"Some Murders in Berlin" by Karen Robards

Some Murders in Berlin (June 25, 2024) by Karen Robards.

<This is a standalone novel.>

It’s early September 1943, the Nazis have recently gained complete control of Denmark, and Dr. Elin Lund has been summoned from Copenhagen to Berlin, the last place she wants to be, to help investigate “some murders in Berlin.” Elin’s a psychiatrist with additional training in forensics and a particular interest in murder. Also referred to as Professor or the sobriquet Dr. Murder, Elin possesses a “slim, angular beauty that combines sharp cheekbones and a well-defined jawline with ice-blue eyes and honey-blond hair.” In other words, she is Aryan in appearance, but she has a six-year-old son, Niles, to protect (he’s half-Jewish). She can’t refuse to comply, and she wants to quickly solve the murders and return to her son. She last-minute brings a team consisting of Professor Jens Moller, a mathematician from the University of Copenhagen with an injured shoulder. She’s terrified that if his injury is noticed by any of the kriminalpolizei (Kripo for short), he’ll be in grave danger, as will she and Associate Professor Pia Andersen, team photographer who excels as a sketch artist.

            Kriminalinspektor Kurt Schneider, chief of criminal investigation for the Kripo before he was sent to the Eastern Front, is the rigid detective Elin and her team must work alongside. Her first impression is that Kurt’s a gangster, not helped by his grudging welcome, and the doubt in his voice pertaining to her skills. Neither trusts the other, and why would they; it’s a war, after all. Kurt has his own secrets and trauma. The pair are trapped in an uneasy partnership, and both want to find the murderer behind the gruesome deaths of multiple young, Aryan women. Evidence suggests that the killer is law enforcement or military or both, and Elin’s now on his radar. “Say your prayers.”

            Robards’ newest historical thriller has all of the elements to make it a standout: captivating characters, a riveting plot, dramatic pacing, meticulous research, cortisol-inducing danger and finding star-crossed love amidst war. This is only the second novel I’ve read by Robards, but it’s easy to see that she’s a master of storytelling. I’d listen to her TED talk, for sure. The atrocities of the story are back in the 1940s, but, scarily and sadly enough, the story has contemporary relevance. For anyone who gravitates toward historical thrillers, I highly recommend this one. It’s easy to get swept up in this theatre of conflict, such is the magnificence of her writing.

            Also by Karen Robards: The Black Swan of Paris