I Am Your Judge by Nele Neuhaus

First Line: He saw her coming.

The murder of an elderly woman who was shot and killed while out walking her dog prevents Detective Pia Kirchhoff from leaving on her long-awaited honeymoon when scheduled. When another eerily similar murder occurs, Kirchhoff abandons all thoughts of leaving her short-handed department outside Frankfurt, Germany. Two more murders follow. None of the victims had enemies and all were well-respected and genuinely liked. 

No one seems to know why these people have been singled out, but Kirchhoff and her partner Oliver von Bodenstein realize that the sniper-- who calls himself "The Judge"-- does have a mission. They have to piece clues and facts together to find out what that mission is before anyone else dies... and what they uncover will shock them profoundly.

I've read other books in the Kirchhoff and von Bodenstein series and have enjoyed them for the two main characters and the books' plots. Once again, author Nele Neuhaus has created a really good storyline that takes a lot of deduction to put everything together, and it's one in which readers witness the sacrifices dedicated police officers often have to make in their personal lives, but-- ultimately-- I Am Your Judge just was not my cup of tea. 

My reasons for this are mostly subjective, beginning with the title. I am a contrary soul, and when someone tells me point blank that he/she is my judge, I beg to differ. In addition, one of the storylines that I do not care for at all is the one in which the sins of the fathers are visited upon their children. I say, if you have a serious problem with your father and think he needs to die, then kill him, don't kill someone who doesn't have a thing to do with the situation. As you can see, Neuhaus did get a firm grip on my emotions with her plot and her killer, but it wasn't necessarily in a good way. It also didn't help that this book suffers from too much middle and could easily have lost around one hundred pages to tighten it up and heighten the suspense. 

Yes, my dislike of this book is mainly subjective, so keep this in mind when you're trying to decide whether or not to read it. Your hot buttons may not be the same as mine.

I Am Your Judge by Nele Neuhaus

Translated from the German by Steven T. Murray.

ISBN: 9781250071682

Minotaur Books © 2016

Hardcover, 416 pages

Police Procedural, #7 Kirchhoff & von Bodenstein mystery

Rating: C+

Source: Purchased from Book Outlet.

Bad Wolf by Nele Neuhaus

First Line: He set down the shopping bag and put away his purchases in the tiny refrigerator.

It's a hot June day, and the body of a young girl washes up on a riverbank outside of Frankfurt. Her death was brutal, and she shows signs of long-term abuse, but the investigation is hampered because no one knows her identity. Weeks later a popular television host is beaten, raped, and locked in the trunk of her car. As Inspectors Pia Kirchhoff and Oliver von Bodenstein begin digging deep into this second case, it looks as though the two cases may be related, but will they put the clues together in time to save someone close to Pia?

I can see why this series is so popular in Germany. Kirchhoff and von Bodenstein are two interesting and layered characters that I enjoy learning more about. Neuhaus knows how to craft a very complex plot with many subplots that slowly combine for a satisfying conclusion, and the translation by Steven T. Murray is excellent. However, Minotaur Books is doing something that drives me crazy: they are publishing the books in this series out of order. English-speaking readers first became acquainted with Kirchhoff and von Bodenstein with the publication of Snow White Must Die, the fourth book. The next book available to us is this one, and Bad Wolf is the sixth book in the series. A lot depends on the personal lives of the characters and their developing relationships with each other. To have the books available out of sequence means that readers following the series may be a bit confused, as I was until I did a bit of research and found out that my memory wasn't at fault. The good news is, if Bad Wolf is your first experience with Neuhaus, this isn't going to affect you at all.

This was a difficult book for me to read due to the subject matter, and if you are the type of reader who doesn't care for books that contain violence towards women and children, I would advise you to stay away. The violence is not gratuitous, but it is disturbing.

