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maitland's review against another edition
4.0
Synopsis
In world war 2 era Dresden, Germany Max Heller is surrounded by danger. The Americans and British are leading air raids on the city by night. The Russians are getting closer every day. And Heller is not even able to trust his own people as many of them have joined the Nazi party and the S.S.'s eyes and ears are everywhere. Having not joined the Nazi party or the S.S. Heller is under more scrutiny than the average citizen. To make matters worse the day after an air raid the body of a young woman is found, horribly mutilated. Now with no one to trust and no idea how long there will even be a city or citizens to protect, Max must persevere against enemies from every side as he hunts for The Air Raid Killer.
Review
I really enjoyed this book. It gave me one of the tensest and suspenseful feelings that I have ever felt while reading a book. The backdrop of this book is so expertly described that at times it was like reading someone's first-hand account of the horrors of war. And it really got me thinking a lot about hate and forgiveness. The descriptions of the city of Dresden being bombed by the Americans and British sets an eerie backdrop for the story. Then add in the ever-looming threat of the Nazis who make their own rules and will kill anyone for any transgression, real or imaginary. And on top of that add Russians who have a strong hate for the German people and no trust for Heller at all and can execute him and other German citizens on a whim. The feeling of absolute hopelessness and terror is constant. The only person Heller trusts is his wife. He can't trust the few co-workers he has left. His superiors are either evil or don't care about the murders, and the German citizens are scared, starving and homeless and of little to no help. If there ever was an underdog it's Max Heller.
The book, in my opinion, does a great job of making you sympathetic to different sides of a horrible event (WW2). Let me clarify this. The atrocities committed by the Nazis and rapes and assaults by Russian soldiers on German citizens (among other horrible things that happened in the war) in occupied Dresden are all brought up. I do not mean to say the story makes you sympathetic to the actions, but for me it made me feel sympathetic towards the characters who couldn't let go of their hate. It made me judge them less harshly than I would normally judge characters, especially the “good guys” for their actions related to the events of this book. I hope this makes sense.
You may have noticed this review has mostly been about the war. Well if I had one semi-critical thing to say about the book it would be that the war overshadowed the Air Raid Killer storyline for a lot of the book. In this case that didn't turn out to be a bad thing, I still enjoyed the book very much. But there were several times when I felt more like I was reading a war biography as opposed to a crime thriller. Apart from that small criticism I really only have good things to say.
Max Heller made a great protagonist. He was easy to root for. Far from perfect but an “everyman” who tried to do what he had to for him and his wife to survive. He had to make terrible choices that I'm sure will haunt him.
Zaitsev, a Russian commissar is equal parts help and hindrance. While at times he seems to be warming up to Heller, just like that his hate for Germans bursts through and he seems ready to shoot Heller and any other German in his vicinity. And given what Zaitsev has seen during the war it's hard to not be sympathetic.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves reading high tension, world war 2 fiction, crime fiction, mystery, and thriller novels. There is some gore and violence but I wouldn't say enough to keep most people from reading the book. I'm very glad that I bought this one on a whim.
In world war 2 era Dresden, Germany Max Heller is surrounded by danger. The Americans and British are leading air raids on the city by night. The Russians are getting closer every day. And Heller is not even able to trust his own people as many of them have joined the Nazi party and the S.S.'s eyes and ears are everywhere. Having not joined the Nazi party or the S.S. Heller is under more scrutiny than the average citizen. To make matters worse the day after an air raid the body of a young woman is found, horribly mutilated. Now with no one to trust and no idea how long there will even be a city or citizens to protect, Max must persevere against enemies from every side as he hunts for The Air Raid Killer.
