A cracking historical whodunnit
Evil in High Places gave me everything I want in a whodunnit
and much more. It's a gripping story full of menace with a multifaceted
criminal element set in a dangerous era. Time and place: 1936 Nazi ruled
Munich before the start of the Olympic games. Main character: Detective
Sebastian Wolff. What happens: Wolff sets off looking for a missing
film starlet then shifts gears into murder investigations with wider
implications.
I felt very much as if I already knew Sebastian Wolff, our intrepid Detective, but am certain I have not read the previous novel, Munich Wolf. No matter, the story, to my mind, stood strong on its own merits and absorbed me without any difficulty regarding lack of previous knowledge. Though I would like to go back and read the previous novel as this is clearly a series worth reading from the start.
The atmosphere is oppressively dark, to match the times, and the strangling grip of the Nazi party. Seb has no love for Hitler, or the Nazis, but must tread carefully as disloyalty to the party can be deadly. To complicate matters his son, Jurgen, is an enthusiastic member of the Nazi youth in lieu of going to university.
Seb is a terrific hero. Driven by a faultless moral compass, he doggedly pursues his investigation whilst it blossoms into something much bigger. His instincts are sound and his manner is easy. He definitely plays the long game and tries not to let politics get in the way of his job.
At the heart of the story is the way Germany has transformed under the Nazis and the vice pinching tighter on those of Jewish belief or heritage. As much as the Nazis may want the Jews to leave, they do not allow them to take their assets outside the country. The dark malevolence of the SS and joy they take in meting out violence is wholly apparent. But can the good and just Seb Wolff find the truth and bring the criminals to justice in such trying times? Well, read it and find out.
I felt very much as if I already knew Sebastian Wolff, our intrepid Detective, but am certain I have not read the previous novel, Munich Wolf. No matter, the story, to my mind, stood strong on its own merits and absorbed me without any difficulty regarding lack of previous knowledge. Though I would like to go back and read the previous novel as this is clearly a series worth reading from the start.
The atmosphere is oppressively dark, to match the times, and the strangling grip of the Nazi party. Seb has no love for Hitler, or the Nazis, but must tread carefully as disloyalty to the party can be deadly. To complicate matters his son, Jurgen, is an enthusiastic member of the Nazi youth in lieu of going to university.
Seb is a terrific hero. Driven by a faultless moral compass, he doggedly pursues his investigation whilst it blossoms into something much bigger. His instincts are sound and his manner is easy. He definitely plays the long game and tries not to let politics get in the way of his job.
At the heart of the story is the way Germany has transformed under the Nazis and the vice pinching tighter on those of Jewish belief or heritage. As much as the Nazis may want the Jews to leave, they do not allow them to take their assets outside the country. The dark malevolence of the SS and joy they take in meting out violence is wholly apparent. But can the good and just Seb Wolff find the truth and bring the criminals to justice in such trying times? Well, read it and find out.
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