The Bridge of Sighs

*Starred Review* In 1948, in an unnamed Eastern European country behind the lowering iron curtain, Emil Brod reports for work as a homicide detective in the People's Militia. Fresh from the academy, his first day is a punch in the balls literally. His new colleagues hate him, and he has no idea why. Forced to beg his boss for work, the case he is finally given is a political time bomb that seems certain to end his career before it's even started. But tenaciously, and despite frequent bodily injury, he persists, following clues that lead him to a rich widow's arms, to a Communist Party untouchable, and finally back to the events of World War II. It's hard to believe this is a debut: Steinhauer marries deft plotting with creative characterization and sets the union in a vividly re-created milieu. The case a famous composer has had his head bashed in, possibly over a blackmail plot is complicated by personalities, politics, geography, and the uncertainty of a torn continent trying to sew itself back together. Particularly inspired are the scenes set in the rubble of West Berlin, during the Berlin Airlift, which evoke an atmosphere worthy of the newsreels minus the scratches on the film. Part mystery, part thriller, part spy story entirely promising. For fans of Eric Ambler, J. Robert Janes, Martin Cruz Smith, and Alan Furst.--Graff, Keir Copyright 2007 Booklist

Schmidtke's reading of Steinhauer's debut is rich with subtle nuance, but his portrayal of the actual characters' voices, which are rarely graced with anything resembling an Eastern European accent, may strike listeners as off-key. Set in a rubble-strewn, unnamed Eastern European country in 1948, this intrigue focuses on 22-year-old Emil Brod, a rookie homicide detective for the People's Militia who seems to be up against the world. His department thinks he is a spy, and treats him with utter scorn and malevolence. He is not even given a gun, and has to take public transportation for his investigations. However, not unlike an eastern Dirty Harry, Brod defies direct orders and continues his investigation of a murder, which ultimately leads him to one of the country's most powerful men. Schmidtke delivers the flirtatious lines of Brod's widow/love interest with a decidedly non-sexy, octogenarian breathiness, and his voice takes on a strange Sean Connery-like lilt for Brod's reluctant partner. However, the momentum Schmidtke builds through his performance overrides these peculiarities and renders this intrigue worthwhile.(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved All rights reserved.

Open with a young detective fresh out of the academy who is really concerned with his uncomfortable suit and new shoes; add not fitting in with his new coworkers, who despise him for unknown reasons; then throw in a murder/blackmail investigation of a famous songwriter that no one but our protagonist cares is ever solved, and you have The Bridge of Sighs. Steinhauer paints a rich picture that brings the listener into the grimy and often brutal world of rookie homicide inspector Emil Brod. The details that are provided about the supporting characters, including the unnamed war-torn city/country that serve as the background for this gritty early Cold War-era Eastern European intrigue, are what make this work stand out from the usual homicide detective tale. Everything that a listener could want is here: murder, political intrigue, blackmail, a love story, and a quality mystery, the first in a very promising series. Ned Schmidtke's narration provides a gripping reading that allows this novel to unfold steadily toward the exciting conclusion. The accents, which add an interesting dimension to the story, are not overdone. Recommended for all public and academic libraries.-Scott R. DiMarco, Herkimer Cty. Community Coll., NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

It's 1948, and Emil Brod, newly graduated from the police academy at 22, is posted as a homicide cop to the People's Militia--a department that's as dysfunctional as pretty much everything else in Emil's unnamed little war-torn country. Vanquished and vanished are the despised Germans, leaving behind them, however, "a nation of cripples." Still, young Emil, whose idealism remains surprisingly intact despite deprivation and occasional bouts of despair, is excited as he reports for work on that first day. He looks forward to the job, seeing in it a longed-for opportunity to serve community and country. Unfortunately, the good feeling is transitory. Not only is the department a grim, grungy, seemingly purposeless place, but there's an almost palpable animosity directed at Emil in particular. For reasons he can't grasp, he's an alien presence regarded with icy stares. When he finally gets an assignment, it's a high-profile case no one else wants since it's so clearly a potential career-breaker. A popular, politically connected songwriter has been murdered, face and skull crushed with a wrench, apartment ransacked. Burglars? Emil soon decides against this obvious scenario in favor of something darker and more complex. In the days that follow, he collects the answers to a variety of gnarly questions--the reason he was consigned to solitary; the truth behind a desperate and shameful conspiracy; and some useful things about his own untapped, unexpected capacity for courage, loyalty, and love. Time, place, and cast are all richly evoked in a well-written, often gripping debut. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Open with a young detective fresh out of the academy who is really concerned with his uncomfortable suit and new shoes; add not fitting in with his new coworkers, who despise him for unknown reasons; then throw in a murder/blackmail investigation of a famous songwriter that no one but our protagonist cares is ever solved, and you have The Bridge of Sighs. Steinhauer paints a rich picture that brings the listener into the grimy and often brutal world of rookie homicide inspector Emil Brod. The details that are provided about the supporting characters, including the unnamed war-torn city/country that serve as the background for this gritty early Cold War-era Eastern European intrigue, are what make this work stand out from the usual homicide detective tale. Everything that a listener could want is here: murder, political intrigue, blackmail, a love story, and a quality mystery, the first in a very promising series. Ned Schmidtke's narration provides a gripping reading that allows this novel to unfold steadily toward the exciting conclusion. The accents, which add an interesting dimension to the story, are not overdone. Recommended for all public and academic libraries.-Scott R. DiMarco, Herkimer Cty. Community Coll., NY Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Schmidtke's reading of Steinhauer's debut is rich with subtle nuance, but his portrayal of the actual characters' voices, which are rarely graced with anything resembling an Eastern European accent, may strike listeners as off-key. Set in a rubble-strewn, unnamed Eastern European country in 1948, this intrigue focuses on 22-year-old Emil Brod, a rookie homicide detective for the People's Militia who seems to be up against the world. His department thinks he is a spy, and treats him with utter scorn and malevolence. He is not even given a gun, and has to take public transportation for his investigations. However, not unlike an eastern Dirty Harry, Brod defies direct orders and continues his investigation of a murder, which ultimately leads him to one of the country's most powerful men. Schmidtke delivers the flirtatious lines of Brod's widow/love interest with a decidedly non-sexy, octogenarian breathiness, and his voice takes on a strange Sean Connery-like lilt for Brod's reluctant partner. However, the momentum Schmidtke builds through his performance overrides these peculiarities and renders this intrigue worthwhile. Simultaneous release with the St. Martin's Minotaur hardcover (Forecasts, Jan. 20). (Feb.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.