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David Young
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Stasi Child: A Karin Müller Thriller Hardcover – August 1, 2017

by David Young (Author)
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 2,471 ratings
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David Young's chillingly intricate Stasi Child was A London Times “Crime Book of the Month” and a Telegraph Pick of the Week.

1975: When Oberleutnant Karin Muller is called to investigate a teenage girl's body at the foot of the Berlin Wall, she imagines she's seen it all before. But she soon realizes that this is a death like no other before it - the girl was evidently trying to escape from West Berlin.

As a member of the People's Police, Muller's power in East Germany only stretches so far. The Ministry for State Security, the Stasi, assures her the case is closed, all they need to know is the girl's name. Yet they strongly discourage her from asking questions. The evidence doesn't add up, and it soon becomes clear the crime scene has been staged. But this regime does not tolerate curious minds, and it takes Müller too long to realize that the trail she's been following may lead her dangerously close to home ...

Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 6
    The Oberleutnant Karin Müller series
  2. Print length
    416 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Minotaur Books
  5. Publication date
    August 1, 2017
  6. Dimensions
    6 x 1.5 x 8.75 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    1250121752
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1250121752
  9. See all details
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The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Outstanding...Fans of Martin Cruz Smith’s Arkady Renko will welcome Müller."―Publishers Weekly (starred)

"Chilling" ―Daily Telegraph (UK)

"Extremely engaging" ―Sunday Express (UK)

"Can't get enough cold-war Germany after Deutschland 83? This is your latest reading companion" ―Shortlist

"Deft, assured storytelling, a compelling new detective and a fascinating setting―I was up late to finish it!" ―Gilly Macmillan, author of What She Knew

"One of the best reads I’ve had in ages. With its masterful intertwining of dual storylines and its stark portrayal of life behind the Berlin Wall, this is a cracking debut." ―David Jackson, bestselling author of Cry Baby

"Deep and dark, this debut is utterly gripping, sucking you in straight from the get go . . . a corker of an ending. Superb." ―Nikki Owen, author of The Spider in the Corner of the Room

"Young has recreated excellently the fear and paranoia that permeated East German society . . . I really liked this novel and strongly recommend it." ―The Crime Warp

"If, like me, you have enjoyed the Soviet-based crime fiction of authors such as Martin Cruz Smith, William Ryan, Tom Rob Smith or Sam Eastland, this will prove itself an absolute must-read . . . Young has more than proved that his name will be one to watch in the future with this powerful, well-researched and intriguing thriller. A highly recommended debut." ―Raven Crime Reads

"I was in awe whilst reading this novel. David Young manages to capture beautifully the sense of place . . . This is a terrific crime read; with its insight into a bygone era and a fascinating political slant." ―Northern Crime

"Gripping. The personal and criminal elements are both immediately engaging and well paced. The threads ultimately coalesce to form an astonishingly powerful depiction of life in a totalitarian state and the ending is stunning." ―Buried Under Books

"A promising debut, an astutely considered novel of detection and place, redolent of dread, paranoia and suspicion. If you are a fan of Philip Kerr's Bernie Gunther series, this will appeal. Though it's stylistically more sober than Kerr's noirish novels, the Berlin background is just as authentically realized. Young demonstrates he has not only a fine heroine but a nice eye for action, claustrophobic detail and a lurking, just-under-control sense of the gothic."--The Australian, ARTS

"A self-confessed obsessive , Young's period detail--what kind of tire tracks Stasi official's cars left--is impressive." --New Zealand Herald

About the Author

David Young is a barrister at Red Lion Chambers, London. He is a specialist defence Counsel with a wide ranging practice. David has appeared in many high profile trials, and has particular expertise in cases involving terrorism, murder, organised crime and serious fraud.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Minotaur Books (August 1, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1250121752
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250121752
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.06 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.5 x 8.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 2,471 ratings

