The Pale House

May 26, 2014
In McCallin’s well-executed sequel to 2013’s The Man from Berlin, set mainly in 1945 Sarajevo, Capt. Gregor Reinhardt, a former Berlin police detective, has been transferred to the Feldjaegerkorps, a branch of the German military police that accepts only officers and noncommissioned officers with a minimum of three years of combat experience. Though Reinhardt fears that his membership in the anti-Hitler movement will be uncovered, he can’t resist causing trouble by following his investigations wherever they may lead. At a roadblock set up by the Ustase, the Croatian fascist organization, he confronts a brutal Ustase officer who has been using a spiked club on terrified refugees. Friction between him and the Ustase only complicates Reinhardt’s subsequent probe into the murders of men dressed in German uniforms. Readers who can’t wait for Philip Kerr’s next Bernie Gunther novel will find much to like, even if McCallin falls short of Kerr’s high standard. Agent: Peter Rubie, FinePrint Literary Management.