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theirgracegrace's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
An incredibly tense book that dragged me by the hand the whole way through. Kommissar Gereon Rath is a washed-up Cologne detective trapped in the height of Roaring Twenties Berlin and has to solve a series of crimes that expose police corruption, political unrest and Berlin's seedy (and sometimes violent) nightlife. Rath isn't the do-good cop that everyone expects him to be, but every small decision he makes has large ramifications on the trajectory of the cases. An enjoyable read, if a bit long and tangental in places.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Antisemitism, Stalking, Toxic friendship, and War
Minor: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Self harm, Transphobia, Excrement, and Car accident
The book takes place in 1929 Berlin, so the characters are 1) occasionally rubbing shoulders with Nazis and 2) using language that at the time would be acceptable but now would not.