The Silent Death

The Silent Death: A Gripping Historical Mystery Set in the Shadows of 1930s Berlin

"[Kutscher's] trick is ingenious...He's created a portrait of an era through the lens of genre fiction."—The New York Times

Volker Kutscher, author of the international bestseller Babylon Berlin, continues his Gereon Rath Mystery series with The Silent Death as a police inspector investigates crime and corruption in a decadent 1930s Berlin, overshadowed by the growing Nazi movement.

March 1930: The film business is in flux as talking films take over the silver screen, leaving many a producer, cinema owner, and silent movie star falling by the wayside. When celebrated actress Betty Winter is hit by a spotlight while filming a talkie, it initially appears to be an accident. However, Superintendent Gereon Rath discovers clues pointing to murder.

As Rath's colleagues suspect the absconded lighting technician, his investigations lead him in a completely different direction, soon leaving him to pursue the case on his own. Tensions mount as Rath's superior pressures him to drop the investigation, his father seeks his help with a blackmail case involving Cologne mayor Konrad Adenauer, and ex-girlfriend Charly attempts to rekindle their relationship—all against the backdrop of escalating violence between Nazis and Communists.