Thursday, July 28, 2011

{review} downing & cantrell & 1930s' berlin

David Downing Zoo Station (2007)
Rebecca Cantrell A Trace of Smoke (2009)

Zoo Station A Trace of Smoke (Hannah Vogel Novels)

These books are a natural match for a review: both are set in Berlin in the 1930s; both feature journalist protagonists; both deal with the moral ambiguities involved in trying to survive - and save one's loved ones - under the Nazi regime; both have a really solid 'feel' for the physical environment of the city; and both are the first books in their projected series.

John Russell is the journalist 'hero' of Zoo Station (the books in the series take their names from Berlin train/U-Bahn stations). It is 1939 and it is becoming increasingly difficult for foreign journalists to remain in Germany, let alone to report with any degree of freedom. Russell has other problems - he is English but he is tied to Berlin by the presence of his son (who now lives in the city with his German mother and stepfather) and his lover Effi, an actress. His life is about to become even more complex as he is recruited by the Russians to turn his hand to a spot of propaganda that soon segues into espionage. Simultaneously he is trying to help a Jewish family escape persecution and investigate what hot story had led to the brutal murder of an American journalist colleague. And then his own countrymen attempt to get in on the act… Russell's Berlin is gritty, brutal and resonant with veristic historical detail. His characters come memorably to life and there are many satisfactory twists and turns, and plenty of tension and menace. This was a very good example of this genre.

Downing's interest in the fate of children in Nazi Germany forms a link with Rebecca Cantrell's A Trace of Smoke. Her protagonist is a German, Hannah Vogel. Vogel has been living a miserable and impoverished life since the end of the First World War, in which she lost her fiancé. It is now 1931 and things remain grim for Hannah and the people of Berlin. The Depression has brought terrible hardship and suffering and the rise of the Nazi party is beginning to curtail personal freedoms. This is especially true for a woman who is perceived to be taking a man's job (under a male pseudonym she is the crime reporter for the Berliner Tageblatt) and not conforming to a womanly stereotype. On a trip to the police station for a story she is confronted with a photo of her brother in the Hall of the Unnamed Dead, and the shallow control that she has on her world begins to unravel. Her brother Ernst was a cross-dressing homosexual nightclub performer and it seems that he may have been mixed up with a prominent National Socialist (this is, obviously, before the great purges against homosexuals from 1933). And who is Anton, the underfed street urchin who appears on Hannah's doorstep, claiming that she is his mother and 'Ernst' his father? Cantrell is good at dropping tantalising little historical clues in her narrative that might alert the historically cued-up reader to what is going on here. She is also good on recreating the atmosphere of the Berlin nightclubs and stores of the era.
I glanced out the window at the automobiles passing us. It felt strange to be in an automobile. Decadent.
"You shouldn't buy from the Jews," Wilhelm said. "Not when so many German storekeepers are going hungry."
"And what of the Jewish ones? Do they not need to eat?"
"They will find a way," Wilhelm said. "They always do."
"Are you a warrior?" Anton asked. His grip on my hand loosened.
"Yes," Wilhelm answered with a smile.
"No," I said at the same moment.
"I wear a uniform," Wilhelm explained, ignoring me. "And I am part of a unit. We are trying to restore Germany to greatness."
"Regardless of the cost." I pulled Anton closer to my side.
"There is always a cost."
My marker of quality with books set in this era is how they match up against what I consider to be the be-all and end-all of the genre, Philip Kerr's 'Bernie Gunther' novels. And? Both of these 'first' novels are very good. I will definitely continue the Downing 'Station' series but personal taste will probably not lead me any further with Cantrell's series. This is not a comment on the quality of her book in any sense, as I found her story-line fascinating and her evocation of the era really fine (her writing is on occasion a little stilted - an effect, I think, of her preference for short sentences). I just couldn't warm to her precociously lovable child mini-hero who, I note, appears in the next book. That's just child-loathing old me, though.

Rating: Downing 8/10; Cantrell 6/10.

If you liked this… you MUST READ PHILIP KERR. Genius. Start with the Berlin Noir trilogy or you'll be completely lost later. I've got the next two Downings lined up, Silesian Station and Stettin Station.

Berlin Noir: March Violets; The Pale Criminal; A German Requiem 

Silesian Station    Stettin Station

2 comments:

  1. I've had Philip Kerr on my list for some time. Sounds like I should move him up; I love this sort of book. How does he compare to Alan Furst, in your opinion?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've only read one Furst (Spies of Warsaw) so I'm not the best judge, but Kerr's eye for detail in his settings, complexity of plot (esp. the moral complexities), and distinctive 'voice' (well, not 'distinctive' really: a bit Philip Marlowe-like) win for me. Also there's lots of interplay between fiction and fact, which I always like.

