Days of Atonement

by: Michael Gregorio

Published by: Thomas Dunn Books (April release)

Reviewed by Beverly J. Rowe

I love quality intellectual mysteries, and this novel is the best I have read in a long, long time. It is 1807; Napoleon’s army has swept over Prussia, and the French army occupies the conquered land. Hanno Stiffeniis, a local Prussian magistrate, along with his wife, Helena, and their three children have retreated to their country home in hopes of avoiding trouble.

When three children are found murdered in a cabin, and their mother is missing, Hanno is called upon to assist the French Colonel Serge Lavedrine in investigating the crime. Each man wants to find the killer, and to exhibit their own superior investigative skills without really pointing their accusatory finger at the other man.

Stiffeniis begins a search for the missing woman’s husband. He travels to a remote town that is still in the hands of the Prussian Army, only to discover that the husband too, has died under mysterious circumstances. The pace goes into high gear when the missing wife is found dead in the most gruesome of circumstances. This is a novel that tells of difficult times with a sometimes dark mood–that also has explicit forensic detail–but maintains an exciting pace.

Gregorio also wrote the acclaimed historical mystery, Critique of Criminal Reason, and in this novel, French, Prussians, and Jews are pitted against each other in a multi-level mystery with exciting and unique characters. The plot takes you in many different directions and brings you to an unexpected conclusion.

I couldn’t put this book down, and will definitely be watching for more from this talented author.

Armchair Interviews says: A most well-done historical mystery about a time 200 years ago.