Most of the time, I love mysteries that unfold slowly, but after reading two-thirds of the book, I found that not to be the case here. At times I felt there were too many subplots-- Pia's husband has a visiting granddaughter, Pia's pregnant friend is going through a very rough time in her marriage, von Bodenstein is ready to buy a new house and start a new chapter in his life, the unidentified young murder victim, the television host who barely survived her own attack, a convicted pedophile out on parole... and more. I didn't have the slightest bit of trouble keeping all the story lines and characters straight, but I began to wonder if they were all necessary. I think my reaction may have been due to the fact that I realized very early on what was happening, and I just wanted the "bad wolves" to be put out of business. Permanently.

Although I did have a problem or two with Bad Wolf, I still enjoyed it, and I'm looking forward to reading more in the series. Neuhaus has created some marvelous characters, and it's a pleasure to learn more about them.

Bad Wolf by Nele Neuhaus

Translated by Steven T. Murray

ISBN: 9781250043993

Minotaur Books © 2014

Hardcover, 416 pages

Police Procedural, #6 von Bodenstein and Kirchhoff mystery

Rating: B-

Source: NetGalley 

Snow White Must Die by Nele Neuhaus

First Line: The rusty iron staircase leading downstairs was narrow and steep.

During their investigation into a woman being pushed from a pedestrian bridge onto a busy motorway beneath, police detectives Pia Kirchhoff and Oliver von Bodenstein discover that the victim is the mother of a man who spent ten years in prison for the deaths of two seventeen-year-old girls. The girls vanished without a trace, and Tobias Sartorius was convicted after a trial based solely on circumstantial evidence. 

Tobias has been released and has returned to his home in the small village of Altenhain, Germany, to find his parents divorced, his father's business ruined, and his father a broken old man. It rapidly becomes clear that the villagers do not want Tobias among them. When another young girl goes missing, Kirchhoff and Bodenstein's investigation turns into a race against time because the people of Altenhain know who's guilty and are more than willing to take matters into their own hands.

There are currently six books in the Kirchhoff and Bodenstein series, with this one being the fourth-- and the first to make its way to the U.S.  I didn't realize this when I began reading the book, but it was soon evident that the two police inspectors had worked on past cases together. I didn't find this detrimental because none of the past cases had anything to do with their present one.

After a few pages I was completely caught up in Neuhaus's story. This author knows how to create a wonderful cast of characters! In this book, Oliver Bodenstein has the lion's share of the spotlight as his personal life begins to take precedence over the investigation, but it is Pia Kirchhoff who caught my attention. It's all due to Pia's feeling that something's not quite right that there's an investigation at all. She begins doing her research and finds things in the old case files that just don't add up. Pia will not let it go when others tell her that Tobias Sartorius was guilty, and she shouldn't waste her time.

The two police inspectors are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the cast of characters in this book. Neuhaus immediately gives the reader the feeling that Tobias Sartorius is innocent without coming right out and saying so. The author also has one of the best portrayals of what can happen to the family of a man found guilty and sent to prison. There are victims on both sides, and this is seldom shown in crime fiction books.

I could go on and on about other characters like the teenage girl Amelie who befriends Thies, a young autistic man. The resident rich man of Altenhain, the television star... Neuhaus populates this book with rich characterizations. But wait-- there's more!

The plot has a thread count higher than the best linens at Saks Fifth Avenue-- and each one is carefully woven into Neuhaus's framework. As one element is deduced, six more questions pop up, demanding to be answered. Although this book has a complex plot and many characters (that I had no problem keeping track of), I still felt it could have used a bit more editing and tightening. This is a very small complaint, however. Snow White Must Die is one enjoyable book to read, and I hope you take the opportunity to do so!

Snow White Must Die by Nele Neuhaus
Translated by Steven T. Murray

ISBN: 9780312604257

Minotaur Books © 2013

Hardcover, 384 pages

Police Procedural, #4 Bodenstein and Kirchhoff mystery

Rating: A

Source: Amazon Vine