STASI WOLF

How do you solve a murder when you can't ask any questions? East Germany 1975, and Karin Müller, sidelined from the murder squad in Berlin, jumps at the chance to be sent south to Halle-Neustadt where a pair of infant twins have gone missing. But soon she finds her problems have followed her there, to the new town, the pride of the Communist state, and Müller and her team are forbidden by the Stasi from publicising the disappearances lest they tarnish the town's flawless image. Amidst the eerie nameless streets, the Stasi insist she run the investigation without destroying the public's blissful ignorance of the danger lurking in the heart of their propaganda-filled community. Meanwhile amidst the tower blocks a child snatcher lurks, and the clock is ticking to rescue the twins alive. A masterful evocation of the claustrophobic atmosphere of communist era East Germany, the story blends action, suspense and excitement. 402pp, paperback.