Customer Reviews

Shadow and Light: A Novel

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

As he had done in ROSA (the only other novel of his that I have read), Jonathan Rabb paints a wonderfully dark picture of Berlin in the twenties: drugs and alcohol amid the detritus of war, sexual excesses in the cabarets, and a gangster culture semi-tolerated. Ordinary working people, resentful and forgotten, are easily stirred by the rival forces of communism and the nascent Nazi party. Chief Inspector Nikolai Hoffner, Rabb's antihero, threads a twisting path through this maze, which sometimes seems like a visit to the underworld.

Rabb's feeling for noir is appropriate here, since this novel centers around the German film industry, whose leading director, Fritz Lang, known as "the master of darkness", had just completed his monumental METROPOLIS. Lang is only one of some dozen real figures who appear in the novel, and not just in cameo roles either. Because Rabb is not writing a whodunnit -- even though the book begins with Hoffner being called to investigate a mysterious death at the Berlin film studios, UFA -- he can plunge even his real figures quite deep into the mud, knowing that little of it will ultimately stick. This is both the fascination of the book and its ultimate disappointment, because although people are more or less sorted into their respective camps by the end, very little light shines through the darkness -- the implication being that the shadows will continue to deepen right through the next decade.

This is not always an easy book to read. The early pages involve more of Hoffner's back story than first-time readers may find approachable. It can be difficult to pick up cross-references even within the book itself; Rabb's style is episodic rather than linear. Then there are an unusual number of plot strands: pornographic movies, the introduction of the talkies, struggles between UFA and MGM, postwar rearmament, and the early activities of the Nazis. Even at the end, it is not clear how these all fit together. But Hoffner is an interesting character, and his involvement with Leni Coyle -- an American talent agent who may well have other motives for being in Berlin -- keeps both him and the reader on their toes. For me, though, the sequences that gave the book the most humanity were those involving Hoffner's two sons, especially the way the investigation brings him closer to the younger one, an absent father trying to make up for lost time.

Shadow and Light is an exceptionally interesting book, written about the period of time of the Weimar Republic and the ensuing rise of the Nazi party. Nominally it concerns the apparent suicide of a move studio executive and the investigation by a chief inspector, but it unfolds as so much more.

The investigation leads the inspector in a number of different paths, including the development of sound in the film industry, the rise of Goebbels and others in the Nazi party and the re-arming of the German Army. The investigation is fast paced and involves a beautiful femme fatale. One is never quite sure which side (of several) she is working for. The inspector plays a bit too close to type - too tired, too world weary, too all-knowing, and yet too often unable to bring all the pieces together.

In many ways this book reminds me of some of Alan Furst's writings, which are all prologues to the Second World War. The author weaves together a number of interesting story lines, especially about the competition between the US and German film industries, and the rise of the Nazis and their propaganda machine. I would have enjoyed a bit more about the period, as the Weimar Republic is a fascinating time in history, stuck between two wars as Germany struggles with governance and recovery.

The book is written in a style that reveals little, and it forces the reader to pay attention. The plotting unfolds slowly, and the number of intertwined story lines can be a bit murky at times, but this is an excellent read.

"Shadow and Light" describes Berlin police inspector Nikolai Hoffner's investigation into the apparent murder of Herr Thyssen, a film studio executive, in 1927.

Berlin in 1927, shortly before the Nazis came to power, is a dark, decadent, dangerous city; and every twist and turn of the plot exposes more and more of the moral decay and political corruption of the time. Thyssen's murder -- if it was a murder -- may be related to his work at the movie studio. Movie studios around the world are trying to develop a technology to make "talkies." The potential financial rewards are enormous, so the competition is fierce, and some of the methods used to test the new technology -- sex films -- are not for the squeamish.

The sex industry connection implies the possible involvement of organized crime. Did Thyssen do something to cross a crime boss?

The financing behind the new technology is also problematic. There are big bucks involved, so who exactly is financing the studios, and what connection do they have to the increasingly popular, National Socialist political movement? And why would either big bucks financiers or the Nazi Party be involved with sex films?

In addition to those thorny problems, Hoffner also has some personal issues to deal with. One of his sons is connected to the movie studio where Thyssen worked, and his other son is pro-Nazi, a bit of a problem, since Hoffner's own mother is Jewish.

The plot in "Shadow and Light" is complex, all of the characters seem to have multiple motivations, and the atmosphere is gritty and bleak. A very good, noir read.

