Book Review – Evil in High Places by Rory Clements

About the Book

The closer you get, the further you have to fall…

Munich, 1936. All eyes are on the Bavarian capital for the upcoming Olympic Games. As athletes fight for gold and the Nazis fight for power, Detective Sebastian Wolff faces a battle of his own.

A famous actress has disappeared and Wolff has been ordered to find her, fast. But Elena Lang is no ordinary she is the mistress of Joseph Goebbels – Hitler’s right-hand-man in the party that Wolff despises.

But this is a country on the brink of war, and corruption runs deep. In a search that will take him from high society to the city’s darkest corners, Wolff will soon learn just how fine the line is between justice and jeopardy…

Format: Hardcover (416 pages) Publisher: Viking
Publication date: 28th August 2025 Genre: Historical Fiction, Thriller

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My Review

Evil in High Places sees the return of Sebastian Wolff who hates what Germany has become under the Nazis (surely the epitome of evil in high places) but whose sense of justice compels him to continue in his role as Captain of Detectives in the Kripo. ‘He didn’t like the present government, but that wasn’t unusual. His job was to solve crimes and bring murderers to court; their politics meant nothing to him.’ It’s not essential to have read the previous book, Munich Wolf, to enjoy this one as the author includes salient details about Wolff’s past. In fact he continues to flesh out Wolff’s back story including events from his younger days.

At times Wolff struggles to conceal his hatred for the Nazi regime and those who hang on its coat-tails such as vile Hitler acolyte Unity Mitford. The feeling is mutual in this case and you suspect she’d like nothing better than to see Wolff transported to Dachau. (He had a taste of that in the previous book.) The expected Heil Hitler salute is always something of an effort for Wolff and done only for necessity. His professional life is made more difficult by having a boss who’s more interested pleasing his superiors than bringing the real culprits to justice. His view is round up some suspects and interrogate them until they confess. Result: case closed. It’s the exact opposite of Wolff’s approach.

It’s not all rosy in Wolff’s personal life either. His relationship with his son is fraught given Jurgen is a member of the Hitler Youth and It’s not unknown for people to denounce family members for displaying anti-Nazi sentiment. Wolff is engaged to the beautiful Hexie but she’s running out of patience with him for not setting a date for their wedding. To top it all an important figure from Wolff’s past makes an unexpected, and not entirely welcome, appearance.

Wolff soon has more on his plate than just a missing persons case. Under strict orders that nothing, not even suspicious deaths, must disrupt the Winter Olympics (‘Same rule applies – no murders in Bavaria while the Games last’), he finds himself hampered in his investigation at every turn. When he does start to make progress he finds himself in dangerous territory, coming up against powerful individuals who have no compunction about silencing those who threaten them. As he observes, ‘One policeman against the might of Germany’s wealthiest family and the unchallenged power of Himmler’s SS.’ On the bright side – for readers at least – it means we get some exciting scenes and narrow escapes.

Wolff is not the only one taking risks. Sergeant Hans Winter, seconded from the Berlin Political Police, initially to keep an eye on Wolff, discovered unwelcome information about himself in the last book. Something that if made public would scupper his marriage plans, threaten his career and possibly his life. It leads him to undertake a highly dangerous undercover mission, ostensibly to obtain information about a suspect in the investigation, but really to obtain something he would be unable to get on the outside.

Evil in High Places is a terrific historical thriller with a satisfyingly twisty plot, a constant sense of jeopardy and plenty of drama. The period and setting are brilliantly evoked. And there a tantalising hint at the end that this isn’t the last we’ll see of Sebastian Wolff.

I received a review copy courtesy of Viking via NetGalley.

In three words: Gripping, atmospheric, suspenseful
Try something similar: A Death in Berlin by Simon Scarrow

About the Author

Rory Clements writes full time in a quiet corner of Norfolk. He was raised all over the world while his father served in the Royal Navy, an experience that went on to inspire Rory’s beloved historical thrillers. Previously a journalist for various papers, he is now a Sunday Times bestselling author, two-time winner and three-time nominee of the CWA Historical Dagger Award. His books have sold over 1 million copies to date.

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