Dead of Night by Simon Scarrow Read Nov 15, 2024 (NetGalley) Simon Scarrow brings to life in his historical fiction novel one of the atrocities of the Hitler’s Germany of WW2. There has been a lot of attention given to the plight of the Jews and those Germany conquered during WW2. This book focuses attention on what was done to Germans, themselves, during the reign of Hitler.

Hitler’s purges were many and well-known facts gathered from first-hand accounts. His decision to rid the nation of the handicapped and infirmed is often overlooked. Scarrow focuses his novel on the children who were handicapped. These unfortunate souls were among the first to be eradicated from the living. In this novel the author forces you to confront the morality and decisions parents might make as they fought to save their kids. Historical figures are sprinkled throughout the novel and the hero is a well-meaning policeman who has to navigate between duty, honor, and death. It is a book that will keep your attention until the end.

A fast and page turning read. A dark thriller that plunges readers into WWII history
Many thanks to Kensington and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was very thought provoking, it made me think, "if I was in that position what would I do?". I use to think that everything was very black and white, but the older I get the more I realize it's not that simple. Anyway, this book was well write. I think it could have been a little shorter and packed the same punch, but it was never boring.
I did not realize this was part of a series till I was a good chunk injury the book, so I will have to go back and read #1. I don't think this book gave away too much.
If you enjoy historical fiction and mysteries with a touch of romance (a tiny bit) then you might enjoy this one.

The death of an SS doctor is ruled suicide, but when Inspector Horst Schenke and his team review the scene he requests a further investigation, believing it to be murder. His request is denied and he is warned off the case but a later investigation into the deaths of a number of children leads right back to the doctor. These were children with disabilities who were sent to an institution. The parents of one girl insist that she was healthy and her records verify that, yet she was dead shortly after her admission. These are the early days of WWII and Hitler’s demands for racial purity have led to the persecution anyone deemed a drain on society. Schenke knows that his discoveries put him and his team in danger. The SS, however, denies involvement in the doctor’s murder or the kidnapping and beating that Schenke received as a warning to stop his investigations.

Schenke is an honest inspector who believes in justice. Simon Scarrow’s story reflects an atmosphere of fear and suspicion as he continuously warns his lover to not openly express her dislike of the Nazi party. His team consists of his sergeant, a father who is outraged by their discoveries, and a young member of the Gestapo, who they are not sure they can trust. This was sometimes an emotional and disturbing story, but provides a mystery with well developed characters that will hold your attention to the end. I would like to thank NetGalley and Kensington books for providing this book for my review.

Dead of Night is the second novel reviewed in this blog by the prolific writer, Simon Scarrow. I read the first one nearly two years ago entitled Blackout which took place in Berlin in December 1939. In this series, the protagonist is once again Criminal Inspector Horst Schenke, and the setting is again in Berlin, just a few months later in early 1940. It’s such an interesting idea for Scarrow to put his honest investigator in the midst of the holocaust where human tragedies abound, not only the slaughter of the Jewish population, but also the murder of thousands of others for not fitting into Hitler’s master Aryan ideal. Also at risk of the loss of their lives were any people who defied that Aryan ideal.

In this case, Schenke was made aware of the murder of a doctor, who like so many other physicians, joined the SS, created by Himmler. Himmler's chief deputy was SS-Gruppenfuhrer Richard Heydrich. The doctor, Manfred Schmesler, was thought to have joined the SS in order to protect his license to practice medicine, just as so many other physicians had done. But then, this seemingly good man was murdered. It was the same woman, Ruth Frankl, who helped Schenke solve the mysterious murders in Blackout that brought the murder of Schmesler to Schenke’s attention. It was the practice of eugenics that became the essence of this novel. Although eugenics was known to be a principle of the Nazi regime, due to objections of the general citizenry, the movement was initially pushed underground. Schenke, a skilled investigator, found his detective efforts to learn more about Schmesler’s death were blocked in every way possible by the police hierarchy. He was specifically warned off the case by Heydrich, the most frightening of characters.

Next, Schenke began to investigate the multiple deaths of children at a specific hospital in Germany, children who were somehow handicapped. The Nazi regime was uninterested in pursuing this investigation, but then Schenke found a link between the deaths of the children and the work that Schmesler had been assigned by the Nazis. He pursued that information at the very real risk of his own life.

