As the Nazis roll into Warsaw, a serial killer is unleashed…
September 1939. A city ruled by fear. A population brutalised by restrictions and reprisals. Amid the devastation, another hunter begins to prowl. What are a few more deaths amid scores of daily executions?
Former chief investigator Jan Kalisz lives a dangerous double life, forced to work with the occupiers as he gathers information for the fledgling Polish resistance. Even his family cannot be told his true allegiance.
When the niece of a Wehrmacht general is found terribly mutilated, Jan links the murder to other killings that are of less interest to his new overlords. Soon, he finds himself on the trail of a psychopathic killer known as The Artist. But, shunned as a Nazi collaborator, can he solve the case before another innocent girl is taken?
I’ve not posted a book review on here for AGES, mostly because I don’t get time to read fiction these days, what with all the research I have to do for my own novels. Douglas Jackson has been one of my favourite authors for years though, and we’re hoping to interview him on Rock, Paper, Swords so, when I noticed Blood Roses was his next release I thought I’d take a look, mostly based on how fantastic the cover art is. I’ve read plenty of non-fiction books about World War II, but never a novel (Victor and Commando comics don’t count, right?), and the premise for this sounded utterly compelling. A serial killer operating in a city that’s just been taken over by the Nazis? That’s all kinds of messed up, and should offer plenty of moments of excitement and fear! So I made the effort to find time to read this advance copy of the book, kindly sent to me by my own publisher, Canelo. I’m very glad I did, as it’s a great read!
We have a Polish soldier, Jan Kalisz, injured during a battle with the Germans and sent home to return to his previous job as a detective in Warsaw. The city has been occupied by the evil Nazi overlords though, and Jan, along with his fellow Poles is not treated well at all. The Jews are, as we all know, treated even worse, and throughout the book we really do get a sense of just how cruel the Nazis were and how they dehumanized their victims. None of the German characters are likable or pleasant. One or two are less nasty, but even those guys are bastards – I mean, Josef Mengele, the infamous butcher of Auschwitz and subject of Slayer’s classic thrash metal song “Angel of Death” is one of the nicer Nazis here!*
This is all good though – I know sometimes authors feel like they need to show characters as more rounded, more grey than simply black or white, but in this situation, where the Germans were part of an all-powerful occupying force, facing the constant hatred of Warsaw’s inhabitants, it’s easy to believe the characters on both sides are quite realistic and having extreme feelings all the time.
Soon we discover that one of these jackbooted stormtroopers is even MORE of a complete bastard than his comrades, as he goes on a killing spree, targeting teenage girls who he…Well, I won’t say too much. I’ll just say Douglas Jackson has a very disturbing way of writing these scenes, something I’ve noticed before in his writing. I found myself skipping certain paragraphs here as I found them unsettling. Trust me, you’ll be wanting this maniacal serial killer, dubbed ‘The Artist’ by the people of Warsaw, brought to justice just as much as Jan Kalisz does.
There are some great twists within the story, and the ending is satisfying while again leaving the reader somewhat unsettled. I won’t spoil it for you, but we are left with a moral question at the end and I’m a big fan of that sort of thing – force your reader to think, don’t just tell them what to feel.
Douglas is a master of historical fiction, giving the reader just enough of his research into the actual history without it ever becoming boring or overbearing, and he can certainly write a great action scene as well as a great main character. This is the first book in a planned quartet and I can heartily recommend it. It’s exciting, claustrophobic and disturbing at times, but ultimately it’s a hugely satisfying and thrilling read. Do yourself a favour and check out Blood Roses HERE, and then read Douglas’s other novels. You can find my reviews of some at the links below! Oh, and look out for our interview with Douglas on Rock, Paper, Swords sometime in the coming weeks.
* I’m not sure if he’s ever named as Josef, and I don’t think the real guy served in Poland as a Nazi in 1939 but I’m guessing that’s who it’s supposed to be, I mean, Dr Mengele, who else would it be…? Update: I asked Douglas about this and he said: “The events happen while Mengele was recovering from wounds received during the invasion of Poland, so he was definitely in a position to be on leave in Warsaw.” So there you go!
If you’re interested in my own news, look out for the cover reveal for the second book in my Alfred The Great series on February 7th. The design is another Canelo triumph, including a great endorsement from my old mucker Gordon Doherty! Sword of the Saxons, sequel to The Heathen Horde, comes out on July 4th.
STEVEN A. McKAY - Historical Fiction Author 
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