Rosa

by Jonathan Rabb

Book Overview

November 1918. A socialist revolution is sweeping across Germany, wreaking havoc on war-torn Berlin. Amid the ruin of the city's slums, four women are found dead--all with identical scars on their... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1400049210
• ISBN13: 9781400049219
• Release Date: February 2005
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
• Length: 405 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Restoring historical fiction's good name.

Jonathan Rabb's latest novel arrives just in time to rescue us from the historical-fiction-lite style of Dan Brown and his imitators. Rosa is everything a historical novel should be, and I think it deserves to be mentioned among the very best works in the genre. Rabb makes 1919 Berlin come alive, and with a light touch. The details are never forced, and the history is never pedantic--which is no small feat when one considers that Rosa takes place against an incredibly complex historico-political landscape. The best thing about the novel, though, are its characters. Rabb writes beautifully, and his characters have real depth and humanity. He never settles for a stereotype or cardboard cut out. (The main protagonist, Nikolai Hoffner, for example, is reminiscent of Graham Greene's tortured, flawed, well-meaning anti-heroes.) As a result, Rosa is so much more than the recent crop of historically-inflected campfire-stories like the Da Vinci Code. It is just compelling, well-written fiction. Without question, fans of historical fiction should check out Rosa. But I would also recommend it to those looking for good, new literary fiction who may not otherwise venture into historical fiction. The review of Rosa in Harper's Monthly placed the book in the company of the works of Malraux, Raymond Chandler and Robert Musil. I think that readers of Rosa will agree that such comparisons are apt.

Great Summer Read!

I love good historical mysteries. My criteria are that they be well-written and as a history buff, that they be as historically accurate as possible. In other words, the DaVinci Code need not apply! Jonathan Rabb's Rosa is a great new contribution to this genre. After running across reviews of Rosa in Harper's and The Boston Globe, I made this mystery my first summer read. It is terrific. I couldn't put it down. I was captivated by the characters, the descriptions of Berlin's physical and political landscapes following World War I, and the intriguing plot, with its many twists and turns. I hope there's a sequel so I can follow the further adventures of the clever, angst driven detective inspector Hoffner.

Post WWI Berlin, Rosa, Revolution & A Thrilling Mystery!!

Berlin in January 1919 was bitterly cold and damp. The Great War was over and Germany was in the throes of defeat, its citizens impoverished, with ersatz everything for sale and no money to purchase anything. The gallant young men who had marched off to fight for God, Kaiser and Fatherland a mere five years before, were dead, maimed and/or disillusioned, bitter and unemployed. A generation of young women would never marry, their potential spouses buried beneath the winter snow. When the Kaiser abdicated, Fredrich Ebert, the leader of the Social Democratic Party, established the Weimar Government in time to sign the humiliating Treaty of Versailles, which forced Germany to pay billions in gold marks - reparation money it did not have. Inflation was rampant. Tremendous fear of communism permeated the country. Many thought that Russia's Bolshevik Revolution would spread across the border, so most Germans were content to turn a blind eye to the loss of certain liberties, constitutional rights, and accepted the "strong-arm tactics" which prevailed against anyone who threatened the country's stability. The "Spartacus League," (Spartakusbund), German communists named after the slave who lead a rebellion against the Romans, was founded by Rosa Luxemburg, during WWI to counter the German Social Democrats' support of the war. Luxemburg, a Marxist politician, socialist philosopher, and revolutionary, along with her colleague, Karl Liebknicht, challenged Reichschancellor Ebert's government, as did the far right-wing Free Corps (Freikorps). Miss Luxemburg's failure to organize a coherent political opposition to the Social Democratic leadership proved fatal both to the outcome of the German revolution and to her own life. The state forces reasserted control and crushed the rebellion, brutally murdering Rosa, Karl Liebnecht and many other Party members, sympathizers and workers. Although Rosa, called the "Devil Jewess" by her enemies, was assassinated on January 15th, 1919, her body was not discovered until five months later. The mystery of her corpse's location during that winter and early spring has never been solved. Jonathan Rabb proposes a credible solution in his penetrating historical mystery, "Rosa." The author's extensive research on life in post-WWI Germany enriches this fascinating novel tremendously. Detective Inspector Nikolai Hoffner, and his young assistant Hans Fichte, find themselves at the center of Berlin's revolutionary violence. Their offices at Kriminalpolizei, (Kripo), Headquarters are right on Alexanderplatz, at the center of the chaotic uprising. The social upheaval and subsequent battles provide but a momentary distraction for the two detectives, however. A vicious serial murderer is on the loose in Berlin, and their attention is intensely focused on the case. Four middle-aged women have turned up dead, all mutilated with identical, intricate markings etched into their backs. Hoffner and Fichte have spent almost six weeks tryin

Murder, history, mystery written in compelling style

Rosa was my first experience with Jonathan Rabb's work, although it is his third book. His gift for detail is unerring, which makes this complex mystery all the more appealing. Simply stated, I could not easily lay this book aside until the last page. The place is post World War One Berlin. Rabb brings this metropolis to life with deft touches, shedding light in each dark corner, every nuance that gave Berlin its flavor at the time. Rabb doesn't simply tell the wonderful and gritty details. He takes his readers there so we can live it, experience the snow and mist, explore the scents and sounds. His skill with descriptive prose adds resonating depths his readers might not have experienced otherwise. Detective Inspector of the Kriminal Polizei -- the Kripo -- Nikolei Hoffner, is in pursuit of a serial killer whose madness borders on genius. Hoffner and his assistant, Hans Fichte, methodically follow every small clue, groping in the dark, until they find Rosa's body. Rosa Luxemburg is a socialist revolutionary and enemy of the Reichstadt. Hoffner knows immediately that, as a victim, she is out of place. That initial thought draws Hoffner and Fichte into a provocative conspiracy involving the Political Police, the black market, secret Aryan societies, and scientific developments overseen by a young Albert Einstein. Nikolei Hoffner is a magnificent character, a troubled and brilliant man who seeks the truth with dogged determination. We walk in Hoffner's shoes as he dissects cryptic clues and searches Berlin's underbelly for his killer. The truths he uncovers and losses he experiences are horrible, beyond even his comprehension. Rabb totally immerses readers in place and time and his character development is brilliant. We experience what Hoffner sees and feels, even his despair and impotence. And we witness the horrifying stirrings of anti Semitism, glimpse the spectre that will be Nazi Germany. Jonathan Rabb blends history with fiction in Rosa with exciting results. Rosa Luxemburg was real, as were many characters from that time. Her murder and disappearance of her body were never solved in real life. This book is one possible explanation. For lovers of mystery, suspense, and history, Rosa is a must have, must read.