Description

Original 1955 title: Death Walked in Berlin (from inside flap of St. Marin dj) Young Miranda Brand is visiting Germany for what is supposed to be a month's holiday. But from the moment that Brigadier Brindley relates the story about a fortune in lost diamonds -- a story in which Miranda herself figures in a most remarkable way -- the holiday atmosphere becomes subtly transformed into something more sinister. And when murder strikes on the night train to Berlin, Miranda finds herself unwillingly involved in a complex chain of events that will soon throw her own life into deadly peril. Set against a background of war-scarred Berlin in the early 1950s, Death in Berlin is another consummate mystery from one of the finest storytellers of our time.

Notes

Really enjoyed this suspenseful, Golden-Ageish mystery -- it reminded me of Mary Stewart, in a good way. Kaye excels at atmosphere -- the train scenes are properly claustrophobic and "alone (?) in the house" ones are genuinely discomfiting. The timeframe ups the tension, with many characters concealing the secrets and the traumas of their war experience. It's set, mainly, in Berlin in 1953, where Kaye's family was sent for her husband's British army work. She based the setting on what she saw there and it shows in the details. Lines like "The air held a fresh, clean smell as of newly mixed mortar -- that characteristic smell of Berlin on a wet day, that has its origin in rain falling on mile after mile of rubble." have a ring of authenticity that's hard to come by even in the most meticulously researched historical novels. One of the many reasons I love vintage books! Also of interest for its illustration of the compromises spouses (women, here) made for their husband's military careers and for the way it highlights early concerns about Russia's role in post-war Europe. Only the lightest touch of romance, but an appealing male lead.

Flags: Very brief reference to deployment in Asia as objectionable to one character because of native people. (Will never understand, why, for western writers of this period, mastering one's emotions enough to appear impassive in the face of provocation is considered admirable in themselves, but secretive and suspect in Asian characters.) Another character, in playfully threatening Chinese torture techniques, pulls her eyes. Some mildly patronizing classism -- officer v. enlisted.

Tags

1950s, English, Europe, Germany, beautiful/handsome, brave, courageous, calm/tranquil, clever, crime, detective, disciplined, f/m, female, intelligent, missing jewels, model, mystery, quiet, romance, single, slight, soldier, strong, suspense, third-person, train, traumatized, unreadable to other MC, young

Flags

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