Nothing thrived here, but something grew...

Germany, 1945. Year Zero. The war is at an end. When Ireland's ambassador to the Third Reich finally leaves the war-torn country, Garda detective Stefan Gillespie makes his way home under the watchful eye of British Intelligence, who are searching for some of the Irish citizens Ireland doesn't want back. The usual dirty business. But suddenly Stefan is drawn into a murder inquiry.

Unexpectedly arriving in a town he knew in his youth, on visits to his German relatives, Stefan feels compelled to help his cousin Annaliese and her hostile daughter Krista. Maybe it's nostalgia for first love, or for a time of peace, or maybe he just wants to do something that feels clean. But the past is a dangerous place to return to...

A darkness still hangs over Germany, and Stefan Gillespie is walking right into it.

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Praise for Michael Russell:

'Complex but compelling . . . utterly vivid and convincing' - Independent on Sunday

'A superb, atmospheric thriller' - Irish Independent

'A thriller to keep you guessing and gasping' - Daily Mail

'Atmospheric' - Sunday Times

After a successful career as a television writer and producer, working on such series as A Touch of Frost, Midsomer Murders and Between the Lines, Michael Russell decided to write what he had always wanted to: books. Michael's Stefan Gillespie historical crime fiction series takes a sideways look at the Second World War through Irish eyes, and explores unexpected corners of the conflict, such as Danzig, New York and Franco's Spain. The first two Stefan Gillespie novels, The City of Shadows and The City of Strangers were both shortlisted for Crime Writers' Association awards. Michael lives with his family in West Wicklow, in Ireland, not a million miles from Stefan Gillespie's home.