Blackout

Book Cover
Average Rating
Publisher
Kensington Publishing Corp
Publication Date
2022.
Language
English

Description

#1 Sunday Times bestselling author“Atmosphere, sharp intrigue, and a host of fascinating characters all combine to make this one the next addition to your keeper shelf." —Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling authorFans of Philip Kerr’s Berlin Trilogy, Howard Linskey, James D. Shipman, Robert Ludlum, Andrew Gross, and William Christie can buckle down for an intense plunge into the darkest heart of war in #1 Sunday Times bestselling author Simon Scarrow’s blistering new World War II thriller.As the Nazis tighten their chokehold on the capital, panic and paranoia fester as blackout is rigidly enforced. Every night the city is plunged into an oppressive, suffocating darkness—pitch-perfect conditions for unspeakable acts.When a young woman is found brutally murdered, it’s up to Criminal Inspector Horst Schenke to solve the case quickly. His reputation is already on the line for his failure to join the Nazi Party. If he doesn’t solve the case, the consequences could be fatal.  Schenke's worst fears are confirmed when a second victim is found. As the investigation takes him deeper into the regime’s darkest corridors, Schenke realises danger lurks behind every corner—and that the warring factions of the Reich can be as deadly as a killer stalking the streets . . .“Mesmerising. Nail-biting. Unputdownable. Utterly authentic and beautifully written.” —Damien Lewis “Taut and chilling—I was completely gripped.” —Anthony Horowitz, bestselling author of the Alex Rider and Susan Ryeland series

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ISBN
9781496739735

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Also in this Series

  • Blackout (Berlin wartime thrillers Volume 1) Cover
  • Dead of night (Berlin wartime thrillers Volume 2) Cover

Author Notes

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Similar Series From Novelist

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for series you might like if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
These series have the genre "historical mysteries"; and the subjects "serial murderers," "nazis," and "world war ii."
These series have the genre "historical mysteries"; and the subjects "serial murderers" and "detectives."
These series have the genres "historical mysteries" and "historical thrillers"; and the subjects "nazis" and "world war ii."
These series have the theme "wartime crime"; the genre "historical mysteries"; and the subjects "detectives" and "world war ii."
These series have the genre "historical mysteries"; and the subjects "detectives," "german history," and "former detectives."
These series have the genre "historical mysteries"; and the subjects "detectives," "german people," and "police."
These series have the genres "historical mysteries" and "historical thrillers"; and the subjects "nazis," "fascism," and "nazi collaborators."
These series have the genres "historical mysteries" and "historical thrillers"; and the subjects "fascism," "third reich, 1933-1945," and "german history."
These series have the theme "urban police"; the genre "historical mysteries"; and the subjects "serial murderers," "detectives," and "world war ii."

Similar Titles From NoveList

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for titles you might like if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
These books have the theme "urban police"; the genre "historical mysteries"; the subjects "detectives," "serial murder investigation," and "german history"; and characters that are "complex characters."
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The sleepwalkers - Grossman, Paul
These books have the genre "historical mysteries"; and the subjects "nazis," "detectives," and "serial murder investigation."
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These books have the appeal factors menacing, and they have the theme "wartime crime"; the genres "historical mysteries" and "historical thrillers"; and the subjects "serial murderers" and "serial murder investigation."
These books have the subjects "nazis," "political intrigue," and "world war ii."
These books have the genre "historical mysteries"; the subject "nazis"; and characters that are "complex characters."
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These books have the theme "urban police"; the subjects "detectives" and "police"; and characters that are "complex characters" and "flawed characters."
These books have the appeal factors menacing, and they have the genres "historical mysteries" and "historical thrillers"; and the subjects "nazis" and "nazism."
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Similar Authors From NoveList

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for other authors you might want to read if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
Simon Scarrow and Bernard Cornwell provide rip-roaring action. Both evoke what it must really have been like to serve and fight with a group of hardened soldiers, and their battle scenes are visceral and authentic. -- Katherine Johnson
Although Simon Scarrow's books feature more realistic historical settings, like Glyn Iliffe he writes gritty, action-packed, and dramatic stories about warfare in the ancient world. Both authors fill their books with tough, honor-loving heroes, diabolical intrigue, and gripping and unflinching accounts of blood-soaked battles. -- Derek Keyser
These authors write engaging, action-packed, and gritty historical fiction that focuses on the thrilling adventures of macho soldiers and famous warriors. Their resilient and macho heroes struggle to survive in vividly drawn worlds full of deadly intrigue, ruthless political ambition, and blood-soaked battles. -- Derek Keyser
Simon Scarrow is another author who writes gritty, action-packed historical fiction about the exploits of tough soldiers in the Roman empire. His work also includes plenty of vivid, unflinchingly brutal descriptions of battles, though his books are often more plot-driven and less detail-oriented than Harry Sidebottom's. -- Derek Keyser
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Published Reviews

