At the heart of this novel set in Munich Germany in 1933, is Willi Geismeier, a prior detective. We follow Willi's journey as he seeks to unveil a serial killer that is targeting women. Prior school classmates, prior coworkers, SS and Gestapo officers, friends, landlords, and neighbors all play their part throughout the novel as Willi undergoes his investigation.

I appreciated the author's provision of background detail for each character. The Nazi Germany setting under Hitler's influence was interesting, and the author adequately conveyed the carefulness with which each character had to maneuver during the atmosphere of this time period in history.

While this title represents book 2 in a trilogy, I did not realize that prior to reading it, and it does read well as a stand alone novel.

3.75 stars. Rounded to 4 stars for NetGalley purposes.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

The story of a good and honest (former) cop trying to survive in pre-war Nazi Germany and catch a serial that may have attacked his friend. Not only a great mystery but a great look at the lives of Germans under Nazi rule. Willi's friends and allies risk much to help him and he engineers a great escape after being randomly spotted and grabbed after refusing to flee Germany after he ahs become a wanted man. I enjoyed the tension created in this book both by the mystery and the characters who were swept up in the frenzy of the Nazi but realizing, to different degrees, that what was going on was wrong and didn't make sense. These stories and relationships put a personal perspective on what was happening in Germany at the time outside the history books while weaving a tense mystery. I received an ARC Netgalley copy of this book from the publisher through the Publisher's Weekly US Book Show Grab-a-Galley. I Would rate this book 3.5 stars.

Set during the early years of Hitler’s chancellorship leading up to World War II, The Constant Man is a gripping tale of murder and mayhem. Our recalcitrant hero, detective Willi Geismeier, is no longer with the police department, having gone into hiding after fingering Otto Bruck, one of Hitler’s favourites, for multiple murders and rapes. Steiner uses a similar theme here, with Willi chasing a frenzied madman, who relishes murdering women by stabbing them dozens of times using alternate hands—except that this time, at great risk to himself, Willi is detecting whilst staying undetected, all the while chased by the police, Gestapo and SS. Willi’s unwavering devotion to justice makes him the constant man of the title. His information points to a very high-ranking Gestapo official, a favourite of Himmler’s.

Steiner uses many characters to pull his tightly-plotted story together, and it isn’t told with the twists and turns of a traditional thriller (interwoven in the story we follow the culprit through his psychological growth into what he becomes), but follows a fairly chronological list of chapters detailing people’s whereabouts, contacts and conversations, all of which fit into the jigsaw by the end. As it’s heavy on detail, readers need to pay careful attention to how the plot develops, but the book is hard to put down. Steiner paints an ugly picture of post-Weimar Germany and delves into the psyche of one character to explain the “effective mental somersault” which ordinary people indulged in to justify their own actions and those of the barbarous political machine, which tightened its grip daily. Recommended for its insight into the dark spirit of ´30s Germany, and the gradual infiltration of Nazism unleashed into ordinary lives and souls. This is a thought-provoking and chilling read.

There are a great many novels set in 1930s Nazi Germany, but none that I have read are as good as this. The story highlights the monstrous brutality of the whole Nazi regime, but here it is not aimed at their enemies - the Allies - but at their own people. The book is profoundly moving and written with integrity.
Willi Geismeier was once a policeman: a good cop. Friedrich Grosz is a serial killer, but he is also one of Heinrich Himmler's golden boys. How can one bring the other to justice when truth is a matter of policy, not a matter of fact? A deadly game of cat-and-mouse will lead to Dachau and death - but for whom?

An excellent read. I found the mixture of actual historical characters and fictional characters to work particularly well here. The story will be interesting to both those who are familiar with the history of the Weimar Republic and of the Third Reich and those who are not. I particularly liked the combination of detective novel with historical fiction. I won’t include a spoiler here but I thought the weakest part of the book was how it resolved the danger the protagonist was in.

I must admit that I was not looking forward to it, though. The last Reich thriller I read...how do I say this professionally? It sucked, bro. 

This book, though, did not suck. As I've mentioned before, I read a lot--A Lot--of mystery/thrillers. While many writers I read are good storytellers, that doesn't mean that they're actually great writers. They're competent, sure, but they're not able to turn a phrase. Steiner doesn't have that issue. Not only is the book a compelling story, but it's also positively stuffed with fantastic lines.

