***Winner of the Macavity and Bruce Alexander Award!***It’s 1931 in Berlin, and the world is on the precipice of change—the affluent still dance in their gilded cages but more and more people are living under threat and poverty. Hannah Vogel is a crime reporter forced to write under the male pseudonym Peter Weill. As a widow of the Great War, she’s used to doing what she must to survive. Her … survive. Her careful facade is threatened when she stumbles across a photograph of her brother in the Hall of the Unnamed Dead. Reluctant to make a formal identification until she has all the details, Hannah decides to investigate, herself. She must be cautious as Ernst’s life as a cross-dressing cabaret star was ringed in scandal, and his list of lovers included at least one powerful leader in the Nazi party.
She’s barely had a chance to begin before an endearing five-year-old orphan shows up on her doorstep holding a birth certificate listing her dead brother Ernst as his father, and calling Hannah ‘Mother.’ Further complicating matters are her evolving feelings for Boris Krause, a powerful banker whose world is the antithesis of Hannah’s. Boris has built a solid wall preventing anyone from disturbing his, or his daughter Trudi’s, perfectly managed lives—a wall Hannah and Anton are slowly breaking down.
As Hannah digs, she discovers political intrigues and scandals touching the top ranks of the rising Nazi party. Fired from her job and on the run from Hitler’s troops, she must protect herself and the little boy who has come to love her, but can she afford to find love for herself?
Praise for the novel:
“Bold narrator and chilling historical setting…an unusually vivid context, [lets] Hannah report on the decadence of her world without losing her life –or her mind.”– New York Times
“Nails both the ‘life is a cabaret’ atmosphere and the desperation floating inside the champagne bubbles.” – Booklist
“Evocative and hauntingly crafted…a treasure of suspense, romance, and murder. Her ability to spin history into a visceral reality is done with the artistry of a master storyteller.”– James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author of The Seventh Plague
“A compelling and human story that captures brilliantly the atmosphere of Berlin during the rise of the Nazis.”–Anne Perry, New York Times bestselling author of We Shall Not Sleep
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Really enjoyed reading this historical mystery. It was based off actual events in history, with a fictional story weaved in. It gives the reader a taste of what it was like living in Berlin in the 1930’s. Looking forward to book 2. The ending leaves you satisfied, but you want more.
What is in store for Hannah and Anton in book 2?
What a great story! I felt I was living in that time and going through each emotion with every character. You truly have a gift!
cannot wait to start the next book in the series
It’s been awhile since I enjoyed a book this much. I loved how Ms Cantrell built up the world of 1930’s Germany. Knowing the history there, the tension is palpable.
The story follows reporter Hannah Vogel as she is forced to investigate the death of her younger brother because she and Ernst (her brother) had given their papers to a Jewish friend so she and her son could escape Germany to the US. Yeah per World War Two Germany was difficult to escape for Jewish families. We tend to focus on what happened once Hitler came into power and ignore the period before. This is why I have a soft spot for refugees. I know its incredibly complicated but I can’t help but wonder how many Jewish people who died during this horrible time in history, tried to escape it earlier in the 30s only to be turned away.
As Hannah investigates we get to know Ernst even better. He’s my favorite character which is why I gave this book the tear jerker tag. Not only is it shrouded in this mystery and terrible inevitable future, but Ernst is already dead. There is no saving him and it’s heartbreaking. So well written.
Things heat up as Hannah is saddled with a small child who claims Ernst is his father and it becomes very clear that Ernst was involved with Hitler’s right hand man, Roan. A man who’s considered a fierce warrior. As the story unfolds, Hannah is forced to choose between felling the Nazi Regime before it gets going or saving the small child she’s come to care very much for.
The first in this series, the romance is still very new but Boris is amazing. I highly recommend this book and can’t wait to get into the second one.
I stopped reading this book because it was so dark, which is not surprising with a book written for Berlin as the Nazis were coming to power. But I usually love WWII books. But I came back to it a week later and got caught up in the mystery and learning to like the main character. I may even read the next in the series.
Hannah Vogel is a crime reporter (writing as Peter Weill) in Berlin in 1931. Her brother, a gay man who sings in the El Dorado club, has multiple affairs with Nazis and other power brokers. Unfortunately, he is in over his head and is murdered. Hannah is determined to find his killer and get justice for her brother. This is a complex, densely written novel that touches on journalistic integrity, the Nazi treatment of jews, the intolerance for homosexuals, and the importance of family and friends. I respected the characters of Hannah, Paul, Wilhelm, and Anton, but found myself terrified for their safety and survival
A Trace of Smoke: Rebecca Cantwell
The musical Cabaret was set in a time of decadence and danger. The Nazis were on the rise, and their influence was everywhere. The heroine, a newspaper reporter who must assume a man’s name to have her byline published, covers the crime beat. She comes across a police photo of a dead man, who she recognizes – it is her beloved brother. In life he courted danger in the cabaret lifestyle, and in death he endangers his sister. Investigating, she uncovers deadly secrets. This is an excellent mystery, set in an intriguing time and place.
I was shocked at gratuitous sex. Not my kind of book/ characterization/ behavior/misogynistic/sadistic /disrespectfully brash and distinctly unnecessary interface between main male pseudo spy and main female personal assistant to yet another uninformed character whose excuses were advanced age and a wasting disease as well as lack of ethical decision-making. Premise for book was promising but deteriorated from page 7.
Great read!! Flowed well and kept one wanting to keep reading. Like her writing style a lot.
A very interesting and different look at the rise of the nazi
Historical Mystery; very well written.
Gave much information regarding Berlin in the 1930s. Excellent protagonist and unique plot. Very interesting read.
A look at Berlinin 1931 when the Nazis were rising to power when German citizens never knew who would be the next target for persecution or extermination. Maybe relevant because of events in today’s poliics
Great historical novel of the early days in Germany.Before Hitler takes over the country.Where no one can be trusted,even people you have known for years.
I loved this book, it was well researched and well written. It made me angry, sad, disgusted but never bored. I am so glad that this author realises that works about the Nazi’s need to be told but in a way that is understandable and keeps you interested. Well done, I will look out for more of her books.
I found the tight rope the protagonist walked to be compelling. This book can’t be set down until the end.
I really enjoyed this book.
I enjoyed reading this book but only gave it three stars because I felt it was incomplete. The ending was too abrupt. Did she make it to England? Did she make it to America? Did she ever meet up with Boris again? I imagine the author would like us to buy the rest of the series to find out what happens and that’s okay, but I needed another couple of chapters to entice me to continue with this series.
Good mystery placed in Germany early on in days of Hitler.
Love the history woven into this novel.