Blackout

A Berlin Wartime Thriller - The Richard and Judy Book Club pick

By: Simon Scarrow

Narrated by: Simon Mattacks

THE STUNNING SECOND WORLD WAR THRILLER FROM THE CELEBRATED SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR SIMON SCARROW - COMING MARCH 2021.

'Taut and chilling - I was completely gripped' Anthony Horowitz

'A wonderfully compelling thriller, reeking of authenticity, and a terrific depiction of the human world within the chilling world of the Third Reich' Peter James

'Pivotal moments in history; utterly authentic characters; a gripping plot. The perfect way to bring history alive' Damien Lewis

Berlin, December 1939

As Germany goes to war, the Nazis tighten their terrifying grip. Paranoia in the capital is intensified by a rigidly enforced blackout that plunges the city into oppressive darkness every night, as the bleak winter sun sets.

When a young woman is found brutally murdered, Criminal Inspector Horst Schenke is under immense pressure to solve the case, swiftly. Treated with suspicion by his superiors for his failure to join the Nazi Party, Schenke walks a perilous line - for disloyalty is a death sentence.

The discovery of a second victim confirms Schenke's worst fears. He must uncover the truth before evil strikes again.

As the investigation takes him closer to the sinister heart of the regime, Schenke realises there is danger everywhere - and the warring factions of the Reich can be as deadly as a killer stalking the streets . . .

(P)2021 Headline Publishing Group Ltd©2021 Simon Scarrow

Critic reviews

'Taut and chilling - I was completely gripped'

'A wonderfully compelling thriller, reeking of authenticity, and a terrific depiction of the human world within the chilling world of the Third Reich'

'A promising new series . . . The Nazi capital is chillingly portrayed, from the freezing slums, where residents die of hypothermia, to high-society parties where shrill laughter echoes across grand apartments . . . An engrossing read'

'A gripping thriller'

'Mesmerising. Nail-biting. Unputdownable. Utterly authentic and beautifully written. The perfect way to bring the past alive'

Scarrow is a genius and I love everything he writes, but Blackout takes things to a whole new level. It's by far the best book I've read this year

'Superb . . . Blackout is a gripping, terrifying read, as well as being a thumping good page-turner. This is historical crime fiction at its finest from a much-loved writer at the very top of his game'

Historical crime fiction at its finest - gripping, believable, intricate and sometimes terrifying. You won't find a better story which so perfectly captures time, place and attitude (John Cleal)

A perilous world where high society, low desire, and suspected espionage intersect with infighting among the Hitler regime's power-hungry elite . . . A genuine page-turner

Hugely compelling and brimming with menace . . . The underlying atmosphere of a city held in the thrall of a killer and of a regime that thrives on fear and distrust is thoroughly authentic and gripping

'Loved Blackout. The Berlin of the very early days of the war is vividly drawn and already irredeemably corrupt, the rivalries between the Gestapo, the Kriminalpolizei, Goebbels in Propaganda and Canaris at Intelligence ring all too real, and I fear for Criminal Inspector Schenke's safety in future books given his refusal to join the Nazi Party, his insistence on following the evidence, and his reluctance to compromise the truth'

'Scarrow's deep knowledge of the Third Reich gives a chilling authenticity to this tense thriller. Thrust into the hunt for a serial killer, Inspector Schenke is a particularly sympathetic hero who must use all his wits to survive the Gestapo . . . A terrific read'

A Provocative Setting for a Story

It seems the further away we get from the time of Nazi Germany, the more interested we (or at least, I) become in wondering what it must have been like living there as an average citizen. With Russia conducting a war on Ukraine and its citizens, I think about the Russian people, isolated from the world, where some willingly take in what the state of tells them and others struggle with the truth of what’s really happening to them and their way of life—all the while trying to live as normally as possible. What the Russians have faced so far for a month, the Germans had faced for years inside a growing nightmare, only to deal with the repercussions for the next two generations.

Blackout could not have come at a better time, where good people in Berlin try to solve a heinous crime against the backdrop of the largest one of the century. I thoroughly enjoyed Simon Scarrow’s Eagle and Young Bloods series, and this one does not fail to entertain. I can’t wait for the next one in this series.