Hmmm

Zoo Station, David Downing...The opening of this novel hurt my heart, I expect it would draw other readers in but with an 12 -18 month old son it tore at my heart and almost left a hole. The setting was a train station in Berlin, I assume it was Zoo Station but don't really remember. The scene was full of children and their parents, the children were being shipped out of the country because of the soon coming war. This is what hurt my heart, the thought of having to say goodbye to my son for his protection, not knowing if we would ever be together again, man, a kicker.

The setting of the story is Berlin Germany in the years before World War II, I found the changes in the city before the war, I think in my subconscious the war happened overnight & the people of Germany accepted it that way. This historical novel / mystery describes life for Germans before the war, the fear they lived with for breaking any laws, the arrogance and lawlessness of military personal. It is written in first person, the character can hold either British or US citizenship so is protected to a certain extent from the punishments passed on to German citizens. He's also a journalist and has the curiosity of a journalist. So when a suspicious death of an acquaintance happens, he can't avoid getting into the thick of it.

This novel didn't thrill me. The opening set the stage for me & where I am with my life, this wasn't a good thing. Five years ago it wouldn't have affected me the way it did, now, is a different story. Something seemed to run very slow for me as well. This may have been my inner apprehension because of the opening, or it may have been the writing itself. This was the first of a long series so many seem to like this but I'm not sure if I will read another in the series.