Description

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As Germany strangles under the tight grip of the Nazi Party, the frozen winter of 1940 brings even more reasons to fear the dark in the crackling new WWII crime novel from #1 Sunday Times bestselling author Simon Scarrow—perfect for fans of Philip Kerr’s Berlin Trilogy, Robert Ludlum, Andrew Gross, and William Christie . . .

Germany, 1940. The world holds its breath and hopes for peace. At home, the Nazi Party’s grip on power tightens. Reasons to fear the dark are growing . . .

On a night in Berlin, during the most bitter winter in memory, SS doctor Manfred Schmesler is found in his study, dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The hurried and official version of the Reich is suicide.

Schmesler’s widow doesn’t believe it. At the risk of running afoul of the Gestapo, neither does Criminal Inspector Horst Schenke. The warnings to drop the investigation only compel Schenke to dig deeper. Then Schenke learns of the suspicious death of a child in a remote clinic outside Potsdam.

At first, the cases seem unconnected, but soon chilling links emerge that point to a terrifying secret. Schenke isn’t the only one in jeopardy. So is everyone within his circle, including Schmesler’s widow, who has a secret of her own.

Under a pitiless regime, how deep into hell are they willing to go to find the truth? And what will it take to make it out alive?

About the Author

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Simon Scarrow is a #1 Sunday Times bestselling author whose historical fiction and thrillers have been translated into more than twenty languages and sold more than 5 million copies. A former history teacher and lecturer, he is the author of the long running Eagles of the Empire military fiction series set in Ancient Rome as well as a quartet of novels about the lives of the Duke of Wellington and Napoleon Bonaparte, among other novels. For more, please visit simonscarrow.co.uk, and follow him on Twitter @SimonScarrow or like his author page on Facebook/OfficialSimonScarrow.

Praise For…

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Praise for Dead of Night

“Gripping. . . . Scarrow keeps the pages turning with brisk action, well-drawn characters, and a gift for historical detail. Bernie Gunther fans looking for a new series to sink their teeth into should check this out.” —Publishers Weekly

Praise for Blackout

"(An) exceptional mystery. . . . Scarrow plausibly conveys the complexities of his hero's efforts to do an honest job of seeking justice while serving under a corrupt and criminal regime. Fans of Philip Kerr’s Bernie Gunther will hope for a sequel." —Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
 
“There have been several fine thrillers about serial killers stalking London's darkened streets during the Blitz, but fewer about the parallel phenomenon in Berlin. Scarrow changes that with this crisp thriller set in 1939 at the beginning of the war. Scarrow builds tension both from the crimes at hand and from his hero's internal struggle, knowing that eventually his determination to keep policing separate from politics is doomed to failure. . . . Scarrow makes the most of the blackout as a breeding ground for mayhem.” —Booklist

“Blackout is a taut, tense World War II historical thriller by best-selling author Simon Scarrow. Blackout is first-class historical fiction. The climax is a crescendo of tension that doesn’t end with the true murderer’s identification and apprehension.” —USA Today Network

“Superb. . . . Blackout is a historical thriller extraordinaire penned by an author in complete command of history and subject matter. Not since David Morrell’s incredible trilogy featuring Thomas de Quincey has a book like this featured such a mastery of time and place with deep-seated echoes of America’s own divisions today.” —The Providence Journal

“That line between right and wrong gets pretty smudged in this gem of a story. Atmosphere, sharp intrigue, and a host of fascinating characters all combine to make this one the next addition to your keeper shelf." —Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author
 
“Taut and chilling—I was completely gripped!” —Anthony Horowitz, bestselling author of the Alex Ryder and Susan Ryeland series
 
“A gripping thriller.” —The Sunday Times
 
“Blackout crackles with tension from the first page as the inspector digs through layers of intrigue not knowing whether he’s nearing the truth or digging his own grave. Simon Scarrow launches us on a breakneck ride through a wicked city in a desperate time. What a pleasure.” —James Thayer, author of House of Eight Orchids
 
“Mesmerising. Nail-biting. Unputdownable. Utterly authentic and beautifully written. . . . The perfect way to bring the past alive.” —Damien Lewis, internationally bestselling author
 
“Scarrow's deep knowledge of the Third Reich gives a chilling authenticity to this tense thriller—loosely based on a true story. Thrust into the hunt for a serial killer, Inspector Schenke is a particularly sympathetic hero who must use all his wits to survive the Gestapo. . . . A terrific read.” —Julia Boyd, author of Travellers in the Third Reich

“Simon Scarrow is a master storyteller. Blackout twists and weaves through wartime Berlin in a riveting take on history. A must read!” —James D. Shipman, author of Task Force Baum and Irena’s War
 
“A master of historical fiction at his finest, Simon Scarrow turns his expert eye on the Third Reich. Blackout is an authentic and compelling story and Horst Schenke the natural heir to Philip Kerr’s Bernie Gunther.” —Howard Linskey, author of Ungentlemanly Warfare and Hunting the Hangman
 
“The evocation of pre-war Berlin and the atmosphere is so tangible. The finely drawn characters, that mix of glamour and dread, the simmering undercurrent of fear, is finely drawn. Clever, intimate, and full of intrigue.” —David Gilman
 
“Scarrow is a genius and I love everything he writes, but Blackout takes things to a whole new level. It's by far the best book I've read this year.” —Tom Marcus

“A wonderfully compelling thriller, reeking of authenticity, and a terrific depiction of the human world within the chilling world of the Third Reich.” —Peter James
 
“Superb. . . . Blackout is a gripping, terrifying read, as well as being a thumping good page-turner. This is historical crime fiction at its finest from a much-loved writer at the very top of his game.” —David Young
 
“A perilous world where high society, low desire, and suspected espionage intersect with infighting among the Hitler regime's power-hungry elite. . . . A genuine page-turner.” —Frederick Taylor

“Hugely compelling and brimming with menace. . . . The underlying atmosphere of a city held in the thrall of a killer and of a regime that thrives on fear and distrust is thoroughly authentic and gripping.” —Chris Lloyd
 
“Loved Blackout. The Berlin of the very early days of the war is vividly drawn and already irredeemably corrupt, the rivalries between the Gestapo, the Kriminalpolizei, Goebbels in Propaganda and Canaris at Intelligence ring all too real, and I fear for Criminal Inspector Schenke's safety in future books given his refusal to join the Nazi Party, his insistence on following the evidence, and his reluctance to compromise the truth.” —Jack Grimwood