Straight Into Darkness

Faye Kellerman has reached beyond her Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus mysteries to create an intricate historical mystery set in 1929. Axel Berg, a Munich police inspector, doggedly seeks justice amidst the anarchy and passions stirred by Hitler's Brown Shirts. Although he is directed to blame recent murders on the Jews, Berg--a complex, flawed protagonist--doggedly pursues the real murderer, placing his job and his family at risk. Kellerman, no stranger to religious themes, provides a moral lesson within her story, particularly in the novel's coda. Paul Michael, who excels in European accents, does an outstanding job carrying both the plot's momentum and the protagonist's psychological burden. R.W.S. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

Faye Kellerman has penned her most powerful and literary novel, one that translates beautifully into audio, with Paul Michael at the microphone. A darker story than Kellerman's Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus books, this title is a historical murder mystery set in Germany during the rise of the Nazi Party. The book is replete with well-defined characters, in particular Homicide Inspector Axel Berg, who is a complex and tortured protagonist. Not only must Berg solve a series of brutal murders, he must also deal with the political and personal realities confronting him as Hitler rises to power. As in THE DA VINCI CODE, Michael handles the foreign characters and voices deftly and with ease, while adding depth to Kellerman's intricate and gripping plot. D.J.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine