Customer Reviews

Hitler's Angel

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4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have some problems with this book..the ending revelations about Fritz's past, the judgements of Fritz on the American character are not inaccurate, but a bit repetitive, and the "hitler in all of us" idea is dabatable, and will be debated for a long time. But this novel does succeed in several ways, particularly in showing how devasted the world of the German was after WWI, and it depicts well the political labyrinth of german society before Hitler actually took full power in 1933. The story was engrossing and intelligent, the world depicted is complex and interesting. There were many times and ways Hitler could have been stoped by the Germans, the plain and tragic fact was that he was not stopped until 50 million people had died violent deaths as a result of the german people following him. As insane or not as Hitler may have been, he did not effect the Holocaust or unleash history's bloodiest war by himself...millions and millions of Germans willingly followed him into this moral hell, and millions more in Europe and even for a time, America, acquiesed in the horror. We, after all, bombed Dresden weeks before the war's end, killing a hundred thousand civilians when we could have been bombing the rail lines to the camps. One great success of this book is that it does not avoid the moral ambiguities of the time. Worth reading.

This is a very thought provoking novel about something that has been losts in the mists of time - and had the potential to change history and save millions of lives. The character Fritz is very well done. He's "real" and "flawed" - but evokes the reader's sympathy. The use of flashbacks to tell the story of his investigation of the death of Hitler's niece works very well. I couldn't put this novel down. At times it was almost lyrical. I am deeply impressed by Krish Rusch's writing. She is a very, very good writer. This novel will spur me to read more of her novels. Do yourself and read Hitler's Angel!!

In 1972, Annie Pohlman, a criminology student, travels to Munich to interview the legendary German homicide detective of the 1930's, Fritz Stecher, who desperately needs to tell someone about the case of Geli Raubal. In 1931, Geli is found dead in Hitler's apartment. The official ruling is suicide. Since Hitler is only one of several competing politicians trying to rise to the top and Fritz's superiors loathe the Nazi, they assign him to quietly investigate the murder.

Almost immediately, Fritz decides that circumstantial evidence points towards murder, probably arranged or even done by Hitler. As Fritz gets closer to learning the truth, he finds his own life in danger from Hitler's Brown Shirts, who want the investigation stopped so that their leader's rising political power does not abruptly crumble. Fritz also has problems with the government, especially with the Ministry of Justice. If Fritz is to successfully complete his most difficult case, he will have to proceed with great caution and incredible speed.

The premise behind HITLER'S ANGEL is quite clever (a real case from the 1930's) and the use of flashbacks works exceedingly well. Fritz, who tells the entire story, is a great senior citizen, who seems grandfatherly and wise. However, Annie is not well-developed and Fritz's apartment seems lacking as a backdrop with Munich preparing for the Olympics just outside the building. Kris Rusch shows her highly regarded fantasy story telling ability easily crosses genres into the historical mystery realm, but what could have been a classic falls a bit short. Still, this very good book is worth reading by fans of the writer and readers of historical mysteries.

Harriet Klausner.

The premise of this book is intriguing: a highly skilled police detective, in the years before Hitler came to power, investigates the controversial death of Hitler's niece. It was an interesting time, with interesting characters.

The theme of a police detective operating under this kind of complicated political atmosphere has been done in other books. The Rabb series (Rosa, Shadow and Light) has a similar premise; but Rabb's prose and characterization is strong than Rusch's. Harris' excellent Fatherland, although in a different time, is considerably better written.

I had trouble getting very interested in this novel.

First of all, the typography is exceptionally irritating. At least half the book is set in italic, ostensibly to signal that the action is occurring in the 1930s rather than the 70s. It is irritating and hard to read: italic is simply not intended for such long uninterrupted passages.

The author does not evoke the atmosphere of pre-war Germany as well as, for example, Furst in his series of novels; or even as well as Rabb. Something about the dialogue just doesn't ring true.

Sometimes the author just seems ridiculous. For example, at one point Fritz, interrogates an NSDAP member, in 1931: "See? You are defensive, sir." (p. 111). This annoying use of the term "defensive" strikes me as implausible if not anachronistic.

There are some mistakes of grammar: "Let me find out whom he believes could do such a thing" (p. 161). The "whom" should be "who"; Germans, by the way, are much better at grammar than Americans, because the language forces explicit recognition of the case of words.

In one case, I could not even understand what the author meant "The husband suspects the wife of adultery, confronts her, kills her, and dumps the body. Hundreds of husbands did the same after the war, some with more cause. Some whose wives left, and sold themselves for bits of bread." (p. 126). Here, the last comma is confusing and probably wrong, but either way, the passage does not really scan or make a lot of sense.

I found the overall structure, constantly jumping back and forth every few pages between the 30s and the 70s, to be distracting. And the faintly moralizing tone seemed almost sententious and annoying.

Finally, there did not seem to be any particular use of logic by the detective. The resolution seemed completely obvious from the first few pages, even from the back cover.

Thus, as a detective story, it's much too simplistic; as a character study, it's implausible; as a work of literary craftsmanship, it's unexceptional.

I found in this novel parellels with today. How a man with panegyric political skills can get friends to cover up crimes. How lying in high places is sometime sanctioned if you agree with his political aims. The novel will entertain you and enlighten you; why even the pope could not have stopped Hitler.