Finger of Guilt: A Bonus Story

By Paul Grossman

In Finger of Guilt, star investigator Hans Fraksa claims that the Kinderfresser, the vicious child eater of Berlin, has been caught.

So why is he worried discarded, gnawed bones will keep appearing?

Follow the gruesome case with detective Willi Krauss in The Children of Wrath, by Paul Grossman.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: Jan 3, 2012
• ISBN: 9781250016478

Paul Grossman

Paul Grossman is a long time teacher of writing and literature at Hunter College. He is the author of The Sleepwalkers and Children of Wrath.

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The great gray Police Presidium loomed over Alexanderplatz like an aging father, forever reminding everyone of the law’s inescapability, yet blind to the myriad infractions in full swing beneath its eyes: the prostitution and petty larceny, the passing packs of drugs. Even with the big redevelopment underway that spring of 1930, all the modern buildings and circular traffic patterns would never erase the vice from such a congested commercial heart, only push it deeper into the crevices. Which was why Berlin would always need men like him, Freksa knew. And yet, the terrible thought stabbed his brain: what if the old man’s not as blind as he seems?

A tingle of humiliation burned his cheeks. Under his arm throbbed a painful boil. For a second his eyes closed. Then he stiffened his spine.

From his sixth floor office in the Homicide Commission he stared out the window, motionless as a statue, thrusting out his chin. The whole Alex sprawled down there, the restaurants and beer halls, the flagship department stores. It had taken all he had to reach this pedestal, every step combat. He deserved his hour of glory. If not for this, then for a dozen other blood-soaked battles.

If only he knew for certain nothing would mess it up.

Slowly, he let the breath leave his chest.

The famous glass globe atop the Tietz Department Store was already reflecting midday sun. This climb had taken very long, he knew. Longer than it had others in his unit. Streams of cars and buses below blurred into the face of his nemesis, those dark clever eyes always seeming to accuse the world of some atrocity. How like Kraus to play victim, with all the advantages he’d been born with. The whole infernal network. But never mind him now, Freksa commanded himself, gagging almost on injustice.

From the bottom of his pocket he

Reviews for Finger of Guilt

[cbl_tn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I haven't yet read either of Paul Grossman's Willi Kraus novels, but this short story has bumped the series higher on my wish list. Kraus's role in the story is a bit like Olive Kitteridge. His presence affects the protagonist in the story, but Kraus stays in the background. It was a free download for my e-reader and it still appears to be available as a free Kindle download. It's a nice opportunity for historical mystery fans to try out a new author.