Review
I really enjoyed this book. It gave me one of the tensest and suspenseful feelings that I have ever felt while reading a book. The backdrop of this book is so expertly described that at times it was like reading someone's first-hand account of the horrors of war. And it really got me thinking a lot about hate and forgiveness. The descriptions of the city of Dresden being bombed by the Americans and British sets an eerie backdrop for the story. Then add in the ever-looming threat of the Nazis who make their own rules and will kill anyone for any transgression, real or imaginary. And on top of that add Russians who have a strong hate for the German people and no trust for Heller at all and can execute him and other German citizens on a whim. The feeling of absolute hopelessness and terror is constant. The only person Heller trusts is his wife. He can't trust the few co-workers he has left. His superiors are either evil or don't care about the murders, and the German citizens are scared, starving and homeless and of little to no help. If there ever was an underdog it's Max Heller.
The book, in my opinion, does a great job of making you sympathetic to different sides of a horrible event (WW2). Let me clarify this. The atrocities committed by the Nazis and rapes and assaults by Russian soldiers on German citizens (among other horrible things that happened in the war) in occupied Dresden are all brought up. I do not mean to say the story makes you sympathetic to the actions, but for me it made me feel sympathetic towards the characters who couldn't let go of their hate. It made me judge them less harshly than I would normally judge characters, especially the “good guys” for their actions related to the events of this book. I hope this makes sense.
You may have noticed this review has mostly been about the war. Well if I had one semi-critical thing to say about the book it would be that the war overshadowed the Air Raid Killer storyline for a lot of the book. In this case that didn't turn out to be a bad thing, I still enjoyed the book very much. But there were several times when I felt more like I was reading a war biography as opposed to a crime thriller. Apart from that small criticism I really only have good things to say.
Max Heller made a great protagonist. He was easy to root for. Far from perfect but an “everyman” who tried to do what he had to for him and his wife to survive. He had to make terrible choices that I'm sure will haunt him.
Zaitsev, a Russian commissar is equal parts help and hindrance. While at times he seems to be warming up to Heller, just like that his hate for Germans bursts through and he seems ready to shoot Heller and any other German in his vicinity. And given what Zaitsev has seen during the war it's hard to not be sympathetic.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves reading high tension, world war 2 fiction, crime fiction, mystery, and thriller novels. There is some gore and violence but I wouldn't say enough to keep most people from reading the book. I'm very glad that I bought this one on a whim.
tessisreading2's review against another edition
4.0
Atmospheric mystery set in Dresden in the last days of WWII. The identity of the killer was basically superfluous, but the book itself was riveting.
diabeticfox's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
claire1044's review
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
kruemelgizmo's review against another edition
3.0
Dresden 1944: Kriminalinspektor Max Heller jagt in den Wirren des letzten Kriegswinter einen grausamen Frauenmörder, der die ganze Bevölkerung in Angst und Schrecken versetzt. Sein Vorgesetzter hat sich schnell eine Meinung über den Täter gebildet und legt Heller bei seinen Ermittlungen Steine in den Weg. Im Feuersturm der Bombennacht am 13. Februar 1945 kommt es zum dramatischen Höhepunkt...
Der Angstmann aus der Feder von Frank Goldammer scheint der erste Teil einer Reihe um Kriminalinspektor Max Heller zu sein.
Max Heller, ein Polizist aus Leidenschaft muss den grausamen Mord an einer Frau untersuchen. Nicht nur der Krieg und der damit verbundenen Knappheit an Ressourcen machen Heller die Untersuchungen nicht leicht, sondern auch sein Vorgesetzter, der seinen Posten nur der Partei zu verdanken hat, und keine Ahnung von Polizeiarbeit hat, macht ihm durch seine vorgefasste Meinung, wer der Täter ist, das Leben schwer. Aber schon bald gibt es die nächste grausam zugerichtete Tote und in der Bevölkerung geht das Gerücht, dass der Angstmann nachts durch die Gegend schleicht.
Der Protagonist Max Heller, ehemaliger Soldat des ersten Weltkrieges ist nun mit Leib und Seele Polizist. Natürlich ist der "Held" der Geschichte kein Anhänger des Nationalsozialismus, was auch immer wieder mal zum Vorschein kommt. Dabei habe ich persönlich so meine Zweifel, ob jemand wie Heller überhaupt zur damaligen Zeit als "Nichtsystemtreuer", auch wenn er wegschaut und nichts unternimmt, seinen Posten hätte behalten können. Eine wirkliches Sympathiegefühl für Heller kam bei mir dabei nicht auf, sein Erleben und Überleben ließen mich innerlich doch ziemlich kalt.