Mixed in with the murders of the children, and the brutal beatings to which Schneke was treated due to his stubborn persistence, Schneke found a surprising link to Schmesler. He found himself in a fascinating double bind which I will let the author explain. Meanwhile, in part because of his dedication to the job and his need to be away from home, Schneke’s relationship with his live-in girlfriend Karin became quite strained. At the same time, Ruth Frankl became an ally and love interest to Schenke. Since she was a Jew, the two of them were playing out a very risky romance.

I liked this book a lot. The dilemma of an honest man who was in an impossible situation, and the risk of his death and those around him as a result of pursuing his necessary detective work. The book gets my very strong recommendation.

This suspenseful, tense historical thriller kept me glued to my Kindle. I like to read books that are placed during WWII, and this one did a good job of keeping me interested and forced me to turn pages further. It is a second book in the series and I will read the previous one, and hopefully the future ones too.

Criminal Inspector Horst Schenke of the Berlin Kripo returns in this second Scarrow novel. The time and place is Hitler’s Berlin. Gestapo and party dignitaries are becoming more powerful and more controlling. When a woman’s prominent husband, a doctor, commits “suicide” the widow has compelling doubts. Although Horst is involved in a major forgery case, when he is confronted with inconsistencies in the doctor’s death and what appears to be a shoddy investigation, he feels he must pursue the truth. The problem is there are higher ups and unknown others who do not want him to meddle – and they will go to lethal ends to stop him.
Scarrow’s Horst Schenke is always conflicted: with his need to do his job; to try to appease those party leaders that may do him harm or end his career; and his own conscience. How long can he keep compartmentalizing his inner life with the world that is crashing around him? That is what makes this mystery a good historical thriller. Recommended. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this title.

Simon Scarrow (https://www.simonscarrow.co.uk) is the author of more than 20 novels. Dead of Night was published in late December and is the second book in his Berlin Wartime Thriller series. It is the 116th book I completed reading in 2023.

Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence, mature situations, and mature language, I categorize this novel as R.

It is January of 1940 when Doctor Manfred Schmesler, an active SS member, is found dead in his study. At first, it is thought to be suicide, but Mrs. Schmesler does not accept that conclusion. Ruth Frankel, a young Jewish woman who is a friend of the Schmesler family, reaches out for help. She knows Criminal Inspector Horst Schenke and asks for his assistance. Schenke soon begins to suspect foul play in the death.

Schenke has been in a relationship with Karin. He finally asks her to marry him, and she accepts. Soon afterward, Karin convinces Schenke to meet a woman who has lost her child. That interview leads Schenke to the Schiller clinic outside of Potsdam. The clinic is run by an SS Doctor and has an unusually high death rate among its young patients.

While Schenke believes that Schmesler’s death was murder, he is told by ranking SS officials to close the case, leaving the official cause as suicide. As he continues to investigate the death of children at the Schiller clinic, he begins to suspect that there is a link to Schmesler’s death.

Schenke must walk a fine line as he delves deeper. On one hand, there is a desire to get justice for the children. On the other is the need to avoid the wrath of the highest echelons of the SS. Complicating this is Schenke’s growing feelings for Ruth Frankel.

I enjoyed the 9.5 hours I spent reading this 393-page historical fiction mystery. This was an enjoyable mystery set in the early months of WWII. The plot is full of action, conspiracy, and intrigue. I like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a rating of 4.5 (rounded to 5) out of 5.

You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

Crime doesn’t take a break during wartime; where there are criminals, you’ll also find dedicated police determined to catch them. That’s true even in totalitarian regimes like Nazi Germany, where the word “police” was usually preceded by “secret.” Simon Scarrow’s excellent historical thriller “Dead of Night” is one of the rare books focused on the non-secret police, as Inspector Horst Schenke and his team investigate some perplexing murders. This book will satisfy mystery fans and those interested in the Third Reich.

“Dead of Night” takes place in Berlin in February 1940. It was the height of the so-called “phony war,” in which Germany was at war with England and France, but neither side engaged in significant hostilities. Still, Germany felt the effects of food and supply shortages (real coffee was tough to find). Schenke and his team investigate the apparent suicide of a prominent Berlin physician and determine the man was murdered. Before they can investigate further, they are ordered off the case by Reinhard Heydrich, second only to Heinrich Himmler in the secret police hierarchy. Although Schenke is disappointed, he soon finds another case to occupy his time. Noted American journalist William Shirer brings him information about a series of mysterious children’s deaths that may be the work of a serial killer. Schenke and his team investigate and uncover some shocking details.

