Synopses & Reviews
A cultured city scarred by war.
An eastern émigré with scars and secrets of her own.
A young woman who claims to be a Russian grand duchess.
A brazen killer, as vicious as he is clever.
A detective driven by decency and the desire for justice.
A political movement growing in power...
Deeply atmospheric, peopled with rich, complex characters, City of Shadows is an enthralling novel of historical suspense set in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s a decadent, turbulent time in which a proud nation scarred by defeat, deprivation, and debauchery will become the fertile breeding ground for the rise of National Socialism.
Berlin, 1922 one of this troubled city's growing number of refugees, Esther Solomonova survives by working as secretary to her fellow Russian émigré, "Prince" Nick, a scheming adventurer and cabaret owner. Always on the prowl for a deal, Nick smells money when he hears of a woman in an asylum claiming to be a grand duchess, daughter of the Czar of all the Russias, who escaped the assassination of the rest of her family by the Bolsheviks. Enlisting a highly suspicious Esther, Nick plans to prepare the woman known as Anna Anderson to claim the Romanov fortune.
But Anna is being hunted. Or so she claims. At first Esther believes Anna's fear to be just in her imagination until innocent people around them begin to die. So in a Berlin stricken by hyperinflation, Esther enlists the help of a German police officer a dogged inspector named Schmidt to try and find out who wants Anna dead and why. Yet the deeper she and Schmidt dig, the more they realize that their own lives are at risk.
Review
"The pace effectively mirrors the social and political upheaval that took place in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s, turning up the tension in the plot as the Nazis rise to power. Franklin's characterization is strong and believable." Library Journal
Review
"Like Gorky Park, another story big on romance and location, there is a lot to enjoy in this well-researched, atmospheric novel." The Washington Post
Synopsis
A cultured city scarred by war.
An eastern migr with scars and secrets of
her own. A young woman who claims to
be a Russian grand duchess. A brazen killer,
as vicious as he is clever. A detective
driven by decency and the desire for justice.
A political movement growing in power. . . .
Deeply atmospheric, peopled with rich, complex characters, City of Shadows is an enthralling novel of historical suspense set in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s -- a decadent, turbulent time in which a proud nation scarred by defeat, deprivation, and debauchery will become the fertile breeding ground for the rise of National Socialism.
Berlin, 1922 -- one of this troubled city's growing number of refugees, Esther Solomonova survives by working as secretary to her fellow Russian migr , PrinceNick, a scheming adventurer and cabaret owner. Always on the prowl for a deal, Nick smells money when he hears of a woman in an asylum claiming to be a grand duchess, daughter of the Czar of all the Russias, who escaped the assassination of the rest of her family by the Bolsheviks. Enlisting a highly suspicious Esther, Nick plans to prepare the woman -- known as Anna Anderson -- to claim the Romanov fortune.
But Anna is being hunted. Or so she claims. At first Esther believes Anna's fear to be just in her imagination -- until innocent people around them begin to die. So in a Berlin stricken by hyperinflation, Esther enlists the help of a German police officer -- a dogged inspector named Schmidt -- to try and find out who wants Anna dead -- and why. Yet the deeper she and Schmidt dig, the more they realize that their own lives are at risk.
About the Author
Ariana Franklin is a former Fleet Street reporter who lives in Hertfordshire, England.