April 1964. The naked body of an old man floats in a lake on the outskirts of Berlin. In one week it will be Adolf Hitler's 75th birthday. A terrible conspiracy is starting to unravel.
This is an alternative history murder mystery. Unlike Len Deighton's SS-GB and Philip K.Dick's Man in the High Castle this is set in Germany and apart from an American journalist all the main characters are German.
The discovery of the first body leads to more and we end up with our lead detective working against the hierarchy. As a murder mystery its pretty standard fare, what sets it aside is the setting, Nazi Germany who in this book rule Europe. The monstrosity that was Nazi Germany is taken to the nth degree with their policies being in force for twenty five years.
Historically much of the book is accurate up until 1945 when it becomes fictionalized. This is worth a read. It is a good solid thriller and the pages keep turning, its not life changing but it is a good reminder what has occurred in the past, especially with so many intent on attempting to re-write history.
Philip Kerr writes a very good series set during the Second World war featuring Bernie Gunther, an ex-Berlin detective who works within the system, the system being Nazi Germany.
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