Most readers will figure out what happened to the children long before Schenke and his men. However, working out the details involves some dedicated police work of the sort genre fans will enjoy. But there’s much more than a simple mystery at stake here. As “Dead of Night” begins, Schenke regards himself as a determined detective, trying to avoid the political influence of Heydrich and other Gestapo officers. He knows how political prisoners are sent to camps and Jews’ assets seized, but he rationalizes this as the usual political excess that doesn’t involve him. He also persuades himself that Hitler and his subordinates can’t possibly be as evil as the circumstances might indicate. But as the case progresses and he realizes the full horror of what Heydrich and others are capable of, he must reassess his priorities. (In the winter of 1940, Germany had not yet built the infamous death camps.) While the book’s first half is pretty straightforward detective work, the later chapters offer heavy doses of philosophy and Schenke’s mental struggles. Some may not enjoy the author’s detailed analysis of Schenke’s conflict, but I found it fascinating.

Even those who don’t care for the book’s psychological discussions will enjoy the action. There are a couple of chase scenes and a lengthy shootout. (For some reason, Schenke lets the bad guys get the drop on him more than once.) And the author doesn’t spare readers a description of some of the Nazi atrocities. It’s powerful stuff that will shock some readers.

“Dead of Night” is both a fascinating period mystery, filled with entertaining bits of trivia, and an attempt to address the question of how did “good Germans” react to the Nazi horrors when they finally realized the truth. There are no good answers, and Schenke’s efforts to make peace with himself and others in the book won’t satisfy everyone. But if the author had devoted more space to that issue, the book would have lagged as a thriller. As it is, “Dead of Night” is one of the best historical thrillers of the year.

NOTE: The publisher graciously provided me with a copy of this book through NetGalley. However, the decision to review the book and the contents of this review are entirely my own.

Police Work in 1940 Berlin Is Tricky

In 1940 Berlin, Dr. Manfred Schmesler and his wife attend a concert. When they arrive home, his wife goes upstairs to go to bed. He enters his study, stokes this cast iron stove, and starts to review reports. A loud crack wakes the wife up at 3 am. Her husband is not in bed. She goes downstairs and enters his study. The acrid smell of gun power is in the air. Papers are scattered everywhere. Manfred is sprawled on the floor with a gun near his hand. The police ruled it a suicide and closed the case. The wife says that he would not kill himself. From this death, the novel starts.

This main storyline has three threads. In the first thread, Ruth, who helped Criminal Inspector Horst Schenke solve a serial murder case in the first novel, is a friend to the Schmeslers. She asks Schenke to investigate the death. Reviewing the case file and the crime scene raises significant red flags. He cannot reopen the case as it was officially recorded as a suicide. If that is not enough to convince him, he is abducted and interrogated by some thugs but is released. Next, Schenke is ordered to see Heydrich, head of the Gestapo, who gives him a direct order to have nothing to do with this closed investigation. Schenke returns to the second thread. He is trying to identify the criminals passing fake ration coupons. The third thread starts when Karin, Schenke’s girlfriend, asks him to talk with a reporter. He learns that children are dying at a clinic for disabled children. These three threads weave a very engaging story. My attention was quickly captured and kept me engaged to the end. It was difficult for me to stop reading this novel. Tension is abundant in this novel as Schenke must walk a thin line with Heydrich. The threat of immediate death is a constant possibility.

For the second novel in this series, the background is more extensive than I expected. The character of Schenke is expanded through his thoughts, actions, and talks with Karin, Ruth, and his colleagues. The characters of Karin and Ruth are also further developed. There is an added gem added with the background of Scharführer Liebwitz. In the first novel, Heydrich implanted him as an acknowledged spy in Schenke’s group. He is an odd duck in that novel. What makes Liebwitz tick is revealed in this novel. The background in this novel is one of the most enjoyable that I have read.

Some aspects that can cause some readers to stop reading are present in this novel. There are not any intimate scenes but only close encounters. Vulgar, rude, and impious language are present at a noticeable level. It was not an issue for me as they were in context and not gratuitous. Most of the violence is presented in the more edgy as it occurs, including a significant shoot-out. On a less critical level, this is the second novel in the Berlin Wartime Thriller. Many of the characters continue, and there is even one ongoing investigation from the first novel. I did not see any aspects requiring reading the previous novel to understand. I believe that most readers will be able to read without any issues.

