When a body bearing traces of torture turns up in the canal Detective Inspector Gereon Rath is dragged into Weimar Berlin’s underworld of cocaine, prostitution, gunrunning, and shady politics.
‘Kutscher successfully conjures up the dangerous decadence of the Weimar years, with blood on the Berlin streets and the Nazis lurking menacingly in the wings.’
‘Gripping evocative thriller set in Berlin's seedy underworld during the roaring Twenties. A massive hit in its native Germany, Volker Kutscher's series, centered on Detective Inspector Gereon Rath, is currently being filmed for television.’
‘The first in a series that's been wildly popular in Germany is an excellent police procedural that cleverly captures the dark and dangerous period of the Weimer Republic before it slides into the ultimate evil of Nazism. ’
‘Babylon Berlin brings a fresh perspective to images and material that might otherwise seem shopworn, and its frenetic rhythms are particularly apt for a moment when we appear to be dancing our own convulsive tango on the edge of a fiery volcano.’
‘If you like crime, historical or translated fiction, this gives you all three ... a triumph for Highland publisher Sandstone Press.’
‘James Ellroy fans will welcome Kutscher's first novel and series launch, a fast-paced blend of murder and corruption set in 1929 Berlin. Kutscher keeps the surprises coming and doesn't flinch at making his lead morally compromised.’
‘The novels on which the dramas are based are even more rewarding than television’s slick production... ’
‘Babylon Berlin is a stunning novel that superbly evokes Twenties Germany in its seedy splendor. An impressive new crime series.’
‘a strong and heady brew which never oversteps itself by a descent into the implausible.’ … ‘And if you like Babylon Berlin has much as I did, the intolerably bad news is that you must wait until next year for the next title’
‘Gripping, skilfully plotted and rich in historical detail, Babylon Berlin introduces us to Detective Inspector Gereon Rath, who navigates the turbulent waters of Weimar Germany in a suspenseful and noirish tale. The novel is hopefully the first of many to be translated from this best-selling German crime series.’
‘Gereon's inquiries drag him through the mire of Berlin's underworld and the chaos of the politics of the period. Riveting and atmospheric...’
‘The best German crime novel of the year!’
‘Kutscher’s undertaking to portray the downfall of the Weimar Republic through the medium of detective fiction is both ambitious and utterly convincing. Let’s hope it receives the attention it deserves.’
‘With his detective novel Babylon Berlin, Volker Kutscher has succeeded in creating an opulent portrait of manners.’
‘Has all the allure of an addictive drug: you won’t be able to put it down until you’ve read to the end.’
‘A highly readable piece of crime fiction set against a politico-historical background.’
‘Masterfully spun, the plot leads Rath into a dark world with few heroes where the line between solving and committing crime becomes ever more blurred.’
‘Riveting and atmospheric’
‘Murder, betrayal, torture, seedy nightclubs, crooked cops, cocaine – the underworld of the 1920s is here in all its gritty splendour in Babylon Berlin.’