An unidentified old woman is found murdered in an obscure alleyway on a cold February day in Ottawa. A paper with the name Symkha Grunstein written in three different alphabets is found in her coat. Then Simon Stone who lives nearby is also murdered and Inspector Michael Green is called in to help sift through the horde of material Stone collected about WWII and the Holocaust. The victim is Anya Kurchenko, an academic who recently arrived from Ukraine. Green unexpectedly finds a personal link to his family's sad history. Newly minted Detective Kanner and Green's daughter, officer Hannah Pollock, also play important roles in solving the murders.

This was a complex satisfying mystery in the long-running detective series.

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and Dundurn Press. All opinions are my own.

4 stars for a cerebral mystery set in Ottawa, Canada. This is book 12 in the Inspector Green series and I have not read any of the other books in the series. I have read other books by this author in in a separate series. It would probably be better to read the series in order, as something happened in a previous book that caused Green to be transferred from his position as chief of the homicide squad to an administrative post at the courthouse.
However Green can't resist investigating the suspicious death of an old woman in a run down neighborhood on his own time. He contributes to the solution to the case, along with the team working on the case and his daughter, a patrol officer. This case would be suitable for those who prefer books without graphic violence or sex. There are only a couple of swear words.
Some elements of interest in the book:
A WWII war criminal
Ukraine war
Genealogy connections
Thank You Dundurn Press for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.
#InspectorGreenMystery #NetGalley

Pub Date Feb 18 2025

Author Barbara Fradkin really hit a home run with Shipwrecked Souls, the 12th in the Inspector Green Mystery series. It feels personal and the World War II connections tugged at my heart.

The RCMP investigates a particularly riveting case of an older woman who is found murdered. But a second murder occurs which necessitates enlisting the expertise of Inspector Michael Green, an Ottawan with a poignant family past. A mysterious piece of paper was found on the woman which was written in three languages. Anya Kurchenko recently immigrated to Canada from Ukraine and the second murder victim's house had an astonishing array of WWII documentation on the "Third Reich", "Dachau" and war criminals. What secrets did Simon Stone know and why? Inspector Green's mind swirled with long-forgotten memories. His struggles and facing the past were the most meaningful parts of the story to me as an avid WWII reader.

The writing is compelling and the characters realistic. This installment was touching and showed a different side to the Inspector. Beautifully done with thoughtful insight into human nature.

My sincere thank you to Dundurn Press and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this captivating novel.

In the much anticipated next Inspector Green Mystery, the impetuous Ottawa detective sails headlong into the case of an elderly woman from Ukraine — a perfect whodunit for fans of Louise Penny and Tana French.When Anya Kurchenko, an elderly woman recently arrived in Ottawa from Ukraine, is found murdered in an obscure alleyway, the only clue is a scrap of paper in her pocket with the name Symkha Grunstein written in three different alphabets. No such person seems to exist. While the police try to track her movements, an elderly man named Simon Stone who lives nearby is also murdered, and Inspector Michael Green is called in to interpret the mass of documents about the Second World War and the Holocaust stored in Stone’s basement. What is the link between the two victims? Who is Symkha Grunstein? And could the murders be connected to something that happened during the war? As the police unravel the threads of betrayal and cover-up, Green finds himself on an emotional journey into his own past, where he uncovers long-hidden secrets and makes a startling discovery.

Great book, I really loved it! It's beautifully written and even though there are parts that are terribly sad, it's a book that will stay with me quite a while. The story read well, with a few glimpses into history to build the story.

Present day mystery with ties back to Nazi Germany. The story read well, with a few glimpses into history to build the story.
This is the 2nd book in this series that I've read and I'll have to go back and read the others.

Thank you NetGalley and Dundurn Press for the eARC.
What a great book, I really loved it. It's beautifully written and even though there are parts that are terribly sad, it's a book that will stay with me quite a while.
Both my parents were in camps during WWII, so it was easy for me to empathize with Inspector Green. The mystery of the deaths was intense and had a surprise ending on a happy note. It was a moving book and to my mind, Ms. Fradkins' best.