The Bridge of Sighs

"Steinhauer makes you smell the murky sewers and feel the damp chill of the dark alleys as Emil works to solve the case. This is a finely formed novel that evokes all of the desperation, intrigue, and bloody-mindedness that was postwar Europe, but it also brings to life the spirit of those people, who not only survived those horrible years but went on to build new lives."

"Steinhauer deftly presents minor characters, while he richly renders the country's travails as was is followed by occupation, suspicion, corruption, and betrayal."

"In this richly drawn detective mystery, the large cast of secondary characters is well realized, and the social and physical setting is powerfully drawn."