Stasi Child: The award-winning Cold War crime thriller (The Oberleutnant Karin Müller series)

It's East Berlin 1975 and Karin Muller is called to investigate a teenage girl's body at the foot of the wall. When she arrives at the crime scene she is startled to find the Ministry for State Security (Stasi) there rather than the Border Police. This girl was trying to escape over the wall. But, strangely, from the West into the East. Muller is tasked to uncover the identity of the girl but only as part of a Missing Persons investigation, not as the murder which has obviously taken place. The Stasi discourage her questions and it soon becomes clear there is a deeper more sinister crime taking place behind the scenes, of which Muller is not to seek knowledge. Her colleague Tilsner wants them taken off the case, understanding the complications of working "alongside" the Stasi and how it will limit and compromise their investigation but Muller is principled, of a curious mind and proud to be the only female head of a Murder Squad in the whole country. She continues to investigate the crime despite the dangerous path it will set her on. Young wastes no time grabbing the reader and pulling them quickly into the complications of a dark, foreboding crime scene. The book opens with Muller waking with a hangover and a creeping realisation that she has spent the night away from her husband Gottfried and with her colleague Tilsner instead. Tilsner is insolent and disrespectful; Muller full of remorse and reprisal. The detailed description of her headaches, Tilsner's apartment and their actions is so grim and distasteful it fills the reader with a sense of foreboding tension from the outset. Having fought so hard to survive in a man's world and gain the impressive position as Head of Murder Squad, Muller is anxious that she could not have "people calling her a whore". Already the sense that Muller has a fight ahead of her is implied. The already dark and aggressive atmosphere only becomes more sinister and grim with their visit to the cemetery where the body of a murdered girl has been discovered. Young writes of "ever darkening clouds in the sky" and alongside the strained relationship between the colleagues, the unpleasant dialogue and behaviour of Tilsney towards Muller and the fierce, unapproachable, threatening and secretive nature of the Stasi, the stage is set for a thriller of the most bleak and riveting kind. The narrative then switches to 1974 and a Jugenwerkhof - a Youth Reformatory School. Here Young evokes the cruel brutality of the children's routine and daily life. There is no hiding from the relentless barrage of violence and abuse in this novel. It is graphic at times but simultaneously compelling, enthralling and engrossing. I had read almost a third of the book without even noticing and found it hard to break away from. The mystery continues to unfold at a rapid pace. Why are the Stasi so keen to hide the truth? Who has gone to so much trouble to "stage" the murder and interfere with the evidence? Who is this girl and why is it so difficult to identify her? The fascinating thing about this criminal investigation is how the lines of enquiry are controlled by the Stasi. Muller is frequently prevented from fully accessing information and she is repeatedly warned not to challenge the official version of the girl's death: "You have exceeded the terms of your inquiry" and Muller will be arrested if "you don't comply." She "shivers from the implied threats (from the Stasi) as much as the cold." But she remains prepared to "search every corner of the Republic to find the identity of the girl" and I loved the added suspense that this angle brought to the novel. The pressure and heightened hostility about not being able to fully investigate a crime and the anxiety of repercussions if you do, really enhance the gritty atmosphere of this engaging, page turning read. Muller's husband Gottfried then becomes a more central character. Fundamentally Karin conforms to the communist regime although her compassion and principled nature will begin to challenge this and adds a further complexity to her character. But Gottfried is already under suspicion from the authorities - this is a risk to Karin in her position, mixed up with the further issue that the couple are unhappy and unkind to each other. The dramatic events which surround Gottfried are so well captured that at times it is impossible to tear your eyes away from the pages even though the brutality, violence and torture are quite harrowing. I loved the way the prose became more bleak and was reduced to its most basic form in order to accentuate the harshness of the Stasi. "Night time: light on light off on off on off" and "Another night. Another day. Another night.....this hellish place." Young's historical detail is so vivid and well researched that the atmosphere, characters and situations are authentic and believable. His knowledge of the procedures in a Stasi prison is impressive and ensure that every aspect of this novel is convincing and credible. The reader is completely immersed in 1975 East Germany. Alongside all this, the story of Irma and her attempts to escape from the Jugendwerkhof continue. Also the narrative of nightmares. The three story lines weave themselves together as the plot thickens and charges towards a brilliant ending. It is a very gripping read. The most impressive thing about this novel is Young's ability to transport the reader back in time to a regime of repression, oppression, fear, mistrust and accusation. It's such an interesting era in which to set a crime as it is the perfect backdrop for stories of corruption and intimidation. Young's thorough research and attention to historical detail does not overburden or detract from the plot in any way - it actually enhances it. There is no need to have any prior knowledge or familiarity with the historical and social context, it's an accessible and fast paced read. It is a claustrophobic read; the setting and the characters are so vividly depicted that the atmosphere of paranoia oozes from every page. It really is a well observed and exciting crime novel that reads with such fluidity and expertise it's was a surprise to find out this was Young's debut novel. I was convinced it must have been part of an established series but now of course am in the fortunate position of being able to look forward to many more episodes in the Karin Muller series! With the current rise in "Nordic Noir" fiction and Television series and the equally engrossing and powerful programme "Deutschland 83", this book is a timely release and will appeal to all fans of this genre. For lovers of crime and detective fiction it will undoubtedly deliver you a 5 star read. Muller is a strong female character and I hope to follow her career in the Murder Squad for many more years! Currently this book is available on Kindle for £1.79 - this is ridiculously cheap and I urge you to download it! Amazon reviews have rated it 4.5/5 and on Goodreads it has an equally impressive 4/5 star rating. The book sits in the WHSmith top 20 and also in its "Hottest Books of the Week" section. So don't just take my word for it - grab yourself a copy and go back to an all too frighteningly recent period in European History for an "edge of your seat", "breathtaking" ride from which Young refuses to let you leave until you have turned the very last page! For more recommendations, reviews and bookish chat please follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacUK)