Peter Steiner introduced Willi Geismeier in The Good Cop. In Germany, as Hitler begins his rise to power, Willi exposed a high-ranking Nazi’s crimes and as a result he was forced out of his position and became a wanted man. After escaping to a cabin in the Bavarian Forest he re-invents himself and returns to Munich when he learns of an attack on Lola, an old friend. Over a period of time several young women have been murdered and Lola’s attacker may be connected to the crimes. Despite the danger of being discovered, Willi begins an investigation of his own.

As Karl Juncker Willi works in a bicycle shop and leads a quiet life. With the rise of the Nazi party anyone can be reported for behavior that is deemed suspicious and when Juncker receives mail from America, his building’s superintendent reports him to the Gestapo. Willi’s former partner, Sergeant Gruber, has also renewed his search for Willi, hoping that his capture will lead to an advance in his career. Every day that Willi spends in Munich brings him closer to danger but he has a devotion to justice and will not be stopped.

While life in Munich becomes darker by the hour, Willi has a number of friends who are there for him. Hans Bergman, Gruber’s assistant, assists Willi with his investigation and warns him of Gruber’s search, Frau Schimmel has an apartment near Willi’s. An older woman who is dying from cancer, she has little to fear from the Nazis and watches out for him, offering friendship and assistance when she can. The bicycle shop’s owner, a Swedish diplomat and Lola all play an important part in Willi’s life. From the offices of the Gestapo to social gatherings where praise for Hitler’s accomplishments are countered with thoughts on the anti-semitism and fears of betrayal by friends and neighbors and through the gates of Auschwitz, Steiner brings 1930s Germany to life. This is highly recommended for fans of Rebecca Cantrell’s Hannah Vogel series or Jane Thynne’s Clara Vine series. I would like to thank NetGalley and Severn House for providing this book for my review.

Willi Geismeier is a good cop in a Munich overrun by Nazis and he's had to go into hiding because he named a high ranking favorite of Adolf Hitler as a serial murderer and rapist. He's determined to come back, however, to solve an attack on his good friend Lola and does so with an alias, The procedural aspects of this are made more interesting the fact that they are interwoven with insight into life in 1934 Munich. WIlli finds himself in more trouble as a result of his investigation- he's sent to Dachau. No spoilers as to the identity of the villain or what happens to him. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I missed the first book, making this a standalone. It was a good read.

1930s Because of previous events Willi Geismeier, ex-detective, is in hiding. But he returns to Munich as Karl Juncker when his friend Lola is attacked. So starts the investigation into a serial killer, which is what I wanted to read. Unfortunately we know who the killer is. But what we also got was a lot of descriptions about Germany, its people and their actions - worthwhile, but I have read history books for this information.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I understand that this is the latest in the Willi Geismeier Series and unfortunately I have not read the first in the series. However, although it might have added context, this latest instalment can be read in isolation.

Set in Nazi Germany we witness Hitler’s increasing power and the rise of the SS and Gestapo. Willi, formerly a police detective in the Munich police is forced to conceal his identity and adopt a new name and gone into hiding. At the same time it becomes apparent that there is a violent serial killer on the loose, women are no longer safe and Willi is determined to catch him. Meanwhile Willi is being hunted by the Gestapo and a game of cat and mouse ensues.

I cannot say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book; for me, there is something lacking – I just could not really engage with the characters. The most outstanding feature for me is the background of the whole history. That was compelling. The facts are common knowledge and familiar to me but the whole horror was somewhat downplayed and all the more powerful for that. Even when torture is described it is not gruesome and gory, it is just a statement of fact. For me that acknowledgement of events, not sensationalised was compelling.

Beautifully written and structured, a good read, but for me, perhaps just not the right mood at this time.

