"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

"The Black Swan of Paris" by Karen Robards

The Black Swan of Paris (June 30, 2020) by Karen Robards.

<This is a standalone novel.>

It is Paris, 1944. It hasn’t yet been dubbed as such, but D-Day is approaching, and the Germans are desperate to know when and where. Genevieve Dumont (newly 25 years old) is a celebrated star singer, but she’s a smokescreen, too. Her fame and beauty have made her the unwilling darling of the Nazis, but this privilege allows her to go undetected as an ally to the Resistance. Genevieve thinks she’s closed off her emotions until she hears word that her estranged father, Baron Paul de Rocheford, has been killed, and her estranged mother, Baroness Lillian de Rocheford, has been captured by the Nazis. She and the Resistance know that torture is imminent. Once Genevra de Rocheford, she hasn’t shared this with Maximillian (Max) Georges Bonet. He’s supposedly a 44-year-old French citizen who’s medically unfit for military service and so acts as Genevieve’s manager. In reality, he is 34-year-old British agent Major Max Ryan, Special Operations Executive (SOE). Not wanting her mother to become yet another victim of a brutal war, Genevieve reunites with her estranged older sister, Emmanuelle (Emmy) Granville. Genevieve has caught the attention of Herr Obergruppenführer Claus von Wagner, and, as much as he makes her skin crawl, she suspects that he knows where Lillian is being held prisoner. Genevieve isn’t as done with her family as she thought.
        WWII Paris is an uncommon setting for WWII historical fiction novels that I’ve read. This war story/historical thriller is simultaneously painful and exquisite. Robards’ careful research is reflected in the story’s intense realism and meticulous historical detail. There are a couple graphic scenes of torture depicted, so know this truly isn’t a story for the faint-hearted. There are moments that made my heart pound, my mind scream, and sometimes, I wanted to hide, too. This story is suspenseful, emotional and gut-wrenching and is also part spy novel plus romance story in a theatre of resounding bravery with Paris as its backdrop. It is bold and absorbing.