This is an atmospheric and exciting thriller debut, featuring Oberleutnant Karin Muller and her deputy, Unterleutnant Werner Tilsner. The book is set in East Berlin, 1975, and begins when Muller and Tilsner are called to investigate the mutilated body of a young girl by the Berlin Wall – or, as it is named in East Germany, the ‘Anti-Fascist Protection Barrier.’ Both Muller and Tilsner are wary when they discover a Stasi officer, Klaus Jager, is already there and that they will be assisting him, at his request. This is no normal case of a youth attempting to jump the wall, as this girl seems to have been fleeing from the West and escaping into the East… I really found this an unusual and interesting novel, with great characters and an excellent setting. Karin Muller is an ambitious officer, who buys totally into the system that she works in, while her husband Gottfried is viewed by suspicion by the authorities. However, as Karin begins to investigate who the victim is, she begins to realise that not all is at it seems and that Jager has his own reasons for choosing her to look into this most sensitive enquiry. East Germany during the years before the Wall fell was very much a different world from the West and the author captures this period well. There is a great deal of mistrust and an atmosphere of informing on all levels – from being spied on by the authorities to nosy neighbours trying to pick up valuable snippets that they can use. The book alternates between Karin Muller’s investigation and the events which led a young girl to become a victim. Fast paced, unsettling and with a fabulous ending, I really hope that this will become a series and we get to meet Karin Muller again. Lastly, I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

I have just finished reading this thriller ‘Stasi Child’ and whilst it is still fresh in my mind I thought to write few lines about it! I I also have other two novels of this author which I still have to read and will review them seperately. I am a big fan of crime thriller novels dated back in DDR or Stalin era.. I loved ‘Child 44’ and was expecting this one at similar level but while it was a good read it sat below my expectation level. I wasn’t too excited with the ending and also didn’t like flashbacks to ths girl story as it gave away very early on as who is the murdered girl.. I think author could have made ending more thrilling/dramatic by bringing the killer which reader was not expecting! All in all good novel and a good historical read but Child 44 fans will end up disappointed!

This was a clearly written book with a fast-moving storyline. I'm old enough to remember the fear that the Stasi's reputation used instil, even though I had no connection with the countries behind the iron curtain; reading this book brought back some uncomfortable memories. I have no idea how much research went into the writing of this book but the story rang very true with one possible exception: the prevalence of rape by men in power and the resulting cover-up. To what extent did this sort of thing actually happen? I found the harshness of some other incidents (such as the unfair control over members of the population) a bit disturbing but again, this all ties in with what was reported in the British press at the time. In summary, then, I say it is a good read, a page-turner of a book and something that members of the youger generation would find useful in order to get an impression of what it was like to live in the old East Germany.

Many British authors situated spy stories and police procedurals in Berlin. Think of John Le Carré, Len Deighton and Philip Kerr, all fluent German speakers who knew the city intimately. David Young’s debut novel may rank him as another great chronicler of Berlin, concentrating on East Berlin in 1975 (and the island of Rügen in 1974). Is it as thrilling and brilliant as the book reviews say on its cover? Two storylines chug along nicely and slowly converge: an unknown girl is found murdered in a cemetery near the Berlin Wall. Karin Müller, the detective-in-charge of the People’s Police soon becomes embroiled with the Stasi, the snooping internal security ministry, whose staff first support, then frustrate her investigations. Her travails are alternated with earlier (1974) accounts of youths incarcerated in a Hitler-built holiday complex turned juvenile prison on the island of Rügen, producing IKEA-type furniture items. David Young used the Stasi practice of turning 173.000 DDR citizens into snooping on their neighbours, workmates, husband or wife, etc. to illustrate their use of children. Well paced, authentic, great finish, but who is the man getting the “Genickschuss” in the penultimate chapter? More East Germany in Jo McMillan’s “Motherland”, another 2015 debut. And David Young has produced a sequel to this volume called "Stasi Wolf".

it was a very good read.....i'm looking forward to reading the whole series

Ik kreeg interesse in dit boek na alle Arkady Remko boeken. Het bleke bestaan in het Oostblok komt niet helemaal uit de verf maar de overduidelijke aanwezigheid van de Stasi wel. Het plot ontwikkelt zich in een fatsoenlijk tempo en het einde is goed in elkaar gezet. Lekker voor tussendoor dit boek.

This book is set when Berlin was a divided city and two very different forms of government and life style existed.

This novel describes life behind the Iron Curtain and what some people will do just to survive. It also shows the lengths that a dictatorial goverment will go to to control their people and hide their crimes.