STASI WOLF by David Young
I love mysteries set in unique places and STASI WOLF delivers! It is
the second in a fantastic series that takes us into East Germany in the 1970s.
Karin Müller is a Berlin police detective with the dual challenge of solving murders and staying one step ahead of Stasi overlords, the secret police model on the Soviet KGB. The Stasi agenda is rarely known but always self-serving in the way of all organizations whose top priorities are survival and
power.
Reeling from her ex-husband’s defection to the West, Karin is assigned to investigate a kidnapping of twin infants in Halle-Neustadt, a newly constructed town for workers at a huge chemical refinery complex. The city, described with eerie perfection as a collection of cheaply built slab-sided apartment blocks, is the pride of East Germany.
The local Stasi contingent, led by a creep with wolf-like eyes, ties Karin’s hands. She and her team can’t conduct door-to-door searches, even when it’s clear that the children must still be within the city. His reasons are suspect, but she can’t risk his wrath.
Great descriptions and layers of deception make this story a real winner. The sense of
place is fantastic, from gray smoke belching from the chemical works to the frozen German forests. Life in East Germany is limited--limited supplies of consumer goods, limited personal freedoms, limited options and purposely limited access to information.
The all-seeing, all-controlling Stasi doesn't tolerate personal space—her apartment and phone are assumed to be bugged and Karin carries the
stigma of her ex-husband’s defection. Plus, it’s never clear who is Stasi and who isn’t. The Stasi has undercover operatives reporting on its citizens and manipulating information.
If you are a student of history, you’ll know how accurate the author’s portrayals are.
Karin is doing her best
despite the restrictions on the investigation, which might be tied to an old crime in the countryside. She’s a product of the system and knows she must work within it. She’ll make deals with the Stasi but never trust them.
I finished STASI WOLF and immediately downloaded the third book in the series, STASI STATE. Each book is a standalone but builds upon previous events in Karin's life.
Highly recommended.
