The Air Raid Killer
Written by Frank Goldammer
Narrated by Alexander Cendese
4/5
()
About this audiobook
As World War II ends, a killer’s game begins.
In the final days of the Nazi regime, with the historic city of Dresden on the brink of destruction, terrifying rumors spread about the Fright Man, a demonic killer who exploited the cover of a nighttime air raid siren to mutilate and kill a young nurse. Just as seasoned detective Max Heller begins investigating, the Fright Man kills again…
The investigation seems hopeless. Desperate refugees flood the streets, all of Heller’s resources are depleted, and his new boss is a ruthless SS officer. And like so many others, Heller and his wife, Karin, survive on meager rations while fearing for the lives of their sons at the front. But as tensions mount and enemy firebombs decimate the city, dangerous new clues come to light—and the determined Heller pursues a violent and twisting path to unmask a monster.
Frank Goldammer
Frank Goldammer was born in Dresden and is an experienced professional painter as well as a novelist. The Air Raid Killer is his first crime novel translated from German. He’s a single father of twins and lives with his family in his hometown. Visit him at www.frank-goldammer.de.
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The Air Raid Killer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Thousand Devils Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
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Reviews for The Air Raid Killer
46 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The first half was interesting and believable but the conclusion was complicated and a stretch. However, this book gave an insightful look at Germany as the World War II was concluding and one of the most vivid descriptions of the destruction of Dresden that I have ever read. The USA was thankfully spared the horror and destruction that destroyed so many European and Japanese cities during the wars.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Nachdem der Trend in letzter Zeit ja anscheinend dahin geht, dass Krimi-Autoren sich mit jedem Buch bei der Darstellung von Grausamkeiten übertreffen und ohne komplizierte chemische Analysen gar nichts mehr läuft, war das zur Abwechslung ein Krimi ganz nach meinem Geschmack: ein Polizist auf der Suche nach Wahrheit und Gerechtigkeit in den Kriegswirren in Dresden 1944/45. Auf die Frage, wer oder was er denn eigentlich sei, Nazi oder Kommunist – das eine nach dem Krieg ein Problem, das andere vor dem Krieg – antwortet er nur: "Ich bin Max Heller", ein Satz, der dieses Buch für mich auf den Punkt bringt. Es ist mir egal, ob die Beschreibungen der Bombenangriffe historisch genau sind und es ist mir auch egal, obwohl ich mir die Frage beim Lesen natürlich auch gestellt habe, ob es tatsächlich möglich war, dass ein Polizist im Dritten Reich relativ unbehelligt weiterarbeiten konnte, ohne in der NSDAP oder in der SS zu sein. Darum geht es für mich in diesem Buch nicht.Wegen einer Verletzung aus dem 1. Weltkrieg ist Kriminalinspektor Max Heller einer der wenigen Männer, die im Winter 1944/55 noch in Dresden leben und nicht an der Front sind. Er ist Polizist mit Leib und Seele, obwohl er sich in diesen schwierigen Zeiten manchmal selbst daran erinnern muss, warum er den Beruf ergriffen hat. Sein Vorgesetzter ist gelernter Fleischer, kein Polizist, aber im Gegensatz zu Heller parteitreu. Heller hat sich schon immer geweigert, irgendeiner Gruppierung beizutreten. In jenem Winter verbreitet der sogenannte "Angstmann" Angst und Schrecken in den Dresdner Bombennächten. Die Menschen hören merkwürdige tierähnliche Geräusche und es werden grausam verstümmelte Frauenleichen gefunden. Heller versucht mit den bescheidenen ihm zur Verfügung stehenden Mitteln, den Mörder zu finden. Als nach Kriegsende wieder Spuren des Täters auftauchen, ermittelt er weiter, obwohl er offiziell kein Polizist mehr ist. Zu diesem Zweck muss er mit einem russischen Kommissar zusammenarbeiten und es herrscht Misstrauen auf allen Seiten. Man weiß genauso wenig wie in der Nazi-Zeit, wem man trauen kann und wem nicht…Im Winter 1944/45 sterben so viele Menschen in Dresden, eigentlich machen die wenigen Frauenleichen da keinen großen Unterschied, aber Heller will diesen Mörder finden. Er will ein Mensch bleiben und er ist auf der Suche nach Wahrheit. Er weiß nicht, wem er trauen kann, vertraut auch manchmal den Falschen, aber er bleibt Mensch. Bei seinen Ermittlungen muss er sich hauptsächlich auf Menschenkenntnis und Intuition verlassen. Mir hat diese ruhige, altmodische Darstellung der Ermittlungen gut gefallen. Man erfährt zwar, dass die Leichen grausam verstümmelt wurden, der Autor geht aber nicht ins Detail, was ich als angenehm empfand. Ob historisch korrekt oder nicht, "Der Angstmann" ist ein gut zu lesender, spannender Krimi, vor allem für Leser wie mich, die viele Krimis lesen und gerne einmal "entschleunigen" möchten.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I have been recommended the ‘Max Heller series’ of books by Frank Goldammer, and The Air Raid Killer (Amazon Crossing) is the first. Translated from the original German by Steve Anderson, the story is set in Dresden during the height of the bombing in WWII, when there is also a killer on the loose who preys on young women and eviscerates his victims before stringing them up in gory, ‘artistic’ poses – think the Hannibal Lector escapes scene in Silence of the Lambs. This seems an over-trodden path and I am not gripped by either the writing or the characters. I can’t help feeling there are many better options out there for someone like me who is looking for a new protagonist to follow. Ideas welcome!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dresden is overrun with refugees from the East. The Russians are just over the horizon and a killer who flays his victims is on the loose. People are beginning to panic and they have no idea about the hellfire that will soon rain down upon them.Max Heller is a detective inspector trying to discover the identity of the "Fright Man" who has assumed mythic and demonic proportions in the minds of the frightened citizens. In the meantime he has to struggle with superiors still enamored of Nazi ideology and shortages of medical staff and food.An enjoyable read, especially given the Dresden location, a city I love. I must admit, though, I liked the character better after the arrival of the Russians for some reason. The ordinariness and likableness of the real killer is perhaps the most frightening aspect of the book.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5An usual crime story set during the final months of WW2 in Dresden during the terrible allied air raids, including the infamous fire storms and subsequently during the Russian occupation. Inspector Max Heller is determined to catch a brutal killer and prepared to risk the air raids and working with the Russians to achieve his aim. Provides an interesting insight into what life was like during that period, with the Russian occupation forces drawn surprisingly sympathetically overall.