This book is a sequel, of sorts, to "Rosa" which took place in Berlin in 1919. Now it is 1927 and Nikolai Hoffner, the protagonist of both novels, is still working the seamy side of crime. An apparant suicide at the Ufa studio outside Berlin involves Hoffner once again in a tangled web of lies and conflicting interests. You don't necessarily have to have read the first book to enjoy this one, but it would certainly help to understand the history and motivations of the characters. I found the plot(s) very convoluted and, at times, difficult to follow, which is why I gave this book 4 stars rather than 5. The author certainly has the knack for recreating a time and place that makes the reader feel a part of the situation. Hotels, buildings, stores, restaurants, etc., all have the ring of authenticity. This is a bleak book, as was the first, but that does not make it any the less interesting to read. It would help to have read the first book, but this one can also be taken as a stand alone. It's well worth the read, and I highly recommend it!

As a big fan of Phillip Kerr's "Berlin Noir" series, I'm always interested to read more crime fiction set in Weimar-era and wartime Germany. This 1927-set crime novel also features the German film industry, which is another interest of mine, so it seemed totally up my alley. Things kick off when Berlin police chief inspector Nikoli Hoffner is sent out to the UFA studio's campus to investigate a suicide. From the very start, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was some larger backstory to Hoffner that I had missed out on. And that, indeed, is the case: Hoffner was the protagonist of Rabb's earlier book, Rosa. That helps to explain a great deal of my dissatisfaction with Hoffner's character and some of the plot points, and so I would strongly recommend reading Rosa before picking this up.

This book is filled to the rim with intricate plotting based partly on the real-life "Phoebus Affair", as the murder leads Hoffner into a very confusing stew of industrial espionage, sexual debauchery and blackmail, the early days of National Socialism, and Berlin's dirty underbelly of gangsters, junkies, and thugs (not to mention cameos by Fritz Lang, Peter Lorre, Joseph Goebbels, and Alfred Hugenberg). Various corpses continue to appear along the way, as Hoffner stolidly picks away at the various strands that ultimately lead back to the Treaty of Versailles. Mixed up in all this is a sharp-tongued American dame of mysterious motives, whom Hoffner finds himself drawn to. There's also a running subplot involving Hoffner's strained attempts to connect with his two sons, one a teenager working at UFA, the other, a protege of Goebbels.

While I was immersed in the dark moody world Rabb is able to bring to life, the story never quite coalesced into anything I could really grab a hold of. Alan Furst's novels of espionage capture the same tone, but are able to bring more solid storytelling to the fore. Here, the plotlines wander around bumping into each other, but by the end it's not clear what the point of it all is. (Nor is it at all clear in some cases how Hoffner makes various deductive leaps.) And as mentioned earlier, some key relationships (such as that between Hoffner and the gangster Alby Pimm, or Hoffner and his sons) are rather cryptic unless one has already read Rosa. It doesn't help that everyone speaks to each other in very clever banter that is entertaining to read, but feels more of the movies than real life. By the end, the book's channeling of Furst, Kerr, Isherwood's Berlin Stories, and The Maltese Falcon left me a more wearied than entertained.

I have been a film noir freak for ages, for the vast majority of my life. And it is not easy to nail down on the page. Raab gets it. He understands the fast motorboat speed dialogue needed to push it into a page turner and he lays out a wonderfully complicated tale that has wonderful twists and turns.

But don't be mistaken, the book is, at times, a daunting read. Raab jumps right in and expects the reader to be able to take snapshots of a series of events, just like a roving movie camera would through some corrupt underground world. The murder is just a set up for Hoffner and Raab to play with the setting. Raab throws at the reader a world dripping with corrupt excess, drugs, women, death - all the trademarks of trench and fedora styled film noir. And that is what makes Light and Shadow so good. It is dripping in atmosphere. It is the main focus of the work, like most if not all great film noir reads.

My only disappointment with this book is that I wanted more of it.

In 1927 the German capital Berlin is a city filled with chaos and corruption in spite of its reputation of a place with no reason to ever leave. Within the craziness of a collapsing city and country, perhaps the only oasis of a functioning government agency is the Kriminalpolizei led by highly principled Herr Kriminal-Oberkommissar "Chief Inspector" Nikolai Hoffner.

At Ufa Movie Studios, executive Herr Thyssen is found dead in his tub in what looks like a suicide. Leading the investigation, Hoffner decides the victim could not have killed himself as he finds evidence that a clever homicide was perpetuated to fool the "incompetent" cops. It might have worked if anyone but Hoffner was making the inquiry. To his surprise the investigator with a tendency to lose partners also finds his younger son working at the studio having quietly dropped out of school. Meanwhile on the case he looks at the deceased's personal and business lives with a fine tooth comb, This scrutiny leads to the convergence of politics with industrial espionage, but not a killer and to Hoffner considering a tryst with visiting American MGM official Helen Coyle. At the same time the Brownshirted thugs of Goebbels who includes Hoffner's oldest son as a loyal supporter beats up Jews, Communists and homosexuals for pleasure.