About the author

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David Young

David Young

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Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
3.9 out of 5
2,471 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

dennis torchia
4.0 out of 5 stars well written post war mystery
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2022
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it was a very good read.....i'm looking forward to reading the whole series
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Kevin
5.0 out of 5 stars Page-Turning Thriller-Writing of the Highest Order
Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2015
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David Young’s hugely entertaining thriller is set in mid 1970s East Germany, when some citizens were still inclined to make a case for a regime that was shabby and brutal but, formally at least, espoused ideas of equality and fairness. The Berlin Wall, viewed as a monstrous affront to liberty on one side, was described – not always with irony – as an anti-fascist protection barrier on the other. Young successfully conveys the sounds, sights, smells, customs and assumptions of life in a country that a decade and a half later ceased to exist, and in doing so he skilfully sidesteps facile hindsight – East Germans in 1975 didn’t know what was going to happen in 1989, and they would have been shocked if they had known.

The claustrophobic watchfulness in every social interaction, the constant appeals to higher authority, the everyday struggle to maintain integrity in a system that valued loyalty over truth form the backdrop to a murder investigation conducted by First Lieutenant Karin Muller of the People’s Police CID Division. Muller is put in charge of the case through the intervention of a senior official of the Ministry for State Security, the Stasi, and almost immediately comes up against a rival branch of the secret police. Being caught between two wings of the Stasi turns out to be a matter of life and death for Muller and those around her.

Young’s narrative is thoroughly assured, slick but never formulaic. He establishes character and conveys scenes convincingly and vividly, so that an intricate plot unfolds in an intelligible and consistently intriguing way.

The text is peppered with inventive and illuminating detail – sand pouring from the back of a lorry gives off “a sudden fresh smell of aggregate dust combined with sweet diesel fumes”; an open fire “crackled and spewed smoke, as though suffering indigestion from its meal of low-grade coal.”

Muller is a compelling character who views right and wrong, loyalty and betrayal, crime and punishment though a prism of ideological orthodoxy. Sent by her Stasi mentor on a one-day mission to West Berlin, she judges the logo at the top of the Mercedes tower to be a “a sign of the West’s glorification of business and the business of making money.” Yet, despite her political conformity, she is emotionally complex, compassionate and principled.

“Stasi Child” has the pace of a premier division thriller: the account of an escape to the West is an edge-of-the-seat set piece, and the finale is a rip-roaring series of unexpected twists. The final twist movingly and chillingly elucidates the bleak choices of life in a dictatorship.

Page-turning thriller-writing of the highest order.
10 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Not quite a classic but a very good read
Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2016
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A well above average crime/suspense novel. It also gives the reader some effective insights into the psychological world of East German State, where everyone is a suspect and nearly everyone spies. It is nearly in the class of the great Le Carre, just doesn't quite make it, but a page turner non the less.
One person found this helpful
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Gordon
4.0 out of 5 stars Beware the Stasi!
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2017
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My first book that is set in East Germany and I'm intrigued to read about the mindset of the people. A good thriller and explores the State as it existed to leave me with an opinion on what it must have been like to live under those conditions. A good read.
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Dan Berger
5.0 out of 5 stars A haunting tale
Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2023
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Karin Muller, a criminal detective in East Berlin, gets assigned a weird case. A teenage girl’s body - so mutilated she can’t be identified - is found near the Berlin Wall. The official story line is that she was shot by West Berlin police as she tried to escape to the East, which no one believes. Muller is put on the case by a colonel from the dreaded (even by East German cops) Stasi - and told she can’t investigate the murder, only the girl’s identity.

Muller and her small team - her deputy Tilsner and Schmidt, a formidable technician - must tread carefully as they investigate without being seen exceeding their orders. The story also takes us to a hellish reformatory on East Germany’s north coast.

Muller’s marriage is troubled: she got drunk and stayed out late under dubious circumstances with the married Tilsner, who also seems a little too friendly with the Stasi. Meanwhile her husband Gottfried has been targeted for his political opinions.