    ReplyDelete

{READ IN 2018}

  • FEBRUARY
  • 30.
  • 29.
  • 28.
  • 27.
  • 26. The Grave's a Fine & Private Place - Alan Bradley
  • 25. This is What Happened - Mick Herron
  • 24. London Rules - Mick Herron
  • 23. The Third Eye - Ethel Lina White
  • 22. Thrice the Brindled Cat Hath Mewed - Alan Bradley
  • 21. As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust - Alan Bradley
  • 20. The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches - Alan Bradley
  • 19. Speaking from Among the Bones - Alan Bradley
  • JANUARY
  • 18. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine - Gail Honeyman
  • 17. Miss Ranskill Comes Home - Barbara Euphan Todd
  • 16. The Long Arm of the Law - Martin Edwards (ed.)
  • 15. Nobody Walks - Mick Herron
  • 14. The Talented Mr Ripley - Patricia Highsmith
  • 13. Portrait of a Murderer - Anthony Gilbert
  • 12. Murder is a Waiting Game - Anthony Gilbert
  • 11. Tenant for the Tomb - Anthony Gilbert
  • 10. Death Wears a Mask - Anthony Gilbert
  • 9. Night Encounter - Anthony Gilbert
  • 8. The Visitor - Anthony Gilbert
  • 7. The Looking Glass Murder - Anthony Gilbert
  • 6. The Voice - Anthony Gilbert
  • 5. The Fingerprint - Anthony Gilbert
  • 4. Ring for a Noose - Anthony Gilbert
  • 3. No Dust in the Attic - Anthony Gilbert
  • 2. Uncertain Death - Anthony Gilbert
  • 1. She Shall Died - Anthony Gilbert

