Karin Muller is a first lieutenant with the state police. The first woman to have achieved such an elevated position. She starred in David Young’s first novel, Stasi Child. Stasi is the East German secret police, the Ministry of State Security, a body who would have preferred to deal with the disappearance of twin babies in Halle-Neustadt in 1975 themselves but have Karin and her two deputies foisted upon them. There is both chauvinist and natural professional resentment. We have learned a lot about Karin in Young’s first book, facts he cleverly weaves in here so you can get a full understanding of her chequered background without having read the first. A lot more personal history develops here too so Young may have a hard time incorporating it all into book three! By then, hopefully, he will be popular enough for fans to read the earlier books. They are straight police procedural stuff with plenty of twists and human drama but what makes these stand out is their place in history. This is a fascinating period and a fascinating place, both beautifully realised. ~ Sarah Broadhurst
How do you solve a murder when you can't ask any questions? The gripping new thriller from the bestselling, award-winning author of Stasi Child. East Germany, 1975. Karin Müller, sidelined from the murder squad in Berlin, jumps at the chance to be sent south to Halle-Neustadt, where a pair of infant twins have gone missing. But Müller soon finds her problems have followed her. Halle-Neustadt is a new town - the pride of the communist state - and she and her team are forbidden by the Stasi from publicising the disappearances, lest they tarnish the town's flawless image. Meanwhile, in the eerily nameless streets and tower blocks, a child snatcher lurks, and the clock is ticking to rescue the twins alive . . . 'This fast-paced thriller hooks the readers from the start' The Sun 'A masterful evocation of the claustrophobic atmosphere of communist era East Germany . . . an intricate, absorbing page-turner' Daily Express 'The perfect blend of action, suspense and excitement. This is top notch crime! I will be shouting about this book to everyone, everywhere. Northern Crime 'One of the most fascinating and original detectives in contemporary crime fiction . . . a hugely accomplished novel' (For Winter Nights) 'For me David Young has cemented his place on the bookshelf alongside my Cold War thrillers by John le Carré and Len Deighton' The Quiet Knitter