Overshadowing it all is our characters’ sense, buttressed by our historical knowledge, that one in every three East Germans informed for the Stasi. Muller must assume anyone she talks to is an informer.
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tom
4.0 out of 5 stars slow but good
Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2016
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started slow and going bak and forth, but finally all comes together to make a good book. could be faster in putting parts together but over all it is worth the wait to arrive at the final of the story.
One person found this helpful
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Dickie
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good read
Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2017
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Enjoyed it. Just finished both Stasi Child and Stasi Wolf.
A bit like Kerr's Bernie series but a bit less skeptical and Robb Smith Stalin time story's which might had a bit more depth in the story however this might still come in the next books
I use to sail and went to East German and Polish ports before the wall came down and some descriptions of the area is like I remember. Young did his home work an manage to give a good feel of the country at that time.
Hope he carries on with more of Karen Muller. She could be Bernies grand daughter. Clever, thoughtful, shrewd, strong-willed and never give up what you think is right.
Well written.
2 people found this helpful
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IJ
2.0 out of 5 stars Not so good
Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2020
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The plot breaks down toward the end and becomes highly unlikely. Prior to that, quite readable. But mysteries require believability.
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Top reviews from other countries

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David Wolff
4.0 out of 5 stars Surprise ending.
Reviewed in Spain on October 25, 2021
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This novel describes life behind the Iron Curtain and what some people will do just to survive. It also shows the lengths that a dictatorial goverment will go to to control their people and hide their crimes.
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Dingemanse
4.0 out of 5 stars Goede start van David Young
Reviewed in the Netherlands on August 16, 2019
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Ik kreeg interesse in dit boek na alle Arkady Remko boeken. Het bleke bestaan in het Oostblok komt niet helemaal uit de verf maar de overduidelijke aanwezigheid van de Stasi wel. Het plot ontwikkelt zich in een fatsoenlijk tempo en het einde is goed in elkaar gezet. Lekker voor tussendoor dit boek.
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CANNE A SUCRE D'ORIENT
4.0 out of 5 stars A VALEUR DE DOCUMENT . TRES BIEN
Reviewed in France on August 21, 2017
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Seconde guerre mondiale ( 1939- 45 ) - Accords de Yalta ( 1953 ) - URSS - République Fédérale Allemande / République Démocratique Allemande - Mur de la Honte ( 1961 - 1989 ) - Stasi - Check point Charlie  - Eclatement de l'URSS (1991).

«  Sa fille n'était peut- être pas morte, mais elle était capable de désertion. Et si Marietta l'avait aidée à fuir à Berlin - Ouest, son mari ne serait pas le seul à jouir de l'hospitalité des prisons de la Stasi. »

Le Rideau de Fer se lève avec ce roman policier qui renseigne avec détails d'une période d'effroi, comme seules savent
en générer les dictatures. Ce témoignage ajoute à la parole des multiples victimes de la RDA, petite sœur de l'URSS d'alors.
Un groupe de policiers enquête sur des morts d'adolescents, sans en avoir les réels moyens, surveillés et empêchés par les services de la Stasi, dont les intérêts voudraient que les vérités fussent tues . L'enquête nous ouvre à la nomenclature et aux fonctionnements des services policiers de l' Etat est- allemand et de la Stasi ( sa police secrète ). Elle met en exergue les méthodes institutionnelles caractéristiques des régimes politiques «  dits égalitaires » . Ceux - là même qui ont engendré des citoyens clonés à la menace, l'intimidation, la corruption, au mensonge, au couple infernal : espionnage - délation. Toute personne avertie les connaît : pourtant de les lire, couchées sur le papier, les rend palpables et suscite une profonde horreur. Davantage encore lorsque l'on sait qu' à ce jour, des pays totalitaires n'ont pas lâché la main ...

L'intrigue est de bonne facture, elle met à jour les mécanismes de primauté du régime politique régi par Moscou  dans les années cinquante : qu' importe la vérité , elle ne doit ni faire vaciller ni déshonorer l'idéologie en place . L'on regrettera peut - être l'aspect trop factuel de l'histoire mais l'on sera magnanime, au regard des mille et une choses que veut exprimer l'auteur dans son premier écrit.
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Lynne
4.0 out of 5 stars Great book a bit different background setting but not hard to follow good mix in the plot. This is a book set when Berlin was a divided city and two very different types of government ruled.
Reviewed in Australia on January 11, 2018
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This book is set when Berlin was a divided city and two very different forms of government and life style existed.
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natsh
5.0 out of 5 stars Historical background
Reviewed in France on September 12, 2021
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Unputdownable
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