The Silent Death

The Silent Death: A Gripping Historical Mystery Set in the Shadows of 1930s Berlin

"[Kutscher's] trick is ingenious. . . He's created a portrait of an era through the lens of genre fiction."-The New York Times

Volker Kutscher, author of the international bestseller Babylon Berlin, continues his Gereon Rath Mystery series with The Silent Death as a police inspector investigates crime and corruption in a decadent 1930s Berlin, overshadowed by the growing Nazi movement.

March 1930: The film business is in flux as talking films take over the silver screen, leaving many a producer, cinema owner, and silent movie star falling by the wayside. When celebrated actress Betty Winter is hit by a spotlight while filming a talkie, it initially appears to be an accident. However, Superintendent Gereon Rath discovers clues pointing to murder.

As Rath's colleagues suspect the absconded lighting technician, his investigations lead him in a completely different direction, soon leaving him to pursue the case on his own. Tensions mount as Rath's superior pressures him to drop the investigation, his father seeks his help with a blackmail case involving Cologne mayor Konrad Adenauer, and ex-girlfriend Charly attempts to rekindle their relationship-all against the backdrop of escalating violence between Nazis and Communists.