A Jewish police detective in 1929 Germany finds nothing but horror trying to solve a case in Paul Grossman's "Children of Wrath."
Two years before the events of Grossman's previous book, "The Sleepwalkers," Detective Willi Kraus uncovers a burlap bag full of children's bones. He soon learns that someone higher up in the force doesn't want him involved because of anti-Semitism. To make matters worse, he's given a case involving tainted sausages that have killed several people. While he investigates how the meat could have been contaminated - and why - he also cannot keep away from trying to solve the other crime, even at the risk of losing his job.
When the novel opens, the Germany economy appears to be sound, but the stock market crashes in New York City and the boom turns to bust. Kraus digs into areas where he shouldn't go, and uncovers evidence of someone dark and evil. Amid the chaos is a growing movement for National Socialism.
Grossman takes readers into a time machine and invokes the past in a masterful and authentic way. Some of the surprises might not be too shocking for readers of the previous book, but newcomers will want to immediately pick up "Sleepwalkers." That novel received many accolades, and Grossman proves the first book was no fluke.
Readers of historical fiction should grab "Children of Wrath" right away.
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