Munich Wolf by Rory Clements
The gripping new 2024 thriller from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The English Führer. In this brilliant standalone crime novel set in 1930s Munich, Detective Sebastian Wolff must walk a tight line between doing his job and falling foul of the Nazi party he despises.
Munich in the 1930s is a magnet for young, rich, aristocratic Brits. They come to learn German, but also to go wild, free at last from the suffocating constraints of strait-laced England. They ski in the Alps, swim in the lakes, drink in the beer cellars and fall for the charms of dashing SS officers.
What they don't see - or choose to ignore - is the cold, brutal, underbelly of the Nazi movement which considers Munich its spiritual home.
But not every German is a Nazi. Murder squad detective Sebastian Wolff is one of those walking a tight line between doing his job and falling foul of the political party he abhors.
When a high-born English girl is murdered, Wolff is ordered to solve the crime. He has a fine record and, importantly, he is fluent in English. But he realises the mission is a poison chalice, for Hitler is taking a personal interest in the case - as is his young English acolyte Miss Unity Mitford.
Wolff is hemmed in on all sides. At work, he is watched closely by the secret police, at home he could be denounced at any moment by his own son, a fervent member of the Hitler Youth.
And when he begins to suspect that the killer might be linked to the highest reaches of the Nazi hierarchy, he fears his task is simply impossible - and that he will become the killer's next victim.
Review
‘Munich Wolf’ has all the ingredients to make a captivating historical thriller! This is the first Rory Clements book which I have read but it won't be the last. I love historical fiction when it is done well and this definitely was! I will be looking into Rory’s back catalogue as apart from Volker Kutscher I haven't found a series of books that I like set in this period of Germanic history. I am hoping that this going to be the start of a new series as Wolff was a brilliant character!
Munich in the 1930s is a playground for the rest of Europe’s young, especially Britain. I knew a lot about Unity Mitford as I am obsessed with that family but I hadn't realised that so many travelled over there to embrace the German language and culture. This is why I love reading historical fiction as you learn so much and I certainly went off on random Google rabbit holes! ‘Munich Wolff’ is full of rich details which really brought the history to life.
Sebastian Wolff is a great protagonist, I especially liked that he wasn't a signed-up Nazi as it helped to give a much-needed balance to the craziness of the Hitler Youth, the SS and the fighting between the political and criminal police. I really liked him as even though he knew how dangerous it was to continue investigating the case he wouldn't give up. If this is the start of a new series I would certainly read further of Wolff’s adventures as I want to see how he develops as the Nazi grip tightens.
I flew through this is a day as I was hooked right from the start to the final page! It was well-paced and the tension ramps up to a great resolution. It was well written with captivating characters and a great plot.
Let me know if you pick this up!
