Product Description

Two women are killed in the same horrific, ritualistic manner. The murderer taunts the police with e-mails. It seems clear that a serial killer is at work, selecting victims at random and living out some twisted fantasy. But, as Jan Fabel and his murder team investigate further, nothing is as it first seems. They are drawn into a dark half-world of Viking myth and legend, of obscure religious cults, of political intrigue and of a violent struggle to seize control of the city. And as Fabel desperately races to track down the killer before more killings take place, he and his team come face to face with a cold, brutal menace they could never have predicted. A greater evil than they could ever have imagined.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #148406 in Books
• Published on: 2006-04-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 496 pages

Review
'This is a gruesomely gripping tale introducing German detective Jan Fabel, who is hunting a ritualistic murderer. Violently exciting - it had me hooked' --Piers Morgan, Eve

Review
'A solidly plotted policier with a vicious streak' --The Good Book Guide

From the Publisher
'If you're looking for a distinctive and exciting new voice in crime fiction, then look no further than Craig Russell. This is gritty, authentic and disturbing stuff.' Mo Hayder

Customer Reviews

Bad things are happening in Hamburg
I almost gave up on this book in the early part. The only reason I can think of was the lack of familiarity with German ranks, police departments and names - fortunately there is a basic glossary at the start just after the maps of Hamburg. Once I got used to them the story started clicking well.

Something isn't right in Hamburg. Two gruesome murders with emails from the killer to the senior police officer in charge (Erster Kriminalhauptkommisar Fabel) but there is no forensic evidence to make suitable headway. As an aside there is a persistent female journalist trying to get in touch with Fabel whom he ignores until too late. Organised crime and local politics eventually seem to be involved but to what extent is not initially clear. Worse is to come when the German equivalent of MI5 is discovered to have people involved and they have been holding back information leading to more deaths. Life becomes more complicated for Fabel and his team as they start to unravel the thread tying the crimes together. More detail? Read the book, it's worth it.

This is a good read for a first book with a sequel, Brother Grimm, coming soon. Once you become comfortable with the various terms and attitudes the book settles well and is quite enjoyable. It's well worth buying to escape from the usual American and British based crime books.

Very Nasty indeed
As debut thrillers go this is in a top league once you get around the multiple different divisions of German police squads. From the word go the murders are beautifully graphic and the characters really are 3 dimensional. There are almost too many characters to keep a hold of with Russian Maffia's Gangsters,Undercover police and KGB types.

The basis of the story is that some person by the name of Son Of Sven is going round killing all sorts of people by brutally disecting them and rip[ping their chests open and flaying their organs rather like a viking sacrifice,Fabel is as good as ever trying to find the killer and there are a fair number of twists and turns before getting to a real nasty piece of work who shows no mercy.

I agree in part that the ending is a bit weak and too simple in places. It is still a great read though.

A nice surpise
Having read vast amounts of crime fiction novels, I was beginning to adopt a distinct "you've read one, you've read them all" attitude. This book, however, came as a very nice surprise. It manages to twist and turn constantly, keeping you on tenterhooks despite the fact that the identity of the main perpetrator is revealed fairly early. A welcome change from the usual "guess who?" game that always ends inevitably with a feeling of disappointment as you realise you were right all along.
The author has clearly done his research, making this book distinctly believable, and has not been scared to make references and links to real events, which I think is commendable.
This is the only author who has made me fear a city (Hamburg), and yet kindled a strong interest in me to visit and see the places described, the only exception being Thomas Harris with Florence.
In my opinion, the only drawback of the book is it's lack of conclusion, although I can't yet decide whether this adds to or takes away from the reading experience!!
Overall, a darn good read, and highly recommended, I will definitely be buying the follow-up.