Nightingale & Co is the first in a cosy historical crime series featuring the sisters of the Nightingale & Co detective agency in 1960s Berlin.

Berlin, August 1961.

Book blurb

Since the death of her beloved father, Carla has been running the Nightingale & Co detective agency by herself. It’s a far from easy job for a female investigator.

When the chaotic, fun-loving Wallie shows up at the door, claiming to be her half-sister, Carla’s world is turned upside down.

Wallie needs Carla – the Berlin Wall has been built overnight, leaving her umable to return to her flat in East Berlin. Carla certainly doesn’t need Wallie, with her secret double life and unorthodox methods for getting results.

Yet the mismatched pair must find a way to work together when one of their clients is accused of murdering her husband.

My thoughts

Since her father died Carla has been in charge of Nightingale & Co. It’s the summer of 1961 and by the end of the book life will look a lot different to Carla, though she doesn’t know it yet.

Carla has to save her Aunt Lulu first and the book opens with a frantic call from Lulu saying she has been arrested. Despite having a scheduled meeting Carla hails a taxi and goes off to help. She shouldn’t have worried as by the time she finds her aunt Lulu has the police twisted around her little finger. No surprise to Carla, though a little annoying. Still Carla had met Bruno who was so helpful as this was a film set close to the Brandenburg Gate and kept secure by guards. She also was surrounded by the stars of the film “One, Two, Three” and even bumped into Billy Wilder, literally!

We are soon thrown into investigations as Carla takes on two new clients – Ingrid who is looking “for the love of her life” and Alma who needs help with a divorce.

This is all set against the backdrop of the building of the wall. Seemingly overnight the East German authorities have begun to build the Berlin Wall. Initially it’s a wire fence which nevertheless causes political shockwaves, tears apart families and friends and disrupts workers and businesses.

Just as all seems to be going well on the work front and finances are looking good Carla gets a visit from Wallie who explains that she is her half sister! Carla father had a second family! Obviously it’s a scam but as they talk Carla realises that it could be true. Was her father was leading a double life? It’s a complete shock for Carla. What will her mother think? She mustn’t find out! So, Wallie becomes part of the family as a distant cousin.

Wallie has a job at a topless bar called Eden, she’s a bartender. Her home was in the East sector so when the wall went up she decided to stay in the West and hope that Carla would accept her and have her to stay since she was now homeless. Her mother had died a few years before but she would be leaving her good friend Adele behind, still it had to be done.

The investigations have to go on and Wallie gets herself drawn into them and so she and Carla begin to work together.

This is a book filled with wonderful characters from Aunt Lulu to Carla, Wallie, and Katrin a young girl who has ambitions to become a detective like Carla. There is a lot of humour throughout the book and even though the investigative element is a very serious business it still provides some humour which is a great foil to some of the darker elements that are uncovered during Carla and Wallie’s work. There is nothing gruesome in the book but there are some disturbing elements which are dealt with very well by the author.

Overall there is an upbeat feeling to the story even though it has these elements and the political context in the background. The characters are not overly burdened by this and just get on with their work, their lives. It’s a fascinating era and is seamlessly written into the story allowing the reader to see how it played in the lives of Berliners and the books characters without overwhelming the story. The storyline of the filmmakers and actors, which did actually happen as Billy Wilder did film at the Brandenburg Gate in 1961 for the film One, Two, Three adds an authentic background that makes Aunt Lulu’s dramatic storyline and the book feel more layered.

I enjoyed Katrin’s sleuthing – Carla is seen in a different light in her dealings with the child and also with the orphanage work she does – she does bring to light some very odd things about Wallie and Bruno!

This first book in a series (of two, so far) is the first to be translated into English by Marina Sofia who has done a terrific job of translating and brought a wonderful story to life for me and other readers. Along with the lovely publisher Corylus Books who are opening up a world of stories for readers.

Whilst the investigations are both concluded in this story there are several threads that need to be addressed in further books. Is Wallie really Carla’s half sister? Will Carla who is burdened with guilt over her mother’s accident ever be able to move forward? What is Wallie up to?

This is a thoroughly enjoyable book, the characters are wonderful and the story is captivating. I look forward to reading more of this series in the future.

Thanks

Many thanks to Ewa for the invitation to join the Nightingale & Co BlogTour and to Corylus Books for an eCopy for review.

BlogTour

Why not check out these terrific blog posts and then pop below to buy your very own copy of Nightingale & Co?

Information

Published: Corylus Books eBook (15 Jan 25) | Paperback (1 Feb 25| 390 pp| ISBN:9781739298982 | RRP: £11.99

Buy: Hive UK | Bookshop.org (affiliate link) | AmazonSmileUK | Your local bookshop | Your local library

Translator

You may find interesting

The Berlin Wall (IWM) | The Berlin Wall (StiftungBerlinerMauer) | The Berlin Wall – The Cold War KS3 (BBC) | The Berlin Crisis, 1958–1961 (Office of the Historian) | Bundesverband Deutscher Detektive (BDD) – report (IKD)| DETEKTEI-HOLLER (now Holler Research) | Brandenberg Gate: “One, Two, Three” |Biography: Billy Wilder (The German Way) | Film: “One, Two, Three” (TVTropes)|

Photographer: Röhnert Ursula/Süddeutsche Zeitung Photo

Filming of the movie ‘ One, two, three ‘ in Berlin, 1961. American director Billy Wilder, actress Pamela Tiffin and actors James Cagney and Horst Buchholz (from left) in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin during the shooting of the film ‘ One, Two, Three ‘

Author

Charlotte Printz is the pseudonym of a successful former TV editor with a penchant for writing gripping historical novels and screenplays. She is one of the founders of the Munich Writing Academy.

Website | Interview with Charlotte Printz (CrimeFictionLover) | Profile – Charlotte Printz (DTV) | Munich Writing Academy

Books

Nightingale & Co. | Nightingale & Co. (vol. II) – Im Netz Der Lügen (The Web of Lies) – currently available only in German