Having read all of Mandy Robothams books, A Dangerous Game was another excellent read! Her historical fiction is brilliant, very atmospheric and writing cinematic!

Following the aftermath of WWII, A Dangerous Game is set in London 1950s. Seconded from Hamburg, Germany - Harri Schroder is tasked with identifying a Nazi war criminal he knew in his early policing life after undergoing an identity change. Coupled with Dexie, A WPC the pair create an unbreakable bond in tracking down Helmut Praxer. All efforts made incredibly harder by killer fog and a mole within their circle.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Mandy Robothams’ A Dangerous Game published 16 January 2025.

I first encountered Harri Schroder when reading Mandy Robothom's novel #TheHiddenStoryteller . Harri Schroder was a member of the Kripo, a motley police crew who attempted to solve crimes in post war Germany and maintain order with few resources to help them. I was pleased to meet him again in Robothom's latest novel, #ADangerousGame. Set in the 1950's, more time has passed since wars end and life is still pretty difficult for those living and working in Berlin. When Harri is told by his bosses that his services have been requested in England for a period of time, he is not unhappy as it will give him time to catch up with old friends and get some respite from the day to day weariness of his current existence.

On arrival in England, things become a little confusing for Harri. Nobody really seems to know what 3xactly he is supposed to be doing while there. His ability to speak English is an asset but while waiting to hear exactly what he is supposed to be doing, he has the opportunity to spend a shift with widowed London police officer Helen 'Dexie' Dexter familiarizing himself with the local community. Dexie is tried of being seen only as a woman capable of handling the easiest of cases, and is hopeful of eventually breaking through the "men's club" atmosphere to really challenge herself. It seems that Harri might be able to help her with this.

The novel is a little hard to classify, historical fiction? Definitely, but it might also be considered police procedural, mystery, crime and more and there is a third major character beyond Harri and Dexie - the London Fog. This is not your normal fog. It was one which settled over London for an extended period of time making travel nearly impossible and leaving behind the injured and the dead, included those who had suffered with respiratory difficulties.

When Harri finally found out that his assignment involved identifying a former Nazi who had been part of his Kripo training course, he asked if Dexie could be assigned to assist him. Working with her and finding themselves facing extraordinary challenges twists and turns, leads to Harri opening himself up to Dexie in a way he has rarely done before. He also finds himself becoming involved with his elderly temporary landlady who can't cook a decent breakfast for love nor money but who appeals to him in almost a motherly way. The fog impacts all of them making any advances difficult to achieve and hard earned. At times it puts them at risk and at other times it saves them. Throughout, Harri and Dexie draw closer to each other and their goal.

This novel is a little outside my typical genre, but I really enjoyed reading it and getting to know and care for Harri in a more detailed way. If you like historical mysteries this could well be a good book for you!

Many thanks to #NetGalley and #AvonBooksUK for offering me an advanced reader copy to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Fabulous book. Very atmospheric… in fact I could feel & smell the smog. It really pulled me in & I just couldn’t put it down. Ended with a big smile on my face.

I’ve read 74% of this book and I’m still waiting for the story to start. It’s so full of mundane details that there’s hardly any action. DNF.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Another masterpiece from Mandy Robotham! A post war setting that was so incredibly atmospheric and well described you could picture it as though you were watching it on a screen in front of you. Brilliant characters and full of suspense and emotion!
A fantastic read!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my ARC

Another great book from Mandy Robotham!


The 3rd book in this series follows Inspektor Harri Schroeder, who we met in the prior book. I love that the story continued with him, and that we still got glimpses of Georgie and how her life was panning out.

I felt the beginning was a bit slow, however as the book went on it was clear that the slow beginning was necessary to set up a thrilling story. I hope we get to read more of Harri and Dexie in books to come!

4 stars out of 5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and AVON/HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. for the opportunity to read "A Dangerous Game" in exchange for my honest opinion.

Mandy Robotham never fails to deliver an exciting story and this one was one of her best! It was fast-paced, full of intrigue, suspense, danger and most of the story took place in a suffocating fog. Ms. Robotham described the scenes so vividly that the reader practically finds themselves trying to catch their breath along with the main characters.

The story takes place between 22 November 1952 and 12 December 1952. Inspektor Harri Schroder is seconded to the Metropolitan Police in London from his home in Hamburg. There he is partnered with WPC 722 Helen Dexter (Dexie to her friends). Dexie has excellent instincts but she is stuck making tea for the males in the station.

No one seems to know why Harri is there. They send him onto Scotland Yard where he learns that they need him to find someone that only he knows from before the war. A certain James Remington who he knew as Helmut Praxer from police training school back in 1932. After meeting Dexie and realizing her talents were being wasted he agrees to help if Dexie is partnered with him.

Both realize that they have similar back stories. Dexie's husband Thomas Dexter was a police officer who stepped on an unexploded bomb while chasing a burglar. They were only married for 8 months. Harri's wife Hella and daughter Lily died in and allied bombing of Hamburg in 1943.

