not just reading words but my mind has to work to make the connections. I have read and watched many recollections of WWII and the Holocaust I do become emotional but, indeed, you cannot understand truly what it was like to go through that. I would recommend this book.
December 26, 2023
I won this as a Goodreads giveaway. It was an ok book. I found it a little hard to keep track of the characters and the timeline. I was hoping for more of a mystery but it seems like this book was mostly backstory as to why the characters acted as they did later in life.
May 10, 2022
A great debut novel for Eddie Russel. This book has a lot of terrifying detail and human drama. I was able to experience each scene almost as though I was there.
A great read.
A great read.
January 20, 2024
This was a very intense but important book. I don’t want to give any spoilers away. Read this. It’s necessary that we don’t bury the unpleasantness of the past.
January 30, 2024
Interesting plot but the storyline is too jumbled.
July 3, 2024
This book was kind of weird and confusing to start with but man was it worth it!! I could not put this one down.
August 19, 2024
I got this as a e book from Net Galley for my I Pad. I enjoyed reading this book. It had a good variety of characters in it. It is my first book read by this author. It was a well written book.
April 23, 2025
Hard to follow along and keep up with the change of years and characters, but over all well written!
May 3, 2022
Di porcherie così ne ho lette poche.
June 23, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley, author Eddie Russell and Big Sky publishing for the ARC and opportunity to review this book.
This was one that I normally would not have chosen but wanted to step out of my comfort zone and try something new. Sadly, this book just didn’t do it for me and I stopped reading at 50% through.
I found it very difficult to follow, it was confusing due to so many time shifts and too many characters. Admittedly, I don’t know much about the history of this time but I just felt lost the whole time I was reading.
The language was difficult to follow. Many words in different languages with no English explanation. I felt in parts I needed a translator to help me decided what was going on.
I did rate it a 3 star because perhaps it is just my lack of history and war understanding that caused much of my confusion and maybe other readers would enjoy it.
This was one that I normally would not have chosen but wanted to step out of my comfort zone and try something new. Sadly, this book just didn’t do it for me and I stopped reading at 50% through.
I found it very difficult to follow, it was confusing due to so many time shifts and too many characters. Admittedly, I don’t know much about the history of this time but I just felt lost the whole time I was reading.
The language was difficult to follow. Many words in different languages with no English explanation. I felt in parts I needed a translator to help me decided what was going on.
I did rate it a 3 star because perhaps it is just my lack of history and war understanding that caused much of my confusion and maybe other readers would enjoy it.
February 8, 2022
Here’s a writer with a good idea and a story structure that could be made to work, but it doesn’t. A pity, because that basic idea deserves better.
It’s too easy for the reader to lose their way amongst the many time shifts (no matter how clearly flagged) and the many characters (some of whom change names). The hype on the back page is unfortunate because the murder isn’t hinted at until it happens around 90% into the book. I recognise this is probably the publisher’s fault, not the writer’s. The title ‘The Madness Locker’ is vaguely uninformative and if there is such a locker in the book, I missed the allusion (forgive me).
There’s good writing here, but I expect if a second novel gets written, it will be better structured. Hope so.
It’s too easy for the reader to lose their way amongst the many time shifts (no matter how clearly flagged) and the many characters (some of whom change names). The hype on the back page is unfortunate because the murder isn’t hinted at until it happens around 90% into the book. I recognise this is probably the publisher’s fault, not the writer’s. The title ‘The Madness Locker’ is vaguely uninformative and if there is such a locker in the book, I missed the allusion (forgive me).
There’s good writing here, but I expect if a second novel gets written, it will be better structured. Hope so.
January 29, 2022
This is a hard one to review. I liked the idea, it drew me in, but it felt to me like it jumped all over the place and I really could not follow what was going in at times. I felt like one minute I was engrossed in the lives of two particular characters, and then suddenly they weren't that important to the story any more and disappeared. It all made sense at the end, but I just felt like it didn't quite gel as I wanted it to. Clever but confusing. Just a bit of editing and changing around would have made a difference I feel .....
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