The only issue I had with this novel was relatively minor. Some British informal words crept in that I do not believe a German would use. There were much more that I really enjoyed. As mentioned above, the development of the Liebwitz character. I liked how Schenke made a breakthrough in the fake ration coupon case. It is not a solution available to modern-day police. The ending was a little bittersweet for me.

I do have some history with this author. In the early 2000s, I read the first seven of his Eagle series. This series has reintroduced me to the author. He quickly earned a place on my Must-Read author list. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel and strongly recommend reading it. I rate this novel with five stars.

I received this novel's free prepublication e-book version through NetGalley from Kensington Books. My review is based solely on my own reading experience of this book. Thank you, Kensington Books, for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.

2nd in the series built around CI Horst Schenke, this book is enough to give you nightmares. While I'm not "young", I'm young enough to have not lived through the horrors inflicted in WWII. When two unrelated crimes are linked to the Nazi's programs for racial purity and a superior human race, Schenke will make some very hard choices that will cause consequences he could not have foretold. DEAD OF NIGHT is full of suspense, tension and unmistakable horror. Simon Scarrow has done an excellent job of pulling the reader into the story and letting us see that which most good people chose to ignore in order to save their own lives.

I owe my new found interest into WW2 to my mom. She grew up during the War in Germany, has passed onto heaven, miss her stories and every WW2 book I read is a tribute to her.

The author Simon Scarrow's, Berlin Wartime Police Mystery thriller series are a blend of fiction and real life history. Dead of Night is set in the bitter cold winter of 1940, set in Berlin, during the War and quite entertaining. It's masterfully crafted by the author, well researched, who respectively brings to life, the harsh reality of the Nazi regime and gives you insight as to how the German people lived during the War.

I won't call it a true standalone, due to the book picks back up one of the storylines to continue it and for the best reading experience read Blackout first.

What makes Dead of Night for me, is the character of Horst Schenke, he's likable, former Silver Star race driver, whose retired due to leg injury, leaving him unable to serve in the German Military, and is a Criminal Inspector for Sri-Pro Berlin. Then mix in Sergeant Hauser, then Gestapo transfer Liebwitz, both work on his team, believe in justice or bend the rules to make it right.

The romance life of Horst adds an element to the story, don't like Karin, but like Ruth Frankel, she adds to the storyline, almost wish that Horst had away to hide her, protect her and help with his investigations.

You have a multi-layered storyline that's intertwined, they're working on a ration coupon fraud case, then mix in a suicide, that could be murder, and a journalist with concerns over children mysteriously dying at a home. It's like the three investigators are walking through a minefield, due to the Nazi regime. They get used by Reinhard Heyrich, Chief of the Reich Main Office, first warned off of one case and to hunt down the criminals in a second case.

This is one that I like, definitely recommend 'Dead of Night', you'll want to read the first book 'Blackout', it's historical, engrossing, and respectful reading.
1 like

Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you, NetGalley and publishers.

Dead of Night is the newest historical mystery by the prolific author Simon Scarrow. This was my first of his works, but it won’t be the last. Germany in the years leading up to WW II was not any easy place to live for anyone with moral principles, and our main character is a police officer determined to make sure that justice is done. A grieving widow cannot believe that her husband committed suicide. But how well did she truly know him? And is this death related in any way to the death of a previously healthy young girl? The evidence begins to point at something so inhuman that surely those in the highest levels of power could not possibly condone….or could they?

A very different sort of procedural for the setting alone but also for the investigating team. I missed the first book in this series (this is only the second) but this was fine as a standalone. it's fairly standard stuff in some ways (the murder, the team, the answers) but it's elevated by the characters and the political dynamics of the day. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Dead of Night, even though it is a murder mystery that follows a formulaic format, ends up probing its reader's mind with pertinent questions. We are compelled to compare the situations in which the characters find themselves with our present social and political situations and try to identify the signs of intrusion by a powerful regime into the way we desire to lead our lives.

This is a gripping story set in Nazi Germany in the deadly cold winter of 1940. A murder mystery / thriller. Two deaths and how they are connected. This is the second book featuring Criminal Inspector Horst Schenke. The first death is the apparent sucked of an SS doctor. The doctors wife is certain it is murder but Schenke is told not to investigate. And guess what! He does and uncovers the second death of a child. The usual questions of who, what, why and where are all uncovered in the course of the novel.

