Rosa

A Novel

By: Jonathan Rabb

Narrated by: Simon Prebble

In the last days of the First World War, socialist revolution swept across Germany, sending Kaiser Wilhelm into exile and transforming Berlin into a battleground. But for Detective Inspector Nikolai Hoffner and his young assistant, Hans Fichte, the revolution is a mere inconvenience.

Four women from the slums of Berlin have turned up dead, all with identical markings etched into their backs, and Hoffner and Fichte have spent the better part of six weeks trying to crack the bizarre case.

Things take a troubling turn when the political police begin to show an interest in Hoffner's investigation. Hoffner has no idea why the Polpo would want to get their hands dirty with a serial murderer, until he is shown the lifeless body of Rosa Luxemburg, the same eerie markings on her back. Rumors abound that Rosa, one of the leaders of the suppressed socialist uprising, was assassinated by an angry mob, but the pattern carved into her back tells a different story.

In his remarkable thriller, Jonathan Rabb paints a vivid, unforgettable picture of a city and a people poised between the chaos of the First World War and the darkness to come, a time when political thugs, petty thieves, and charismatic leaders rushed to fill the void left behind. Into this gap steps Hoffner, who, while battling his own personal demons, is still determined to find out who is preying on the women of Berlin, even as he gets drawn deeper into the mystery surrounding Rosa's death. Hoffner's search for the killer leads him on a dark and twisted journey through the battle-scarred streets of the city, where he soon discovers that nothing is as it appears. And while he finds allies in unexpected places, he is met at every turn by men who will stop at nothing to keep him from finding out the truth about Rosa.

©2005 Jonathon Rabb (P)2009 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Subtexts of love, betrayal and a detective at war with his feelings illuminate this gothic tapestry of anti-Semitism and ethnic elitism with its foreshadowing of the Nazi era." ( Publishers Weekly)
"A wonderfully evocative novel about Berlin immediately after World War I." ( Booklist)

Not enough about Rosa

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Not really. Philip Kerr does a much better job with the gritty world of the Berlin Police. The title subject is often lost in the twists and turns of the plot.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Include the title subject more in the story. If not, change the title.

What about Simon Prebble’s performance did you like?

Competent.

Did Rosa inspire you to do anything?

no.

Narrator better than the Authos

I was quite disappointed in this book. At times I got totally lost in it. I had hoped to learn more about the Death of Rosa Luxembourg - but she is just a side show. The mystery is all about who is carving up women and setting them up in a display in the city underground. There is a little too much emphasis on the psychological and lots of paragraphys devoted to the thoughts and emotions of the main character. I don't care for so much introspection in detective fiction. If you like that sort of book then you may well like this. I did not care for it. But let me add that the Narrator is FIRST RATE. Simon Prebble does a great job making a dull book very interesting although he cannot totally save it from the author;s style.

History at its best

Story and narration - history I should have known more about
But history is repeating itself in 2023

Imaginative Historical Thriller

It’s hard to know when a “thriller” becomes literature, but from the beginning of “Rosa,” I was captivated by Jonathan Rabb’s historical research and his ability to elevate the police procedural genre into quality writing. Lest there be any doubt about it, “Rosa” is an exciting, plot-driven detective story. What elevates it, however, is Rabb’s thorough grounding in the history of Germany for about the first six months following the end of WWI. Along with reading Rosa, I read several history entries from Wikipedia covering the characters and chronology of the plot, which, although unnecessary in order to enjoy this marvelous novel, did enhance my appreciation of the book. Yes, in addition to being entertained, I do like to feel that I’m learning something, especially when it’s this effortless! Rosa is the first book in a trilogy. I’ve already started “Shadow and Light,” the second book in the Detective Inspector Nikolai Hoffner series, and I’m well along to becoming hooked on the anti-hero Hoffner, and the times in which he lived. The narrator was perfect.