ruins-of-war-john-connell-steve-clarkI picked up Ruins of War (Berkley, $26.95) by John Connell, from the Barnes and Noble remainder list. I bought it for eight bucks because of the nice cover, and because my next novel after I finish the Kristen series is historical, set in Germany during World War II. I wanted to compare notes.  If you see Ruins in your bookstore it’s worth the drastically reduced price.

Mason Collins is a US Army warrant officer with the military police in Munich after the end of the war. He was a POW of the Germans and a detective in Chicago, who was canned by a crooked system, after his partner was killed—truly a troubled soul. Aren’t all big-city detectives?
His unit is notified of an incredibly grisly murder—the victim has literally been hacked to pieces, positioned as if on a crucifix, and was found in a bombed-out unoccupied building. Thus, begins the chase for a serial killer loose in the city.

Mason’s efforts are complicated by an unreasonably arrogant commanding officer ready to ignore the killings. The city detective always has to fight the “system.” As far as Mason’s superior is concerned the only good German is a dead one. So, Mason enlists the assistance of the Munich police, whose resources are quite limited in this starving, bombed-out city. His counterpart is a good cop whom Mason begins to trust, even if he is German.

When an American military nurse is killed in a similarly disgusting manner the U.S. brass finally gets serious and the search consumes the entire MP battalion. All clues lead to a German surgeon who had operated on prisoners in a concentration camp, but his real name is unknown, as many war criminals are using aliases.  One of the butcher’s colleagues, a female surgeon, held for war crimes, spills the true identity of the suspect. With passion, Mason tracks down the killer and half way through the book it looks like the case is solved.

But once their prime suspect is in custody, another identical killing occurs, and the body is found in a cathedral. The police realize they have made a mistake. Could it be a GI? Another war criminal?

In the middle of all this chaos, Mason falls in love with a beautiful American reporter while trying to prevent her from divulging the details of the investigation. He befriends a group of hungry children who prefer cigarettes to food because cigarettes are the practical legal tender of occupied Germany. When the killer kidnaps one of the street orphans, Mason’s determination is all consuming.

Mason realizes the killer has learned a lot about him and has actually been following him through the bombed-out rubble-strewn streets. When the killer zeroes in on his love interest the stakes go up quickly.

The book is reasonably taut with vivid descriptions of, if not hell certainly the lower levels of purgatory, which was post-war Munich. It’s not a thrilling “thriller” but it will keep you interested. Ruins is the first in a planned series, so as Connell fleshes out his character there maybe be even better books to follow, I give it a solid B.

Steve E Clark
  as seen in the New York Times is Author of  Justice Is for the Lonely  and  Justice Is for the Deserving,  Kristen Kerry Novels Of Suspense. You can purchase his books via SteveClarkAuthor.com/BuyBook or request it at your local book store.  Want to know more about Steve Clark, read more reviews or speak directly with Steve?  Learn more about Steve at SteveClarkAuthor.com