Not all protagonists have the immediate ability to draw a reader’s attention, and even fewer find a way to fully capture – and keep it. Inspector Horst Schenke, in the vein of Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes, fully embodies the detective we’re all looking for. Intelligent, driven, principled – in short, the detective’s detective. Like us, he faces internal struggles, temptations, and is forced to choose between good and evil. Unlike us, he must face these moral dilemmas from within the oppressive microcosm of the Nazi Party – and this is where Scarrow shines.

Part historical fiction, part detective adventure, part thriller, and part murder mystery, Scarrow brilliantly weaves a narrative that progresses through the freezing German winter like a Reich steam locomotive. Each character we meet exhibits depth of conscience, emotion, and story. Every location into which we follow Schenke seizes our imagination and the pages turn effortlessly as we find ourselves immersed in 1940 Berlin. From behind the swastika-covered walls and propaganda-muddied streets of Nazi Germany, Scarrow forces us to suffer the pains of his characters. Do we challenge the machine, aware of its size and strength? Do we stand up against the great tyrannical Secret, mindful of the countless Reich fists waiting to squeeze our families and friends along with us? Do we dare feel, help, or think?

Thank you to the publisher, Kensington Books, and to NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. Thank you to Simon Scarrow for the fast-paced and thrilling week I am grateful to have spent in the freezing cold of 1940 Berlin alongside Inspector Horst Schenke.

I have heard of this author through this Roman series and when a friend told me he had written a series set in Germany during WW2, I thought I’d give them a try.
I received this copy through Netgalley and devoured it. This is book 2 and follows a police inspector, his sergeant and the ss officer assigned to his unit. A doctor is murdered in his own home and the crime is dismissed as suicide. His wife refuses to believe this and through an intermediary, contacts the inspector. He starts to look at the crime but is warned off by men he assumes is from higher in the Nazi hierarchy. He should know to never assume anything.
He is also asked to investigate the deaths of children in homes where they have been placed because they are classed as not pure. So physically and mentally disabled , they are deemed useless to the regime. Our inspector learns more than he might like to learn. He also learns that while some Germans find this repulsive, others want revenge but refuse to accept where the order originates from.

I had read about the Nazi plan to do this to children/adults in another book and it struck a chord as I have an invisible disability which would have marked me out for this course of action.

Saying I enjoyed this book feels wrong in respect of the subject matter, but I did. The police inspector is a man torn between two women, one of whom is very dangerous to know. His sergeant is a family man with children who struggles with the case as does the ss officer, but for a different reason.
I feel this story shows how many Germans may have felt revulsion at what the Third Reich was doing and how, but could not see or accept that it came from the very top.
I hope Simon Scarrow continues this series and I’m now off to read book 1.

This is a really good book, especially if you enjoy Nazi/Germany/WW2 type of stories. This is the second book in the Berlin Wartime Thriller series, and I will certainly be looking for the next. This story takes place in Berlin in the winter, a bitterly cold winter, the Nazis rule everything and the wrong word could get you put on a train to a camp. Horst Schenke is a Criminal Inspector, currently working on solving a case about forged ration coupons. Ruth, a Jewish woman who had assisted him on a previous case, asks him to look into the suicide of a doctor, she doesn't think it was and after looking at the scene, Horst agrees and tries to start an investigation, which is quickly shutdown by Reinhard Heydrich the highest Nazi in Berlin. Horst has a steady girlfriend, Karin, who he has asked to marry and she has agreed, but she wants one favour, she wants him to talk to a woman who's daughter with mild cognitive issues is taken from home to a clinic to improve her mental skills. Things had been going well, until the child died and was cremated, the mother thinks something happened but can't find anything out. Horst and some of his team head out to the clinic to talk to the people in charge things get very scary after that. A very good book which I would recommend. Thanks to #Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I enjoyed this second book as much as the first one. A good and complex plot was particularly thrilling as the reader knows more about what had gone on under the Nazis' regime and their position regarding people who did not fit in the Aryan ideal. I like the main characters, and again I find Schenke very credible as to his way of thinking and acting... It definitely couldn't have been easy...
I received a complimentary digital ARC of this novel from NetGalley and I am leaving voluntarily an honest review.