The East German Police Girl Natalia Pastukhova Blog Tour

Title: The East German Police Girl

Author: Natalia Pastukhova

Format: Paperback

Published by: Brown Dog Books

Published: May 26th 2022

ISBN: 9781839525001

Genre: General Fiction, Adult Historical Fiction, Mystery and Thriller Fiction, Action Adventure

Summary:

In a small university town in East Germany, during the hard winter of 1955, a plot emerges tangled yet uncontrived to put a lump in your throat. Told to the author by her grandfather, this is a tale of fear, distrust and bravery. Threads of doubt and deceit are interwoven with endearing touches of goodness, dry humour and bygone patterns of every day life. It’s gravity is simple yet emotional.

Uta, a young police lady, is plucky and right hand minded having had fixed on a plan, gives it her best shot.

Isolde, a shy and ingenious musician, with her patched clothes and innocent ways, submits obediently to a wrongful death.

The players, inured to hardship and intrigue, are neither deluded nor pretentious. They have simpler and less hard to unravel motives than modern society’s galaxy of posers and dissembles.

MY REVIEW

Let me start with telling you that The East German Girl is expertly written. I loved how the author has astonishingly used descriptions to take us all right at the scenes. It’s incredible I haven’t felt like this in a long time where an author has projected such a strong storyline, with the action pulling me right in.

I could feel the cold December weather during this time, with the gas fire being turned off just before going to bed.

I was gripped to this fascinating story where the characters had to use candles for light.

This story is full of police, and an agent a with code name. Uta is a young East German police girl. Bauss is Head of Border Police Unit who wears an ear piece. Joos is from State Police, Justice Commissioner.

There is sex interwoven into the story line. Bauss has sex with a young girl, who he gives his young lady tins of food and clothes, coupons and a little bit of money in exchange.

Christopher who is a signalman is having a stop and go affair with Greta . Her husband who she is divorced from, worked in a glass factory that made railway signal lamps.

A young fifteen year old boy once asked out the seventeen year old Uta police girl. There is an unsettling scene as Jools from State Police shoots the young boy.

Despite the havoc of the Second World War, most of the East Germans were Christian and the medieval ethics of hard work and obedience were still deeply engrained. Propriety ruled much of their lives, despite the straitened circumstances.

I enjoyed reading what one blogger writes about The East German Girl.

Bookstagrammer Aria Harlow said “A really enjoyable read that is well written and completely compelling. I read it quickly and couldn’t put it down. The perfect mix of historical fiction and mystery.”

I would like to thank literallypr for sending me a copy to read and review and for very kindly inviting me to take part in this blog.

About Natalia Pastukhova

Author Natalia Pastukhova was born in Saint Petersburg on the day it reacquired that name. She read English and Italian at university before joining the Russian security services and working abroad. She enjoys archery, writing, playing the violin badly and spending most of her time in England.