Customer Reviews

The Last Man in Berlin

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This book, by the prolific author Gaylord Dold, promised to be an exciting, informative, and insightful chronicle of a turbulent time in Germany's history; a time which would eventually give rise to some of mankind's greatest crimes. But poor editing (or writing -- it's hard to tell who made the errors) jarred me from beginning to end, starting with the first page.

What jarred me? Firstly, a poor technical knowledge; i.e., a Pistole '08, called a P-'08 in the book, is a Luger semi-automatic pistol. Dold called it a 'revolver,' which is not a generic word for a handgun.

Secondly, a poor choice of words; the author or editor apparently doesn't know the difference between 'critical' and 'crucial.' Believe me, there IS a difference. Likewise, he doesn't know the difference between 'poured' and 'pored' when used in the context of intense study of documents, or of 'tick' and 'tic' when writing of involuntary nervous movements.

Lastly, there was too much gratuitous sex. WAY too much, described in unnecessary detail in an obvious attempt to make the book appeal to a mass market.

Those things spoiled a good story for me.

This is a very good mystery-thriller, painted on the canvas of the doomed Berlin, and subsequently, doomed mid-twentieth century Europe. It carries with it some of the sadness of the wonderful Alan Furst novels, true to the time and the despair of the Armageddon our forefathers were powerless or impotent or too ignorant to avoid.

Harry Wulff, the last man standing, is a successful detective wanting only to protect the people, the Berliners, from lawbreakers. Of course behind Wulff are the raging battles of the Nazi Party, the communists, as well as the criminals. This is Berlin in 1931 and 1932. Hitler is not Chancellor yet and the Reichstag has yet to be burned.

His love of his partner Johanna, who won't marry him because she is Jewish, his loyalty to his friend Barlach, and his devotion to his father is touching and grounds him. We are dealing with an honorable man in dishonorable surroundings.

Hot on the trail of a psychopath he seeks the advice of Johanna, much like Spenser seeks the advice of Susan Silvermann. But Spenser survives and Harry is left almost on the brink of madness himself.

There was for me almost too much sex and a great deal of it was lurid and uncomfortable. The pschopath kills tranvestites; there is more than a hint of his incestuous upbringing; the Nazis use prostitutes with special skills.

Yet Dold writes a compelling novel and I will read him again, and probably again. 4 stars. Larry Scantlebury

An interesting perspective of Berlin in the era as Hitler was about to take power interwoven with a thrilling search for a murderer. Well written and hard to put down.