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

Peter Steiner's new addition to the Willi Geismeier Mysteries Series is a very compelling thriller and a powerful portrait of Nazi Germany during the years preceding the start of WWII. Willi, a talented Munich police detective, has become a hunted man, a renegade, an enemy of the state because of his political beliefs. But when a vicious serial killer starts to randomly stab women in the heart of the city Willi feels compelled to come out of hidding and act in order to unmask the person behind those bloody killings. Unfortunately our skillful detective will realize very soon that the dangerous maniac might actually be among the people hunting him down......
A gripping and captivating game of cat & mouse taking place in the middle of a very disturbing and menacing moment in German history, the Constant man is a fascinating tale of survival within a landscape that becomes more and more unreal as the story moves on. Tensly plotted, richly detailed and blessed with a cast of unforgettable characters, this wonderful novel was unputdownable from start to finish. Highly recommended and to be enjoyed without moderation.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Severn House for the opportunity to read this wonderful novel.

This is the follow up to "The Good Cop", which featured Munich police detective Willi Geismeier and gave an account of the rise of Nazism in the 1920's as seen through the eyes of a German police officer.
After putting his life at risk by exposing a high-ranking Nazi as a murderer, Willi is on an SS list as an enemy of the Reich and has had to change his identity. But, when his childhood friend Lola is attacked in the street, he returns to Munich determined to find the culprit.
Using the name Karl Juncker, Willi begins his investigation, while his friend and former colleague, Detective Hans Bergemann uncovers a possible serial killer who has been responsible for the murders of 8 young women over several years.
It is 1934 and the Nazis have carried out Operation Hummingbird (or Night of the Long Knives), during which several thousand of Hitler's perceived enemies were rounded up and executed without trial. The SS now controls the police and Willi believes it's unlikely there will be any serious investigation of the attack on Lola.
As the story unfolds, the author weaves in actual events which occurred in Germany and Europe in the 1930's. The Nurember Race Laws target Germany's Jews and there are queues of people outside foreign embassies as many try to flee the country.
Hitler annexes the Rhineland and the German Army grows in number from 100,000 (as agreed by the Versailles Treaty) to 3 million, but the Allies do nothing.
Willi maintains an apartment in Munich in the guise of Karl Juncker, but the building's supervisor is suspicious of him and reports him to the authorities, albeit without much success, aside from Sergeant Gruber - another former colleague of Willi's - who devotes his time to tracking him down.
Posing as a detective Willi quizzes a woman who survived an attack by the killer.
Meanwhile, Heinrich Himmler - head of the SS and The Gestapo - takes charge of the case but decides that the investigation must remain secret as it would cause panic in the city.
In the meantime, Willi tells Hans Bergemann that he believes the killer is following his victims as they travel home on a late night streetcar and is convinced it was the same man who attacked Lola.
As he continues his discreet inquiries, there is a 9th victim but this time it seems the young woman may have seriously wounded her attacker. He is certain that the killer is an SS officer, but before he can act, he is caught by the dogged Sergeant Gruber and sent to Dachau, the site of Germany's first concentration camp. The conditions there are brutal, designed to ensure that its prisoners will never leave alive.
Once again the author mixes historical events and characters with the lives of ordinary people who became participants - unwilling or otherwise - in the horrors of Nazism and the shaping of the immediate future of Germany as war became inevitable.
Highly recommended. My thanks to the publisher Canongate Books/Severn House and NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for an unbiased review.

Thank you to #netgalley, #SevernHouse #CanongateBooks for the opportunity to read "The Constant Man" by Peter Steiner in return for a fair and honest review.

Willi Geismeier is a renegade cop in Hitler's Germany, having been run off the force for the audacity of investigating a crime that led to the SS. Now, Willi is both on the run, and simultaneously investigating a series of vicious murders - which leads him to a high-ranking Gestapo officer and lands him in Dachau.

The Constant Man is not only a serial-killer mystery, but a harrowing insight into the rise of Adolf Hitler and the subsequent crimes by ordinary German citizens who become his fiercest acolytes - the SA, the SS, the Gestapo, storm troopers and concentration camp guards.

I found myself both enthralled by the story and Willi's investigation and repulsed by the author's quiet examination of ordinary citizens turning on their neighbours (they must be Jews, and therefore must be criminals - Hitler has decreed it). But, at the same time he exposes the ineptitudes of people raised to power simply because of who they know.

Although Mr. Steiner did not dwell on Willi's incarceration at Dachau, he still managed to paint a clear picture of life in the camps.

All in all, this is definitely worth the read and highly recommended.