[ About The City in Year Zero ]
Nothing thrived here, but something grew…
Germany, 1945. Year Zero. The war is at an end. When Ireland’s ambassador to the Third Reich finally leaves the war-torn country, Garda detective Stefan Gillespie makes his way home under the watchful eye of British Intelligence, who are searching for some of the Irish citizens Ireland doesn’t want back. The usual dirty business. But suddenly Stefan is drawn into a murder inquiry.
Unexpectedly arriving in a town he knew in his youth, on visits to his German relatives, Stefan feels compelled to help his cousin Annaliese and her hostile daughter Krista. Maybe it’s nostalgia for first love, or for a time of peace, or maybe he just wants to do something that feels clean. But the past is a dangerous place to return to…
A darkness still hangs over Germany, and Stefan Gillespie is walking right into it.
[ My Review ]
The City in Year Zero by Michael Russell published March 5th with Constable. It is the tenth and final book in this series, which is described as ‘taking a sideways look at the Second World War through Irish eyes, and exploring some unexpected corners of the conflict, where crime and corruption thrives in the darkness of war’.
Stefan Gillespie is making his way home to Ireland, following his activities on mainland Europe during the war years. His position is quite fragile as he is caught between the British Intelligence and the remnants of the Third Reich. Gillespie has knowledge of certain individuals that British Intelligence would like, making him vulnerable in certain situations. Germany is a country in flux, with many missing and more wanted due to their Nazi involvement. As the Russians move in to the country, tensions rise and everybody is very careful with what they say and do.
Gillespie is a policeman with the habit of finding himself in uncompromising and dangerous situation. On his journey home, he is surprised to find himself assisting in a murder inquiry. His attempts at steering clear prove impossible so he side steps to visit some relatives in a town he knew well in his youth, having visited with his mother. His cousin Anneliese was once someone he admired and was infatuated with but now, after the war, everything has changed. Annaliese is struggling with her daughter, Krista, who had been indoctrinated by the Hitler youth and Annaliese herself has been complicit in some of the Nazi’s actions. Now she fears for their very existence as the Allied armies edge into their town.
Gillespie is caught between helping his cousin, which will put his own life and reputation at risk, or leaving on the next available route back to Ireland. He has survived thus far through this destructive war – is he about to risk his life one last time?
I didn’t read all the books in this series, jumping in at the later stages, which worked out fine, as each book is well fleshed out with sufficient back story where relevant. However, I would recommend that you read at least book 9 in the series in order to get a full sense of this one. The City in Year Zero is very much a wrap up novel, the one where Gillespie takes one final, personal, action before returning to Ireland. In the notes at the end Russell provides some really fascinating insights about certain factual characters, including that of the Irish diplomat Con Cremin. He also references specific locations and refers to the significance of the Line of Contact between the British/American forces and the Russians at the end of the war.
Vivid, atmospheric, convincing are all words I would use to describe these books. Russell takes the reader on an extraordinary journey through equally extraordinary times. With scintillating characters, both good and bad, he recreates a period in history that remains rooted in the minds of many.
The City in Year Zero is a fitting end to this series, one I was glad to have discovered. Meticulously researched throughout, these books offer a realistic portrait of those terrifying years. Definitely one for history buffs!!
[Thank you to Plunkett PR for a gifted copy in exchange for my honest review]
[ Bio ]
After a successful career as a television writer and producer, working on such series as A Touch of Frost, Midsomer Murders and Between the Lines, Michael Russell decided to write what he had always wanted to: books. Michael’s Stefan Gillespie historical crime fiction series takes a sideways look at the Second World War through Irish eyes, and explores unexpected corners of the conflict, such as Danzig, New York and Franco’s Spain. The first two Stefan Gillespie novels, The City of Shadows and The City of Strangers were both shortlisted for Crime Writers’ Association awards. Michael lives with his family in West Wicklow, in Ireland, not a million miles from Stefan Gillespie’s home.