This strong German historical police procedural provides a profound sense of time and place as the audience will feel the beginning of a new darker more intense era. The story line grips readers with its fascinating look at Berlin as the Brownshirts are just starting to flex muscle and the Great Depression is in full swing here with many locals believing the unfair armistice being the cause. Hoffner is a quirky lead character as his wry comments and retorts provide further insight into the period while also working the case. SHADOW AND LIGHT is a terific 1920s Weimer Republic murder mystery.

Harriet Klausner

Shadow And Light is an historical novel set in pre-nazi Berlin. It is a murder mystery that occurs within the German film industry. Though it is the second novel in the series, you do not have to have read the first to truly enjoy this book.

The research is impeccable. It's an era I have some familiarity with, and, as it happens I had just seen a PBS special on members of the film community who had fled Germany for the U.S. prior to WWII. I love well researched historical novels, and this are one. :-)

It moves at a stately pace, completely appropriate to both the genre and the story. I'm not going to give any details on the plot as I don't want to spoil it for you. Suffice it to say it's an intriguing story with great fictional characters, who interact with the historical figures in believable and interesting ways.

The historical figures' behavior is completely consistent with what I know about them. The Nazis are involved, but this is before they take power, which makes for and interesting look at them. Most books with Nazis in them are either during the 11 years they were in power or after.

I would have rated the book 4 1/2 stars had that been an option. Some of the descriptive passages, while wonderfully written, were a bit long for my taste. Keep in mind that I read a pre-production copy and the editor may shorten them a bit. This is "noir" so there are no happy endings. I know times are tough right now and some people require happy endings. If you can get by that and you are looking for a great genre read in the mystery or historical novel categories, this would be an excellent choice.

It's tense, compelling, and complex.

Inspector Nikolai Hoffner drives around, walks through, and muddles about the Berlin of 1927 like a Sam Spade, only he works for the KriminalPolizei, the Kripo instead of being a private eye. He is called upon to investigate an apparent suicide: A man is found, dead of an apparently self inflicted gunshot wound to the chest, in the film studios of UFA the German filmmaking concern that employs, among others the famous expressionist director Fritz Lang, who just finished making his major film, and major flub `Metropolis'.

Along the way, he meets not only Fritz Lang, but also a young Peter Lorre, still a struggling comic theater actor. With the `help' of Herr Lang, an American woman named Leni who may or may not be a talent scout for MGM, and Albi Pimm, the leader of Berlin's major crime syndicate, Hoffner stumbles along, following this lead and that, and fumbling the ball, more often than scoring, however he persists with bulldog like tenacity determined to chase down the truth, despite all interference, and at any cost.

There is something tragically attractive in novels set in Germany in the twenties. It may be our retrospective knowledge that all our heroes are doomed, eventually, and that the brightly lit streets will soon be lit by a different fire. It may be our suspicion that the characters themselves know that it cannot last. Whatever it is, I chase after stories like this like a hound dog after a fox. This one did not disappoint, although it may, at times, be overly elaborate.

This novel is a sequel to "Rose" where Hoffner investigates the disappearance of Rosa Luxembourg, the communist leader. It can be read independently, and indeed I have not read the previous book, but will.

I am looking forward to more of Mr. Rabb's work.

This book is somewhat of a confused muddle of a mess. It's slow, it's plodding, it doesn't make a lot of sense. The author tries to capture the feeling of some of the films of 1920's Germany, and to an extent succeeds, but mostly the story is... just not all that great.

The novel centers around a police inspector who is investigating a murder. Along the way he gets caught up in a struggle over sound on film, falls in love with a mysterious American woman, rubs shoulders with Berlin's underworld and attends a Nazi rally.

I was disapointed in this novel. I really like films of this era, and Fritz Lang, who appears briefly in the book, is one of my favorite characters. It's quite obvious this book is meant to show how Lang may have gotten his inspiration to make M - 2 Disc Special Edition - Criterion Collection, which if you haven't seen, you ought to. There's also shades of later films like The Maltese Falcon Three-Disc Special Edition (1941 & 1931 versions / Satan Met a Lady) (what is the sound system if not the falcon by a different name?). But overall the book just left me bored and uninterested.

It was a real struggle for me to finish this book. Other people might enjoy it more than I do, but frankly I don't know anyone I'd recommend it to.