{READ IN 2017}

  • DECEMBER
  • 134. Third Crime Lucky - Anthony Gilbert
  • 133. Death Takes a Wife - Anthony Gilbert
  • 132. Death Against the Clock - Anthony Gilbert
  • 131. Give Death a Name - Anthony Gilbert
  • 130. Riddle of a Lady - Anthony Gilbert
  • 129. And Death Came Too - Anthony Gilbert
  • 128. Snake in the Grass - Anthony Gilbert
  • 127. Footsteps Behind Me - Anthony Gilbert
  • 126. Miss Pinnegar Disappears - Anthony Gilbert
  • 125. Lady-Killer - Anthony Gilbert
  • 124. A Nice Cup of Tea - Anthony Gilbert
  • 123. Die in the Dark - Anthony Gilbert
  • 122. Death in the Wrong Room - Anthony Gilbert
  • 121. The Spinster's Secret - Anthony Gilbert
  • 120. Lift up the Lid - Anthony Gilbert
  • 119. Don't Open the Door - Anthony Gilbert
  • 118. The Black Stage - Anthony Gilbert
  • 117. A Spy for Mr Crook - Anthony Gilbert
  • 116. The Scarlet Button - Anthony Gilbert
  • 115. He Came by Night - Anthony Gilbert
  • 114. Something Nasty in the Woodshed - Anthony Gilbert
  • NOVEMBER
  • 113. Death in the Blackout - Anthony Gilbert
  • 112. The Woman in Red - Anthony Gilbert
  • 111. The Vanishing Corpse - Anthony Gilbert
  • 110. London Crimes - Martin Edwards (ed.)
  • 109. The Midnight Line - Anthony Gilbert
  • 108. The Clock in the Hatbox - Anthony Gilbert
  • 107. Dear Dead Woman - Anthony Gilbert
  • 106. The Bell of Death - Anthony Gilbert
  • 105. Treason in my Breast - Anthony Gilbert
  • 104. Murder has no Tongue - Anthony Gilbert
  • 103. The Man who Wasn't There - Anthony Gilbert
  • OCTOBER
  • 102. Murder by Experts - Anthony Gilbert
  • 101. The Perfect Murder Case - Christopher Bush
  • 100. The Plumley Inheritance - Christopher Bush
  • 99. Spy - Bernard Newman
  • 98. Cargo of Eagles - Margery Allingham & Philip Youngman Carter
  • 97. The Mind Readers - Margery Allingham
  • SEPTEMBER
  • 96. The China Governess - Margery Allingham
  • 95. Hide My Eyes - Margery Allingham
  • 94. The Beckoning Lady - Margery Allingham
  • 93. The Tiger in the Smoke - Margery Allingham
  • 92. More Work for the Undertaker - Margery Allingham
  • 91. Coroner's Pidgin - Margery Allingham
  • 90. Traitor's Purse - Margery Allingham
  • 89. The Fashion in Shrouds - Margery Allingham
  • 88. The Case of the Late Pig - Margery Allingham
  • 87. Dancers in Mourning - Margery Allingham
  • AUGUST
  • 86. Flowers for the Judge - Margery Allingham
  • 85. Death of a Ghost - Margery Allingham
  • 84. Sweet Danger - Margery Allingham
  • 83. Police at the Funeral - Margery Allingham
  • 82. Look to the Lady - Margery Allingham
  • 81. Mystery Mile - Margery Allingham
  • 80. The Crime at Black Dudley - Margery Allingham
  • 79. The White Cottage Mystery - Margery Allingham
  • 78. Murder Underground - Mavis Doriel Hay
  • 77. No Man's Land - David Baldacci
  • 76. The Escape - David Baldacci
  • 75. The Forgotten - David Baldacci
  • 74. Zero Day - David Baldacci
  • JULY
  • 73. Pilgrim's Rest - Patricia Wentworth
  • 72. The Case is Closed - Patricia Wentworth
  • 71. The Watersplash - Patricia Wentworth
  • 70. Lonesome Road - Patricia Wentworth
  • 69. The Listening Eye - Patricia Wentworth
  • 68. Through the Wall - Patricia Wentworth
  • 67. Out of the Past - Patricia Wentworth
  • 66. Mistress - Amanda Quick
  • 65. The Black Widow - Daniel Silva
  • 64. The Narrow - Michael Connelly
  • 63. The Poet - Michael Connelly
  • 62. The Visitor - Lee Child
  • 61. No Middle Name: The Complete Collected Jack Reacher Stories - Lee Child
  • JUNE
  • 60. The Queen's Accomplice - Susan Elia MacNeal
  • 59. Mrs Roosevelt's Confidante - Susan Elia MacNeal
  • 58. The PM's Secret Agent - Susan Elia MacNeal
  • 57. His Majesty's Hope - Susan Elia MacNeal
  • 56. Princess Elizabeth's Spy - Susan Elia MacNeal
  • 55. Mr Churchill's Secretary - Susan Elia MacNeal
  • 54. A Lesson in Secrets - Jacqueline Winspear
  • 53. Hit & Run - Lawrence Block
  • 52. Hit Parade - Lawrence Block
  • 51. Hit List - Lawrence Block
  • 50. Six Were Present - E. R. Punshon
  • 49. Triple Quest - E. R. Punshon
  • MAY
  • 48. Dark is the Clue - E. R. Punshon
  • 47. Brought to Light - E. R. Punshon
  • 46. Strange Ending - E. R. Punshon
  • 45. The Attending Truth - E. R. Punshon
  • 44. The Golden Dagger - E. R. Punshon
  • 43. The Secret Search - E. R. Punshon
  • 42. Spook Street - Mick Herron
  • 41. Real Tigers - Mick Herron
  • 40. Dead Lions - Mick Herron
  • 39. Slow Horses - Mick Herron
  • APRIL
  • 38. Everybody Always Tells - E. R. Punshon
  • 37. So Many Doors - E. R. Punshon
  • 36. The Girl with All the Gifts - M. R. Carey
  • 35. A Scream in Soho - John G. Brandon
  • 34. A Murder is Arranged - Basil Thomson
  • 33. The Milliner's Hat Mystery - Basil Thomson
  • 32. Who Killed Stella Pomeroy? - Basil Thomson
  • 31. The Dartmoor Enigma - Basil Thomson
  • 30. The Case of the Dead Diplomat - Basil Thomson
  • 29. The Case of Naomi Clynes - Basil Thomson
  • 28. Richardson Scores Again - Basil Thomson
  • 27. A Deadly Thaw - Sarah Ward
  • MARCH
  • 26. The Spy Paramount - E. Phillips Oppenheim
  • 25. The Great Impersonation - E. Phillips Oppenheim
  • 24. Ragdoll - Daniel Cole
  • 23. The Case of Sir Adam Braid - Molly Thynne
  • 22. The Ministry of Fear - Graham Greene
  • 21. The Draycott Murder Mystery - Molly Thynne
  • 20. The Murder on the Enriqueta - Molly Thynne
  • 19. The Nowhere Man - Gregg Hurwitz
  • 18. He Dies and Makes No Sign - Molly Thynne
  • FEBRUARY
  • 17. Death in the Dentist's Chair - Molly Thynne
  • 16. The Crime at the 'Noah's Ark' - Molly Thynne
  • 15. Harriet the Spy - Louise Fitzhugh
  • 14. Night School - Lee Child
  • 13. The Dancing Bear - Frances Faviell
  • 12. The Reluctant Cannibals - Ian Flitcroft
  • 11. Fear Stalks the Village - Ethel Lina White
  • 10. The Plot - Irving Wallace
  • JANUARY
  • 9. Understood Betsy - Dorothy Canfield Fisher
  • 8. Give the Devil his Due - Sulari Gentill
  • 7. A Murder Unmentioned - Sulari Gentill
  • 6. Dead Until Dark - Charlaine Harris
  • 5. Gentlemen Formerly Dressed - Sulari Gentill
  • 4. While She Sleeps - Ethel Lina White
  • 3. A Chelsea Concerto - Frances Faviell
  • 2. Kipps: The Story of a Simple Soul - H. G. Wells
  • 1. Heft - Liz Moore
Free Delivery on all Books at the Book Depository