Germania: A Novel of Nazi Berlin

I’ll confess, I’ve only made it halfway through this so-called mystery taking place in Berlin during World War II. But I’ve found absolutely nothing within those 180 Kindle pages to keep me going. The serial-killer mystery itself is tepid and wholly unengaging. In other words, halfway through and I’ve found no reason to care “who dunnit.” Nor have I found any reason to care about the characters. Although the main character is a Jewish former Berlin police detective attempting to solve the murders at the command of the SS—a dangerous position if ever there was one—I get barely any sense that he’s ever in any real danger; or that surviving the regime has been too terribly difficult for him. Indeed, the author’s solution to allowing him to function as a Jew in Nazi Germany is simply to have him remove the star from his clothing—which to me seemed wholly not credible. And there doesn’t seem to be anything about him as a detective that’s all that special—we don’t see him using any sort of laser-like brilliance to solve a crime. Finally, the writing itself is turgid, not doing anything to draw the reader in and, in fact, creating loads of distance between the reader and the story. Perhaps the translation is the problem. Whatever the case, there are too many other books I’d like to read to waste any more time on this.

I liked this unusual offering. Richard Oppenheimer, a high-ranking Jewish detective whom the Nazis expelled from the Berlin police, is still alive in Berlin in 1944. He’s married to a Gentile, their status uncertain. He is suddenly called back into business by an SS officer to solve a ghoulish murder. Oppenheimer was a detective deeply experienced with these.

He has no choice but to comply, and finds his ability to do the work he’s so good at a welcome distraction - even if he is having to rub elbows with the SS.

The officer, Vogler, seems willing to forget Oppenheimer is Jewish, for the moment anyway. But Oppenheimer is ever at risk in the streets, from people who know or suspect he’s Jewish. Behind it all we suspect the killings have something to do with the SS, hence their interest; and that the investigation must both uncover it and cover it back up; with Oppenheimer expendable at the end.

Oppenheimer knows it too. It hovers over him as he meanwhile has access to real coffee and decent food for the first time in years. His precariousness is socked home by the fate of a neighbor, also married to a Gentile, who is no longer protected once she dies and ordered to a concentration camp.

There’s a lot of good stuff here, reminiscent of fine Berlin police seres like Philip Kerr’s Bernie Gunther books and Volker Kutscher’s “Babylon Berlin”. Real world detectives of that era, including the obese, brilliant homicide chief Ernst Gennat and one of his rivals, Arthur Nebe, pass through this book as well. And there are scenes at the Hotel Adlon, where if memory serves Bernie Gunther works as house detective after leaving the Berlin police in the Nazi era.

The situation of those few Jews still left in town is done well. Oppenheimer has his own quirk - he’s addicted to methamphetamine, but so too are a lot of Germans, Gentile and Jew, civilian and cop and SS, as the Nazis hand them out freely to soldiers. Oppenheimer functions brilliantly with the drug, and can’t function at all without it; he warily reflects on his dwindling stash and when he’ll most need to use it.

There’s are several wonderfully surreal scenes, some owing to Oppenheimer’s drug-altered state, including one where he and Vogler, trapped in a basement after a bombing raid, listen to forbidden phonograph records and Vogler sings along to “Three Penny Opera” music by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, written by a Communist. Author Harald Gilbers doesn’t get into it here, but the special place of serial killers in Berlin culture was reflected in a famous song from the “Three Penny Opera” - “Mack the Knife”.

Thank you so much to Thomas Dunne Books & St Martin’s Press for the lovely free finished copy of Germania in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own!

In Germania, Richard Oppenheimer used to be a detective for the Berlin police, but as a Jew under Hitler he is now forced to work a menial job. One SS agent is stumped when a serial killer starts leaving desecrated bodies in front of WW1 memorials, and he consults (forces) Oppenheimer to help catch the killer. Amidst air raids and bombs and constant fear of death in the rubble of Berlin, Oppenheimer and Vogler try to solve this case.

The setting felt so real as well with rubble strewn streets, frequent rain fall, bombed out buildings, and foreigners from everywhere. It ties in perfectly with the blackouts, oppressive and depressing overall atmosphere of the book.

So much danger, whether from the constant air strikes, Hitler’s regime, or a truly brutal killer, makes this a quietly exciting mystery. Oppenheimer is clever and an observant investigator, so many pages are spent as he puzzles out the case to his new boss, Vogler. Some thoroughly brutal descriptions of desecration were enough to really give me the chills about this killer.

I liked the characters too, Richard knows that his life is hanging by a thread but he still feels the thrill of being back on the case. He is an inherently good person. I think Vogler is too, he would never admit it but he sticks his neck out for Oppenheimer quite a bit and has at least a small streak of humanity. I would have liked a little more from the killer – they had a few paragraphs here and there but it was hard to tell when he was the one being featured, and the glimpses were small! I think he had a good and believable arc to insanity though.

As he is investigating, Oppenheimer learns that he is not being told all the facts. That says, he does a phenomenal job with what he is given. It’s definitely more of a literary investigative mystery than a thriller, although some parts are exciting. I don’t know much about German history at all so it was also interesting to read about landmarks, architecture, and some of Hitler’s less than popular Aryan breeding and spy schemes.

It is also my first German translated book. I don’t think a lot of German words and phrases translate well, which created some blocky language and curious phrases at times, but not enough to affect enjoyment. Gilbers is a history proficient theater writer, so I felt like I was getting an accurate portrayal of Nazi politics as well as a dramatic and depressing atmosphere.

I definitely couldn’t figure out why the party cared so much about one murderer… But… You’ll find out why when you read it!

