I liked it but not as much as the other two. Too many characters and too slow to start.

Mucha intriga, muchos asesinatos, un asesino que no vi venir ni de coña (también es verdad que apenas está presente en el libro) y una historia que se remonta a la segunda guerra mundial. Demasiada gente para mi gusto (por eso no le doy cinco estrellas, hay momentos en que estaba completamente aturullada).

Was dieses Buch uns sagen will:
- Polizeigewalt ist total ok und es muss nicht darüber geredet werden, vor allem wenn das Opfer nicht die brave Hausfrau mit 2.5 Kindern und 10 Ehrenämtern, sondern eine unsympathische Prostituierte und Hartz IV Empfängerin ist
- das gilt doppelt, wenn der gewalttätige Polizist grade eine "schwere Zeit durchmacht"
- generell sind Regeln, Gesetze und die Rechte von anderen Menschen eher Vorschläge für die Polizei, mehr nicht
- schwule Männer haben kein Problem mit Inzest
- wenn Männer sexuell missbraucht werden ist das ihr persönlicher "Ausrutscher" (wörtlich so im Buch) und sie haben durch den erfahrenen Missbrauch praktisch ihre Partner*in betrogen (Trauma? Was für Trauma?)

Und dann war da auch noch die Szene in der eine der "Guten" zu einer anderen "Guten" über eine jüdische Frau sagt, dass sie ja gar nicht jüdisch ausgesehen habe, sie war doch so schön und groß und blond....

Okay. Nein.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

This is a police procedural, mystery, thriller set in current day Germany, but much of the intrigue goes back to the recent past in Prusssia, and Nazi Germany of WWII. The murder of an American Holocaust survivor sets us off the mystery of the numbers written in blood at the crime scene. The bodies pile up quickly, and with so many threads and characters, it was difficult at times to keep track of everyone and the possible motives.

The main characters are well developed although it did seem like there were a few too many people to keep track of at times. It was a slow start for me, confusing for one who has not read anything else by Neuhaus, but within the first 25% of the novel, the characters begin to be sorted out. The various threads of the story were a little overwhelming- with the detectives going off to explore in so many directions. I was surprised at the resolution, it was not what I had expected.

If you are looking for a good solid police procedural with a little European flair, I would recommend this book.

Ein alter Jude wird ermodert. Auf dem Spiegel in seinem Flur steht einen Zahl "16145", geschrieben in das Blut des Opfers. Zwei weitere alte Leute werden auch ermodert. Alle drei waren enge Freunde der reiche Frau Vera Kaltensee. Sie täuscht einen Nervenzusammenbruch vor und verschwindet. Es soll aber noch Tote geben vor Oliver Bodenstein und Pia Kirchhoff hinter dem Zahl "16145" kommen. Alles im allen eine gute und emphelenswerte Krimi.

Maybe 3.5. This was an audiobook. The narrator was good. There were too many characters and too many side tracks, and too many convenient coincidences, but overall a good mystery.

Meh

First off, a minor complaint. Neuhaus’ series is being translated from German, but out of order. So the first I read was Snow White Must Die #4, then Bad Wolf #6, and now The Ice Queen #3. Each is a self-contained mystery, but Pia and Oliver’s personal lives come into play a fair amount and it’s a little odd going back in time to see where their relationships were, knowing how they change over time. It doesn’t bother me too much, but I feel like it would be a stronger series read in order.

The story is absorbing, a mystery involving an influential family and secrets that go back to WW2. The blurb gives the basic plotline, but it gives you no idea of how inter-connected theses people’s lives are, how horrible their secrets are.

The mystery itself is well-done. There are a lot of suspects and a variety of motives that kept me guessing. I was honestly shocked by who the killer was, even though once the whole things was wrapped up it made complete sense.

You can find my whole review at Carol's Notebook.