The mysterious Johnson sends Harri and Dexie in as bait while MI5 knows about the trained killers out to get them but they are considered expendable. When Harri is taken captive, its Dexie's ingenuity that saves him. Harri proves how loyal and dependable he is when he saves the life of his landlady Mrs. P. The 'killer fog' that has put a lid on the city has taken its toll on her and he carries her to hospital. He and Dexie also take care of her beloved dog Scout who saves their lives more than once.

Is there a mole in the police department? When Harri and Dexie are laying low in a supposed 'safe house', how are they found? If only 1 person knew where they were? Incredibly well written, tense scenes lead to the mole who no one suspects and a dramatic end to the story.

If you have not read one of Ms. Robotham's stories, I highly recommend her because she never disappoints the reader.

I am a huge fan of this author's work. But it just was not a book for me, And that is ok, because i have seen a lot of People rave about this book. Thank you to netfalley for this e arc, in exchange for an honest opinion

Hamburg, 1952. Harri Schroeder is a police detective. His wife and daughter died during WWII. He was sent on an assignment to London where he has to help identify a Nazi war criminal. Dexie is a widowed police officer in London. Harri requests for her to be his partner. They take up the pursuit of the Nazi war criminal during the Great London Smog.

This is a well-written and suspenseful read. The characters are well-developed. I quite enjoy a good historical fiction book, and this one doesn't disappoint. It's one of those books where you think just one more chapter, but one more chapter is never enough. There were unexpected twists in this thrilling read.

Published 16th January 2025

I would like to thank #NetGalley #AvonBooksUK and the author #MandyRoboham for my ARC of #ADangerousGame in exchange for an honest review.

I love Mandy Robotham's work and this novel is no exception.

1953 and both London and Germany are still feeling the after effects of WW2. German Detective Harri Schroder has case after case piling up on his desk and no time to complete the never evening paperwork. When he is offered the chance to go to London to work on a case, it is is an opportunity he finds hard to resist.

He spent some time in Germany before the war and is not worried about others perceptions of him. He was never a member of the Nazi party, only associated with them by his work and he is a firm believer in doing the right thing.

When he arrives in London and finds out that his task is to track down and apprehend a Nazi war criminal he almost gets on the first flight back to Germany. He is unfortunate enough to have met the man, and is worried he might be recognised before he has chance to capture him.

But there is a lot politically at stake, and Harri quickly finds out that returning home is not an option, and so he must stay, make the best of a bad situation and enlist the help of someone from the Met Police. That someone is WPC Helen Dexter, or Dexie as she is known to her friends.

She and Harri meet on his first day, and he is immediately struck by her competence, no nonsense attitude and kindness lurking beneath the surface. He senses that they are similar, and feels that they will work well together. Which they do.

Until London is struck by an awful, deadly fog, which makes their job almost impossible to do, and puts their lives at stake as they stalk their prey through a city where no one can see. Will he vanish before they get the chance to apprehend him? Or can they solve the case before he disappears?

An intriguing and atmospheric post-war story set during the horrible London smog of 1952. Dexie, the rare female police officer of the period and Harri, a detective from Hamburg are hunting for a Nazi who escaped to the UK. The mystery (if that's the best term) is good, the tension maintained and the characters make sense. This kept me both engaged and guessing. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.

4.5 stars!

I love London & any book set there, this one being no different. Immediately the characters were likeable and I was rooting for them and attached. The hunt for a Nazi in London early post-war era kept me on my toes & nervous. It is always hard to revisit the crimes of that era, and the fact that many escapes justice in this world. Seeing the view of Harri, as a German in the post-war era, was also enlightening (albeit fictional). Whilst predictable in the end (to me), I enjoyed this and thought the author navigated gray areas in a way that makes you ask questions which I always appreciate. In the end, I am a sucker for a crime novel/historical fiction with a bit of romance, and would 100% recommend this book.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

'A curtain has descended over the capital. Fog'.

It's 1952, and although the Nuremberg trials have delivered justice to many Nazi war criminals, many have alluded capture. Inspektor Harri Schroder, from Hamburg Police, is called to London, to track down such a criminal. A man he used to know from police cadet school. A man who, after extensive plastic surgery, is hardly recognisable. The brief quickly becomes even more complicated when a thick blanket of fog shrouds the city of London for days. However, with a helping hand from local Constable Dexie, who knows these streets blindfolded, they might just be able to pull off the impossible.

'A Dangerous Game' is an easy read thriller with a dash of romance. I enjoyed this tale of cat and mouse espionage, set within the real-life 'Great Smog' of 1952. It also served as a great reminder that even once the war ended, the problems did not stop.

London 1952 during the great smog that took over 4.000 lives and several years after WW2 but still on people’s mind. Police Detective Harri Schroeder has been seconded from Hamburg to the Met to hunt down a Nazi criminal now turned businessman with some links in high places. He has help with a local female constable Helen ‘Dexie’ Dexter who knows the local area and can hold her own in difficult situations, but still is not recognised properly from her male peers. So, she jumps at the opportunity to help Harri.
I have read most of the author’s work. And I enjoyed every one of them. This is slightly different than her other books. And I was worried that this wouldn’t deliver. As this Is a more thriller/ espionage kind of story. But I was pleasantly surprised how good this was. Not only for the interesting, gripping storyline. But I also like the relationship built between Harri and Dexie. They have both similar tastes and characteristics. I am wondering if this is a one of story as I think it would make a great books series. 5 stars from me.

