“An excellently staged Berlin thriller that dissects economic entanglements and political intrigue in a well thought-out manner, has good twists and turns and remains exciting throughout. Anyone who likes to puzzle along will be well served here.”
Joker
Leserkanone
“Such reading pleases us, that a slight resistance to hearing so much about a thing and a person becomes exactly the opposite: namely wanting to know everything exactly now”
Elisabeth Römer
WorldExpresso
“Albrecht tells the story so directly and straightforwardly that one can hope for further assignments for the investigative team.”
Editorial office
Westphalian News
The killer who came in from the cold
The killer who came in from the cold
On his morning walk a major industrialist is beaten up and executed in cold blood. The trail leads Kiran Mendelsohn straight into the political minefield, organized Russian crime. far back into the German past – and directly to his nemesis.
I n Ilja Albrecht’s debut thriller, Sibirischer Wind (Rancor), profiler Kiran Mendelsoh – a pacifist ex-special forces operative turned reluctant investigator – and his gruff partner, Kommissar Bolko Blohm, tackle a brutal murder in Berlin. The story opens with the savage beating and shooting of 72-year-old industrial tycoon Friedrich Lautenschläger during his morning walk by Lake Wannsee, just as Mendelsohn anticipates a well-deserved vacation.The investigation swiftly uncovers a web of international intrigue: Lautenschläger’s shady dealings in arms trafficking and human smuggling tie him to the ruthless Russian mafia, with threads extending to high-profile figures in German industry and politics. As Mendelsohn grapples with his aversion to violence while delving into Berlin’s underbelly – evoking the city’s post-Wallfall grit—the duo navigates betrayals, chases, and moral ambiguities. Twists abound, blending pulse-pounding action with psychological depth, culminating in a tense confrontation that forces Mendelsohn to confront his haunted past.Praised for its fluid prose, clever plotting, and homage to Berlin’s shadowy allure, the novel explores themes of corruption, redemption, and the cold winds of organised crime, setting the stage for the Mendelsohn-Blohm series.