Die Geschichte selbst gliedert sich in einen Kriminalfall und in die Beschreibungen der damaligen Zeit auf. Der Fall ist interessant und eigentlich auch spannend erzählt, tritt aber durch die doch sehr ausführlichen Beschreibungen der Zustände in Dresden zur damaligen Zeit immer wieder in den Hintergrund. Die Beschreibungen von Dresden November 1944 bis 1945 empfand ich mit den Flüchtlingsströmen, der Bombennacht und auch mit dem Einmarsch und Besetzung durch die rote Armee wirlich gut beschrieben, sorgten aber leider immer wieder dafür das die Spannung des Kriminalfalles verloren ging. Die Vergnüpfung des Kriminalfalles und der historischen Gegebenheiten empfand ich daher nicht immer gelungen.
Mein Fazit:
Ein netter Krimi, der mehr durch die geschichtlichen Beschreibungen besticht, als durch den Kriminalfall selbst.
Der Angstmann aus der Feder von Frank Goldammer scheint der erste Teil einer Reihe um Kriminalinspektor Max Heller zu sein.
Max Heller, ein Polizist aus Leidenschaft muss den grausamen Mord an einer Frau untersuchen. Nicht nur der Krieg und der damit verbundenen Knappheit an Ressourcen machen Heller die Untersuchungen nicht leicht, sondern auch sein Vorgesetzter, der seinen Posten nur der Partei zu verdanken hat, und keine Ahnung von Polizeiarbeit hat, macht ihm durch seine vorgefasste Meinung, wer der Täter ist, das Leben schwer. Aber schon bald gibt es die nächste grausam zugerichtete Tote und in der Bevölkerung geht das Gerücht, dass der Angstmann nachts durch die Gegend schleicht.
Der Protagonist Max Heller, ehemaliger Soldat des ersten Weltkrieges ist nun mit Leib und Seele Polizist. Natürlich ist der "Held" der Geschichte kein Anhänger des Nationalsozialismus, was auch immer wieder mal zum Vorschein kommt. Dabei habe ich persönlich so meine Zweifel, ob jemand wie Heller überhaupt zur damaligen Zeit als "Nichtsystemtreuer", auch wenn er wegschaut und nichts unternimmt, seinen Posten hätte behalten können. Eine wirkliches Sympathiegefühl für Heller kam bei mir dabei nicht auf, sein Erleben und Überleben ließen mich innerlich doch ziemlich kalt.
Die Geschichte selbst gliedert sich in einen Kriminalfall und in die Beschreibungen der damaligen Zeit auf. Der Fall ist interessant und eigentlich auch spannend erzählt, tritt aber durch die doch sehr ausführlichen Beschreibungen der Zustände in Dresden zur damaligen Zeit immer wieder in den Hintergrund. Die Beschreibungen von Dresden November 1944 bis 1945 empfand ich mit den Flüchtlingsströmen, der Bombennacht und auch mit dem Einmarsch und Besetzung durch die rote Armee wirlich gut beschrieben, sorgten aber leider immer wieder dafür das die Spannung des Kriminalfalles verloren ging. Die Vergnüpfung des Kriminalfalles und der historischen Gegebenheiten empfand ich daher nicht immer gelungen.
Mein Fazit:
Ein netter Krimi, der mehr durch die geschichtlichen Beschreibungen besticht, als durch den Kriminalfall selbst.
neonbeige's review against another edition
4.0
Hab´s als Hörspiel gehört. War sehr gut gemacht und spannend. Manchmal ein bisschen zu langatmig, daher nur 4 Sterne
cawhite's review against another edition
4.0
Good mystery. Unusual to read about a serial killer in WWII Germany. Well done.