I took the 1.5 stars off for the book being a little anticlimactic – I think Oppenheimer should have been more present during the criminal apprehensions, but his role was only to figure out who did it. Also without knowing the German history I had to look up quite a few abbreviations, and lord knows that German words are a mouthful to pronounce. All the points for setting and atmosphere though and for the characters.

I think this is a wonderfully human mystery and would recommend to anyone interested!

When I read the teaser for this novel, I found it quite intriguing. Upon reading that teaser, I knew I wanted to read it. I was not disappointed. The setting is around June 1944 in Berlin where the SD officer forces a dismissed Jewish Inspector, Oppenheimer, with a history catching a sadistic serial killer to help investigate a murder of a woman with a mutilated pelvic area and very publicly dumped at a World War I memorial. The storyline unfolds in an environment living and enduring constant Allied bombings, and with the SD, a Security Protection Service of the SS, the Gestapo, Wehrmacht intelligence, old friends who didn’t care that Oppenheimer was Jewish, others who took great offense being integrated by a Jew, Hitler Youth who took offense at a Jewish Oppenheimer would not obey their orders, and lastly, Goebbels who makes an appearance.

During the first chapter, my attention was captured. During the entire novel, I wanted to keep reading. All of the above made the read quite rich for me. Inspector Oppenheimer, the narrator most of the time, is kept in the dark because the investigation is being handled as top secret. There were the twists and turns but now half of his deck of cards was blank for Oppenheimer. The last aspect of the main storyline was the suspense that Oppenheimer was a Jew in Nazi Berlin. This kept an edginess from the start to the last few pages.

The B-storyline was just as complex. Much of Oppenheimer as a person is provided in his interactions with his wife, a dear doctor friend, his Nazi handler, an old police friend, and an old World War I fellow soldier. I even saw his Nazi handler as a human being at times.

What I like was the translator trying to keep the German flavor. The street names used the German, ß, for the double letter, s, in the word street, straße. This was reinforced by the use of German ranks vice their equivalents. There were other words that made the language sound foreign. I learned about some Jews were privileged and had a change not to be sent to the death camps. Also, the common use of methamphetamine, yes – crystal meth in a pill form, by German soldiers and civilians. It was called Pervitin. I knew of this before, but it added another layer of realism to the novel. Unfortunately, some signature British words are used that I just do not see any German using. Vulgar language is almost non-existent. Violence generally described after the fact, and there are crimes against women. This last aspect plus the extreme racism places this novel clearly in the adult content category. Lastly, this novel was not an easy read; it took some effort but it was rewarding.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this novel even though it was not an easy read or quick read for me. All the loose ends were tied up by the end. I am looking forward to reading the next novel in the series if it is translated into English. Because of the few distractors, I rate this novel with four stars. It is well worth the read and I do recommend it.

I have received a free prepublication e-book version of this novel through NetGalley from St. Martin's Press/Thomas Dunne Books with an expectation for an honest, unbiased review. I wish to thank St. Martin's Press/Thomas Dunne Books for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.

It was a little slow moving and with all the German names I had a hard time keeping track of who was who at first. Once I got use to the characters, I enjoyed following the investigation. I think all the difficulties Oppenheimer had to work through being Jewish working with the SS added to the mystery. Although I would not classify this as a thriller. There were some suspenseful moments, but I didn’t have the twists that I come to expect with the genre. The ending did end a little fast, but I like how it left it open to follow Oppenheimer more. It was nicely written with good character development and emotion, but it was not the fast-paced thriller I was expecting. I still liked it though.

I couldn’t get into this story. It just didn’t hold my interest. I’m not a fan of historical fiction in general but I keep trying it. I really thought I could get into this one but alas, it was not to be.

I did not finish it, but what I was able to read was well written.

Although I found it a little slow at times, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Set in WWII Nazi Germany, An SS officer enlists a Jewish, former police inspector to help him catch a serial killer. Lots in intrigue and social commentary on the times. Strongly recommended

This book was very well paced and heart pounding. Finding yourself following along as a serial killer is being sought. But imagine if the person investigating was a Jew in Nazi Germany. This was a very well written and suspenseful novel of intrigue.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

Germania by Harald Gilbers

9781250246936

348 Pages
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Release Date: December 1, 2020

Fiction (Adult), Nazi Germany, 1940s, Mystery & Thriller, Suspense, Historical World War II Fiction, Historical Mystery

This book is set in Berlin in the 1940s under Nazi Germany. The main character, Richard Oppenheimer, was a police investigator before Hitler came into power. Since he was Jewish, he was removed from his position and made to live in the Jewish house. SS Hauptsturmfuhrer
Vogel was tasked with solving the murder. He sought out Oppenheimer and asked him to assist in a top-secret investigation. A woman was found dead and her body mutilated.

The story takes place in about one month’s time and the characters are developed. It is written in third person point of view. I really liked Oppenheimer. In his character, I could see the struggle the Jewish people endured during the Nazi occupation. He lost his job, his home and was not able to freely move about the city. He was ingenious with his tricks to avoid detection while he was investigating without Vogel’s knowledge.

Although this was a book of fiction, it had a very real feel to it. The book is very descriptive from the nightly bombings of the city to the condition of Oppenheimer’s worn shoes. I finished this book in two days and barely put it down. I wanted to see what was going to happen and how the investigation would be solved.

Compelling read, action packed novel set in Berlin, Germany during WWII. Intense serial killer investigation led by Richard Oppenheimer who is also a Jew. The serial killer is targeting women and displaying them in front of monuments, and no one seems to be able to track down who this killer is. Germania describes the harsh reality of living in Germany and what it was like- the hatred, the lack of resources, the attitudes, and most importantly the fear. Very well written book that is not an easy or a quick read, but one that tells story after story if the reader engages. Highly recommend!!