The End of the World in Breslau

This story is set in the German city of Breslau in the late 1920s. It is somewhat reminiscent of Agatha Christie‘s famous ?Hercule Poirot. In that the central character in this book is a somewhat pompous and self assured detective. Unlike Hercule Poirot Eberhard Mock is not a free agent but rather an employee of the local police department. His juggling several balls what appears to be some kind of serial killer, the bureaucracy of his own department and his marriage to a much younger woman.
The setting almost has the tail end of an Edwardian mystery in that people are still getting dressed up rather formally and moving about the cold in horse-drawn vehicles. But the world is changing and motor vehicles and new kinds of technology appear in the book. Breslau is an interesting city over the centuries it has had various rulers as it sits between what is now Poland and Germany. In the past this city has been part of Silesia and Prussia. The unfolding crimes in this story relate the history of the city and point to the coming of the end of days.
Eberhard Mock it would appear is a man means lives well enjoys having his own personal staff and to all those around he is  difficult. He pushes and prods his way through the story struggling to solve the case and is often the scenario in such stories those to whom he answers are less than happy with him. In the end the crime is solved that it’s a bittersweet victory for the central character Eberhard Mock.
The author is Polish and this city is now a Polish city that still owes much to its German heritage, at the time of the story it is part of Germany. It’s worth finding out a little about Breslau as it has an interesting and varied history and explains something of the period which this book is written. The author Marek Krajewski was a lecturer in classical studies at the University of Breslau book is translated into English by Danusia Stok.

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