The Pale House
A Gregor Reinhardt Novel
-
-
4.2 • 70 Ratings
-
-
- $5.99
Publisher Description
As the Nazi war machine is pushed back across Europe, defeat has become inevitable. But there are those who seek to continue the fight beyond the battlefield.
German intelligence officer Captain Gregor Reinhardt has just been reassigned to the Feldjaegerkorps—a new branch of the military police with far-reaching powers. His position separates him from the friends and allies he has made in the last two years, including a circle of fellow dissenting Germans who formed a rough resistance cell against the Nazis. And he needs them now more than ever.
While retreating through Yugoslavia with the rest of the army, Reinhardt witnesses a massacre of civilians by the dreaded Ustaše—only to discover there is more to the incident than anyone believes. When five mutilated bodies turn up, Reinhardt knows the stakes are growing more important—and more dangerous.
As his investigation begins to draw the attention of those in power, Reinhardt’s friends and associates are made to suffer. But as he desperately tries to uncover the truth, his own past with the Ustaše threatens his efforts. Because when it comes to death and betrayal, some people have long memories. And they remember Reinhardt all too well.
And now, Reinhardt will have to fight them once more.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In McCallin's well-executed sequel to 2013's The Man from Berlin, set mainly in 1945 Sarajevo, Capt. Gregor Reinhardt, a former Berlin police detective, has been transferred to the Feldjaegerkorps, a branch of the German military police that accepts only officers and noncommissioned officers with a minimum of three years of combat experience. Though Reinhardt fears that his membership in the anti-Hitler movement will be uncovered, he can't resist causing trouble by following his investigations wherever they may lead. At a roadblock set up by the Ustase, the Croatian fascist organization, he confronts a brutal Ustase officer who has been using a spiked club on terrified refugees. Friction between him and the Ustase only complicates Reinhardt's subsequent probe into the murders of men dressed in German uniforms. Readers who can't wait for Philip Kerr's next Bernie Gunther novel will find much to like, even if McCallin falls short of Kerr's high standard.
Customer Reviews
Excellent book: chaotic and confusing
A great book that has a serpentine plot that can be hard to follow — not unlike the real war in which the book is set. Historically vivid, this novel is a complicated police procedural with a hint of a love story and all the frustrations that entails. Not something to read in a weekend, but a book that requires spending a lot of time to let the characters and plot marinate in your mind. Sticks with you long after you’ve finished reading it.