D.I Harri Schroder returns in this atmsopheric historical novel set in fog bound London in 1952.

Seconded from Hamburg to London to help to identify a Nazi with whom he spent time with as a young police recruit but who has since had extensive plastic surgery in South America. Written over the timeline of one week, he teams up with Constable Helen Dexter to track him down before a dead line looms.

This is another well researched, well written and compelling read from Mandy Robotham and I recommend it to readers who enjoy historical novels based in London after World War Two.

Set in London in the infamous smog of 1952 that sadly saw the estimated deaths of some 12,000 people with bronchial cases being the main culprit although crime and road accidents also were to blame this is another superb piece of writing from Mandy Robotham. Although the book book is historical fiction there are a lot of interesting historical facts also and for me that’s what always makes this authors book so good.
I loved the main characters of Harri (nice to meet him again) and Dexie they were both so real and well written and not forgetting Mrs P and scooter of course.
I flew through the book as I just couldn’t put it down it’s a terrific story with great writing and one that I can highly recommend and I look forward to the next book from Mandy.
My thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

In *A Dangerous Game” Inspector Harri Schroeder is yanked out of his quiet, uneventful life in Hamburg and thrust into the heart of post-war London under mysterious circumstances. Initially, he’s told he’s there to serve as a "face of diplomacy" following the war's fallout, but the real reason for his visit is far more urgent—and far more dangerous. Harri's mission? To track down a shadowy Nazi war criminal who’s been hiding in plain sight, right under the noses of London's authorities.

Teaming up with Helen “Dexie” Dexter, a fiercely independent woman navigating a male-dominated police force, They plunge into the grimy underbelly of the city. The two must contend with a labyrinth of deceit, danger, and betrayal, all while a thick killer fog rolls in, adding a complicated chill to their investigation. As they race against time, they discover that someone they thought they could trust is against them.

What truly elevates this story is the evolving partnership between Harri and Dexie. She’s a trailblazer in a world that doesn’t fully recognize her worth, and together, they form an unlikely but compelling team. The plot is brimming with unexpected twists that keep you on the edge of your seat, and the presence of old characters, like the sharp-witted Georgie, who is still making waves as a journalist, adds a rich layer of continuity.

“A Dangerous Game” is a fast-paced, unpredictable thriller that combines intricate historical detail with sharp character dynamics. Whether you’re familiar with the characters or not, this book will hook you from the first page. Harri’s return is a triumph, and the thrilling hunt for the Nazi criminal will leave you breathless until the very end.

A genuine thank you to NetGalley and Avon UK for inviting me to early access for this incredible ride of a book. All thoughts are my own though, Mandy Robotham has faithfully researched and weaved yet another riveting tale inspired by historical elements. Bravo. 👏🏼

Another fabulous novel. This author knows historical fiction and the details are always top notch. Love her novels.

Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher. I enjoyed this book, great storyline and great characters. Would recommend to others.

Set against the evocative backdrop of post-war London in 1952, this gripping tale of justice, resilience, and unlikely partnership plunges readers into the heart of a city still finding its feet. London is beginning to sparkle once more, with the energy of jazz clubs and cinema marquees, but the shadows of war linger for many—none more so than widowed policewoman Helen ‘Dexie’ Dexter and visiting German officer Harri Schroder.

Dexie is a determined yet overlooked member of the Metropolitan Police, relegated to minor duties and patronised by her male colleagues. Her frustrations are palpable, and her longing to prove herself as a capable officer is a poignant reminder of the limitations women faced in that era. Harri, seconded from Hamburg, carries his own burdens, haunted by personal loss yet grounded in his belief in justice.

Their partnership begins when Harri is assigned the daunting task of tracking down a former Nazi officer who has rebranded himself as a respected British businessman. The fugitive’s connections reach into the highest circles of society, making their mission fraught with danger and deceit. It’s Dexie, with her intelligence and tenacity, whom Harri turns to as an ally. Their growing camaraderie is beautifully portrayed, rooted in mutual respect and a shared commitment to exposing the truth.

As their investigation deepens, the narrative is intensified by the infamous Great Smog of 1952, which shrouds London in a lethal fog, creating a chilling atmosphere that mirrors the peril they face. The city becomes both a character and a maze of shadows as Dexie and Harri race against time to prevent their quarry from disappearing into the mist.

The story deftly weaves historical detail with compelling characterisation, painting a vivid picture of a post-war world rife with moral ambiguity. The tension between Dexie and Harri adds a layer of emotional depth, offering moments of tenderness amidst the suspense.

This is a captivating blend of historical fiction and crime thriller, where themes of justice, redemption, and breaking societal boundaries shine. Perfect for fans of richly detailed period dramas and mysteries with strong, resourceful protagonists. A thoroughly engrossing read.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.