The Russian Donation

Written by Christoph Spielberg

Narrated by Michael Page

Doctor Felix Hoffmann’s life is textbook success: a seasoned physician at a Berlin hospital, respected by colleagues, and devoted to his amorous and intelligent girlfriend Celine. It’s a life filled with medical work, televised soccer games, and the chill of German beer.

Yet, when a former patient shows up dead by causes unknown, Hoffmann signs a death certificate that may be his own. Curiosity and sheer medical devotion propel him to investigate. However, his autopsy order goes unfulfilled as the body is cremated and hospital records vanish. Soon, Hoffmann discovers a diagnosis of conspiratorial proportions. The deeper he scans, the darker it gets, until a criminal clue emerges from Russia. Despite adversity, Hoffmann is determined to sleuth through with his own brand of logic and the aid of Celine’s powers of deduction.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Translator: Gerald Chapple
• Release date: Jan 22, 2013
• ISBN: 9781469211855

Christoph Spielberg

Cardiologist and Agatha Christie prize-winning author Christoph Spielberg lives in Berlin, Germany, where his mystery novels have gained national notoriety. Spielberg was awarded the prestigious Friedrich Glauser prize from the German Crime Writers Association for The Russian Donation, the first in his ongoing Dr. Hoffmann crime series, and his books have been translated into both English and Japanese. Critical acclaim for the Dr. Hoffmann series has prompted the German ZDF television network to produce a run of TV movies based on the novels. Today, Spielberg continues to draw from his medical experience, writing novels, short stories, and providing medical care to his patients.

Reviews for The Russian Donation

[katyas_26 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Book Info: Genre: Medical MysteryReading Level: AdultRecommended for: Those who like financially based crimesTrigger Warnings: murder, suicide, physical assault (man on woman)My Thoughts: In a seemingly International series of books, I've moved from Iceland to Germany in this next mystery on my shelf. (I've also been listening to a Russian singer, and a Japanese heavy metal band, so it's International Week here in the Sozaeva household...)I was incredibly amused by the way Dr. Hoffman kept comparing the COO, Bredow, to Hitler. It kept making me giggle at inappropriate times. There were a few other places that were pretty funny, too, but mostly short, one-offs rather than more intensive sections.I was aggravated by the author's (or possibly the translater's) constant misuse of “comprised.” It was consistently written as “comprised of...” when that should be “composed of.” Comprised is not used with of. For instance: Twelve items comprise a dozen. vs. A dozen is composed of twelve items.Anyway, overall I didn't much care for this book. I did finish it, but I found it overly complex, with way too much musing, not enough character development or plot, and generally just not to my taste. All the financial aspects just made my eyes glaze over, and generally I wouldn't recommend this to anyone other than someone who is absolutely fascinated in financial crime and following the money trail. Attempts to throw in the Russian mafia were subverted by making them way more civilized than they normally are. No, I won't be continuing this series despite it's acclaim elsewhere.Disclosure: I received an ARC paperback from Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.Synopsis: Doctor Felix Hoffmann is a seasoned physician at a Berlin hospital, respected by colleagues and devoted to his intelligent girlfriend, Celine. It's a life filled with medical work, televised soccer games, and the chill of German beer. And when a former patient shows up dead by causes unknown, curiosity and sheer medical devotion propel Hoffmann to investigate. But his autopsy order goes unfulfilled as the body is cremated and hospital records vanish. Soon, Hoffmann discovers a diagnosis of conspiratorial proportions, and he must risk everything to save not only himself but the hospital he's always loved.

[ronrose1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is very entertaining. The smooth flowing translation by Gerald Chapple does justice to the fine style of German author, Christoph Spielberg's novel, The Russian Donation. The book introduces us to Felix Hoffman, a doctor who works in the emergency room of a busy Berlin hospital. Dr. Hoffman usually has more than his hands full of work, with normal duty hours and the occasional extra night sifts. Why, when a former patient turns up DOA in the emergency room, does Hoffman take such a personal interest? Perhaps because he had treated this man previously for suspicious looking injuries that could not be explained away by the patient's insistence that he had fallen accidentally. Perhaps because the dead body has an odd yellow cast. Perhaps because after Dr Hoffman signs a death certificate declaring him dead from unknown circumstances, a second death certificate is issued stating death was caused from natural causes. Other paperwork on the patient mysteriously disappears from the ER. Following this, the body is quickly removed from the hospital and cremated. Not normal procedure for any hospital, but Dr. Hoffman is about to discover there is very little normal going on behind the scenes in this hospital. This is a fast paced, medical mystery with just the right blend of light humor and suspenseful action. I look forward to following Dr. Hoffman's cases as the other books in this series are translated. No super sleuths or villains here. The characters are smart but not overly so. Mistakes are made. Opportunities are missed, but this merely has the effect of making the characters more endearing. Book provided by Amazon Vine.