Reviews

A Trace of Smoke by Rebecca Cantrell

cblank's review

dark emotional informative mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

mjanemartin's review

1.0

I couldn't finish this book. I was really looking forward to it, but half-way through...I had no feelings for the characters, the plot was shallow and lacked complexity. Maybe because I was coming off a 5 star book.

brummelfaoro's review

5.0

I really enjoyed this. Historically accurate with an interesting family! Can not wait to read more!!!!

twogreenpenguins's review

1.0

I will admit, when I first started this book, I wasn't sure it was for me. I'm not the biggest lover of mysteries so they really need to wow me to gain even a basic amount of praise from me. But damn, this book. A Trace of Smoke delivered and I cannot wait to get the second!

gmalo's review

5.0

I loved it. I immediately bought the rest of the books as soon as I finished.

watson_face's review

4.0

The first chapter itself grabs hold of you and makes you want to follow Hannah Vogel through the Hall of the Unnamed Dead and out into the world in order to find out what exactly happened to one of the nameless dead. That particular unclaimed corpse happens to be her younger, eccentric brother, Ernst, and Hannah stops at nothing in order to find out what became of her favorite sibling. Hannah is a strong willed woman in 1931 Germany that writes for a paper under a male alias and does not agree with the rise of the Nazi party. While investigating her brother's mysterious death, Hannah gets swept up in a world of debauchery and military secrets that she never intended to uncover. She must rely on her journalistic abilities in order to find a way out of this mess and without hurting a child that has suddenly shown up on her doorstep claiming Ernst was his father.

I really enjoyed the entire book especially since Cantrell doesn't make it obvious within the first few chapters who the murderer actually is; she keeps you guessing, throwing some twists and turns in there.

ceeceerose's review

4.0

A wonderful new thriller by a debut author who has a background in both literature and Germany history. Well-written and filled with real characters of the time, Cantrell’s book is set in 1930s Berlin at the beginning of the rise of Hitler’s power. Her main character, Hannah Vogel, is a reporter who writes for a Berlin newspaper under a male alias. At the beginning of the story, Hannah finds out her brother has been murdered, but no one else seems to know this…everyone else (expect for the murderer, of course) just assumes he’s missing. Her brother is a nightclub performer in one of Berlin’s more famous gay clubs…this is 1930s Berlin after-all…rich with a very flamboyant side. Hannah takes it upon herself to do the digging into his “disappearance” and soon finds herself in danger…especially since her brother had personal ties to the Nazi Party. An excellent thriller that remains strong to the very end. Hopefully, Cantrell will keep writing…maybe even making Hannah Vogel a continuing character.

libraryjunkie's review

4.0

This was a well-written historical novel that had me hooked from the first chapter. The novel boasts strong character development along with a fast paced and suspenseful storyline. It presents a look into the personal life of prominent Nazi soldiers and Nazi Germany that is not often depicted. Though this novel is fiction, it weaves enough nonfiction facts into the story, and it is very easy for the reader to forget it is fiction and take what is being read as fact. I highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in crime/murder mysteries and Nazi Germany. I look forward to the continuing story with her next novel.

dannafs's review

3.0

Hannah Vogel is a German journalist in the period preceding World War II. She walks through the police station one day and is shocked to come across a photograph of her younger brother, murdered. Ernst was a flamboyant, cross-dressing, homosexual, and the center of the local gay nightlife scene. Since Hannah and Ernst lent out their identity papers to a Jewish friend escaping Germany, Hannah does not feel she can come forward to identify Ernst's body. Instead, Hannah embarks on a mission to uncover the cause of Ernst's death and who is responsible for it. In the process, a young boy, Anton, is dropped on her doorstep, claiming he is Hannah's son, and that her brother Ernst was the boy's father. Inheriting a child of unknown lineage becomes an equally pressing focus in Hannah's life: who are his biological parents? Where has he been living? And,how can she protect him?

Trace of Smoke is a novel that interweaves historical facts in a way that educates the reader. Characters like Ernst Rohm are real-life personalities that fit right into Hannah's story. It is an entertaining and easy read. Even though it's around 600 pages long, it's fast-moving and a speed read. Trace of Smoke is part of a series and I was eager to read the next book when I finished the first, however, the next book wasn't really very good and I gave up after one hundred pages or so.

northstar's review

3.0

A young reporter in 1931 Berlin tries to investigate the murder of her transvestite brother while caring for a young child who may or may not be her brother's son.

I liked the story and there certainly are worse mystery novels. I thought the descriptions of a desperate Berlin with Nazism on the rise were chilling and a powerful reminder that good people get trapped on both sides of a war. The problem was that the plot felt too fantastical for the setting and the era, and I had trouble with suspension of disbelief, which is crucial in a suspense novel.

I may try another of Vogel's books.