Waiting on Wednesday – A Death in Berlin by Simon Scarrow

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. In this week’s Waiting on Wednesday, I check out an epic upcoming historical murder mystery with A Death in Berlin by Simon Scarrow.

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Readers of this blog will know that I am a massive fan of historical fiction author Simon Scarrow, whose various books set across multiple historical periods has produced some gripping and fantastic reads. I am primarily a fan of his Eagles of the Empire series, the latest book of which, Revenge of Rome, I am planning to read next. However, I am looking ahead with this post to the next Scarrow book coming out with A Death in Berlin, the third book in the author’s Berlin Wartime thriller series.

The Berlin Wartime books are an addictive and captivating series that focus on dark murder investigations in Berlin during World War II. Following CI Horst Schenke, a Kripo investigator and one of the few good cops left in the city, the series sees the protagonist investigate sinister murders that occur against the backdrop of the war and the Nazi regime. Inevitably, Schenke runs up against powerful Nazis and members of the SS as the major crimes he investigates skirt the dark secrets of the Nazi government. The first two books in this series, Blackout and Dead of Night were impressive reads that expertly combined compelling narratives with the ominous historical setting and produced some amazing books. As such, I make sure to keep a close out for any additional books in the series, and it looks like we are going to be blessed with a new entry in the series in 2025 with A Death in Berlin.

A Death in Berlin, which is currently set for release in March 2025, will once again force Schenke to take up a risk-laden investigation likely to put him at odds with his Nazi masters. This new book will see Schenke go up against corrupt and protected gangster running crime in Berlin, while war rages all around.

Plot Synopsis:

BERLIN. MAY 1940. AS HITLER PREPARES TO INVADE WESTERN EUROPE, THERE IS BLOODSHED CLOSER TO HOME

CI Horst Schenke is an investigator with the Kripo unit. Powerless against the consequences of the war, he fights to keep criminals off his patch. But with doubts growing about his loyalty to the Nazi regime, he is walking a tightrope. If his relationship with a Jewish woman is exposed, a dreadful fate awaits.

Berlin’s gangsters run their crime rings with impunity. Decadent senior Nazis protect them. Schenke is different. He won’t turn a blind eye when innocents are caught in the crossfire between warring gangs. But dangerous enemies know everything about him. They will do whatever it takes to bend him to their will . . .

From the seedy wartime nightlife scene to aristocratic homes frequented by the Führer, as the distant war spirals ever closer, A Death in Berlin conveys the horror and banality of evil – and the terrible danger for those who dare stand against it.

A Death in Berlin sounds like another amazing novel from Scarrow, and I am very excited to dive into this new murder mystery. The first two books in this series have been outstanding, and I look forward to seeing some of the ongoing storylines continue as the moral protagonist attempts to deal with the evils of the regime that hold power in his country. I am also intrigued to get a closer look at the German crime rings in action during the war, and this will likely lead to another clever and complex murder investigation. I have no doubt Scarrow will tie the crime fiction elements of this book around some interesting historical elements, and I cannot wait to see how this elaborate and exciting story will unfold.

Based on how much I have enjoyed the first two novels in this series, there is no way that I won’t be grabbing A Death in Berlin next year. Simon Scarrow is such a good author, and I have really enjoyed his impressive Berlin Wartime novels, especially as it allows him to explore wartime Berlin through the eyes of a conflicted protagonist. I am very curious to see how this new story will unfold, and I have no doubt I am going to find it fascinating and compelling. A Death in Berlin is currently one of my most anticipated historical fiction novels for next year, and I will dive into it the first chance I get.