Booklist Review

There have been several fine thrillers about serial killers stalking London's darkened streets during the Blitz (Cathi Unsworth's Without the Moon, 2016, leads the pack), but fewer about the parallel phenomenon in Berlin. Scarrow changes that with this crisp thriller set in 1939 at the beginning of the war. When a once-famous actress, rumored to have been involved with Joseph Goebbels, is found murdered, criminal inspector Horst Schenke and his team are assigned the case, taking orders directly from the Gestapo. Schenke, who has not joined the Nazi Party, is being set up as a fall guy, and when more murders follow, it's clear that, to solve the case, he will need to defy his masters. Like Bernie Gunther in Philip Kerr's celebrated series, Scarrow builds tension both from the crimes at hand and from his hero's internal struggle, knowing that eventually his determination to keep policing separate from politics is doomed to failure. Schenke lacks the Chandlerian cynicism that Kerr gives Gunther, but he is a strong, deeply conflicted character, and Scarrow makes the most of the blackout as a breeding ground for mayhem.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
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Publisher's Weekly Review

Horst Schenke, the protagonist of this exceptional mystery set in 1939 Berlin from British author Scarrow (the Eagles of the Empire series), became a respected Kriminalpolizei inspector after a near-fatal accident six years earlier ended his career as a racing driver. His decision not to join the Nazi party has stymied any hopes for advancement, but his distance from the party leads to his being tapped to investigate a high-profile homicide. Once-prominent film star Gerda Korzeny, ex-mistress of Josef Goebbels and wife of the Nazi attorney "who rewrites certain laws to make the party's actions legal," was found near some railroad tracks, her skull crushed by a single blow. Korzeny's possessions were undisturbed, and her state of undress suggests she was resisting a sexual assault. Schenke's role is to reduce the prospects of friction between Nazi factions and to serve as a scapegoat if things go south. Scarrow plausibly conveys the complexities of his hero's efforts to do an honest job of seeking justice while serving under a corrupt and criminal regime. Fans of Philip Kerr's Bernie Gunther will hope for a sequel. Agent: Luigi Bonomi, LBA Books (U.K.). (Mar.)

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
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Booklist Reviews

There have been several fine thrillers about serial killers stalking London's darkened streets during the Blitz (Cathi Unsworth's Without the Moon, 2016, leads the pack), but fewer about the parallel phenomenon in Berlin. Scarrow changes that with this crisp thriller set in 1939 at the beginning of the war. When a once-famous actress, rumored to have been involved with Joseph Goebbels, is found murdered, criminal inspector Horst Schenke and his team are assigned the case, taking orders directly from the Gestapo. Schenke, who has not joined the Nazi Party, is being set up as a fall guy, and when more murders follow, it's clear that, to solve the case, he will need to defy his masters. Like Bernie Gunther in Philip Kerr's celebrated series, Scarrow builds tension both from the crimes at hand and from his hero's internal struggle, knowing that eventually his determination to keep policing separate from politics is doomed to failure. Schenke lacks the Chandlerian cynicism that Kerr gives Gunther, but he is a strong, deeply conflicted character, and Scarrow makes the most of the blackout as a breeding ground for mayhem. Copyright 2022 Booklist Reviews.

Copyright 2022 Booklist Reviews.
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Publishers Weekly Reviews

Horst Schenke, the protagonist of this exceptional mystery set in 1939 Berlin from British author Scarrow (the Eagles of the Empire series), became a respected Kriminalpolizei inspector after a near-fatal accident six years earlier ended his career as a racing driver. His decision not to join the Nazi party has stymied any hopes for advancement, but his distance from the party leads to his being tapped to investigate a high-profile homicide. Once-prominent film star Gerda Korzeny, ex-mistress of Josef Goebbels and wife of the Nazi attorney "who rewrites certain laws to make the party's actions legal," was found near some railroad tracks, her skull crushed by a single blow. Korzeny's possessions were undisturbed, and her state of undress suggests she was resisting a sexual assault. Schenke's role is to reduce the prospects of friction between Nazi factions and to serve as a scapegoat if things go south. Scarrow plausibly conveys the complexities of his hero's efforts to do an honest job of seeking justice while serving under a corrupt and criminal regime. Fans of Philip Kerr's Bernie Gunther will hope for a sequel. Agent: Luigi Bonomi, LBA Books (U.K.). (Mar.)

Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly.

Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly.
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