Tag: historical crime

Book Review – Evil in High Places by Rory Clements

whatcathyreadnext5 Comments

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

Find Evil in High Places on Goodreads

Pre-order/purchase Evil in High Places from Bookshop.org [Disclosure: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops]

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.

Connect with Rory
Website |  X/Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Book Review – Viper in the Nest by Georgina Clarke @clarkegeorgina1 @Verve_Books

whatcathyreadnext2 Comments

Welcome to the final day of the blog tour for Viper in the Nest by Georgina Clarke, the third book in the Lizzie Hardwicke historical crime series. My thanks to Lisa at VERVE Books for inviting me to take part in the tour and for my review copy. Head over to Instagram, X or Bluesky to read the thoughts of the other readers taking part in the tour.

About the Book

London, June 1759. When a charmless civil servant takes his own life, few are interested in his death. But Lizzie Hardwicke, who plies her trade in the brothels of London whilst also working as an undercover sleuth for the magistrate, can see no reason why a man who had everything to look forward to would wish to end his life.

Lizzie’s search for answers takes her from the smoke-filled rooms of fashionable gambling houses, where politicians mix ambition with pleasure, to the violent streets of Soho, ready to erupt with riots in the sultry summer heat. All the while, she is navigating her complicated feelings for the magistrate’s trusted assistant, Will Davenport, and a disturbing situation at home.

Then a gambling house owner is brutally murdered, and Lizzie finds herself tangled in a chaos that she cannot control. The darkest of secrets threatens to turn Davenport against her forever; its exposure will send her to the gallows.

Format: Paperback (320 pages) Publisher: VERVE Books
Publication date: 24th April 2025 Genre: Historical Fiction, Crime

Find Viper in the Nest on Goodreads

Purchase Viper in the Nest from Bookshop.org [Disclosure: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops]

My Review

I haven’t read either of the previous books in the series – Death and the Harlot and The Corpse Played Dead – which puts me in the perfect position to assure you Viper in the Nest can definitely be read as a standalone.

You can’t help but become engaged in the story from the start with the sudden and seemingly inexplicable suicide of a man who seemed to have everything. But was it all built on sand? Just how did a clerk working in a government office acquire the wealth to afford a large house and a mistress? As Lizzie observes, ‘Mr Merrick, the dullest man in London, was beginning to intrigue me.’

At one point a character says to Lizzie, ‘I think you’re like a terrier with a bone, agitating people until you find answers’ and there was never a truer word said because Lizzie can’t stop herself trying to find out the truth. She’s a brilliant character: resourceful, clever, witty and a loyal friend. She’s used to dissembling, pretending attraction where there is none. But her insatiable curiosity brings her dangerous enemies.

Always at the back of Lizzie’s mind are the circumstances that brought about such a change in her life and social status. She’s determined that will change one day but a new arrival at the Berwick Street brothel threatens her plans.

I liked the way the story demonstrated the divisions in society with many citizens of London living in abject poverty whilst the rich (mostly men) while away the hours gambling, whoring and seeking preferment in whatever way they can. The epitome of this excess is the bizarre personal bets, often involving thousands of pounds, placed on events such as what the weather will be on a particular day.

I enjoyed the simmering relationship between Lizzie and magistrate’s assistant, William Davenport. Despite signs of mutual attraction, Lizzie’s mindful that a harlot doesn’t make an ideal wife for a man in William’s position.

Viper in the Nest is a really entertaining historical mystery with a skilfully crafted plot and great period atmosphere. I hope there will be more adventures to come for Lizzie.

In three words: Engaging, suspenseful, colourful
Try something similar: Daughters of Night by Laura Shepherd-Robinson

About the Author

Georgina Clarke has a degree in theology and a PhD in history part-time, while working as a parish priest. Her love of the past is at the heart of her fiction: her Lizzie Hardwicke crime series is set in the mid-eighteenth century, and her standalone novel – The Dazzle of the Light – unfolds in 1920s London and is inspired by the real-life activities of the women-led Forty Elephants crime syndicate. Georgina is currently a tutor at the Queen’s Foundation in Birmingham. When she’s not working she enjoys dressmaking, running and mooching around old houses. She lives in Worcester with her husband, son and son, and two lively cats.

Connect with Georgina
Website | X/Twitter | Instagram | Bluesky