This book was an entertaining listen. The author did a good job of giving you just enough information to keep you guessing. The main character of Tobias was interesting and the author captured the atmosphere of a small suspicious town very well. However, while Tobias and the detectives were fairly well-rounded, some of the characters were pretty one-dimensional and unrealistic, particularly the "goth waitress with a checkered past and a heart of gold". Overall, I liked listening to this book but it didn't make me want to rush out to read other books by this author. ( )

3.5 stars a bit slow getting going but after that I thought it was good ( )

Un sombrío día de noviembre unos obreros encuentran un esqueleto humano en un antiguo aeródromo del Ejército norteamericano en un pueblo cerca de Frankfurt. Poco después alguien empuja a una mujer desde un puente. La investigación lleva a los comisarios Pia Kirchhoff y Oliver von Bodenstein al pasado: hace muchos años, en la pequeña localidad de Altenhain, desaparecieron dos muchachas sin dejar rastro. Un proceso judicial basado en pruebas circunstanciales hizo que el presunto autor Tobias acabara entre rejas. Ahora este ha vuelto a su pueblo. La desaparición de otra chica desatará una auténtica caza de brujas.

This book was on my radar as I try to keep my eye out for mystery/thrillers translated from German. Then, as luck would have it, I won a copy from Criminal Element! Really enjoyed this book--the characters, the plot, the German names & locations--and couldn't wait to pick it up again between work/chores/etc. The translation was stilted here and there, but nothing that was off-putting (on the contrary, that is of interest for me). I hope more of Neuhaus's works will be translated into English because my German reading skills are certainly not up to reading in the original and she's someone I'd like to read more of. ( )

After reading Stieg Larson’s Millennium trilogy, and also listening to it on audio book (which made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end), I was eager to read another ‘import’ of the same genre regardless of the country or origin. I was intrigued to see if the aforementioned book was a rarity in that it translated well, or whether there was a new generation of foreign Authors whose works also responded with the same impact; I’m glad to be able to say that this book checked all the blocks.

It would be unfair to compare this novel with Larson’s work, as they are not alike in anyway apart from the fact they are well worth picking up and reading. It wasn’t until I was mentally bemoaning the lack of character development in this book that I realised I had entered the world of the two main protagonists four books into their story, and so based on this I had to take them at face value. Again I was not disappointed; all the characters in this novel are tightly and expertly written, with all their European mannerisms and quirks translating wonderfully for the American reader. As I read about the characters, some of these mannerisms brought to mind our time living in Germany and actually made me miss it somewhat. The two main characters are very reminiscent of Lynley and Havers from the books by Elizabeth George, but a lot less gentile and polite, and it was this kind of familiarity that made me warm to them even more.

The complexity of the plot grows as the reader progresses through this mystery, but due to the skilful handling of the Author it does so without throwing too much information too quickly at the reader. Like a fly fisherman, this Author plays with the reader through hints and innuendos, but never reveals anything early than is necessary for the continuation of the storyline. Because of this, and even though it is number 4 in a series, this novel works exceptionally well as a standalone read; one that will have the reader promising themselves just ‘one more chapter’ well into the night.

I will definitely be reading more by this Author, and hope that my German skills are up to the task, if not I will just have to pray to the literary gods that they translate the other books in this series. I would highly recommend this novel to anyone who is looking for a gritty and often brutal police procedure and also those who enjoy and good mystery/thriller.

Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2014/06/04/review-snow-white-must-die-bodenstein-kirc...




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