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    The Pale House
    The Pale House
    The Pale House
    Audiobook12 hours

    The Pale House

    Written by Luke McCallin

    Narrated by John Lee

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook


    German intelligence officer Captain Gregor Reinhardt has just been reassigned to the Feldjaegerkorps-a new branch of the military police with far-reaching powers. His position separates him from the friends and allies he has made in the last two years. And he needs them now more than ever.
    While retreating through Yugoslavia with the rest of the army, Reinhardt witnesses a massacre of civilians by the dreaded Ustaše-only to discover that there is more to the incident than anyone believes. When five mutilated bodies turn up, Reinhardt knows that the stakes are growing more important-and more dangerous.
    As his investigation begins to draw the attention of those in power, Reinhardt's friends and associates are made to suffer. But as he desperately tries to uncover the truth, his own past with the Ustaše threatens his efforts. Because when it comes to death and betrayal, some people have long memories. And they remember Reinhardt all too well.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateJul 1, 2014
    ISBN9781494572334
    The Pale House
    Author

    Luke McCallin

    Luke McCallin was born in 1972 in Oxford, grew up in Africa, went to school around the world and has worked with the United Nations as a humanitarian relief worker and peacekeeper in the Caucasus, the Sahel, and the Balkans. His experiences have driven his writing, in which he explores what happens to normal people - those stricken by conflict, by disaster - put under abnormal pressures.

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    Reviews for The Pale House

    4/5

    43 ratings8 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I received this book from Real Readers in exchange for a review.

      This book tells the continuing story of Gregor Reinhardt who is back in Sarajevo where the German army is preparing to withdraw at the end of WWII. He is sent to investigate when bodies are found in the forest which leads him into the murky world of the Ustase, Partisans and a penal battallion.

      Sadly though this book doesn't live up to The man from Berlin, going from one violent scene to another for no reason other than to fill out this short book.


      I did enjoy the scenes between Gregor and Susanna which showed the vulnerable side of both of them.

      Maybe this book would have benefited from more time spent on it as it seems to have been rushed to publication on the sucess of the first book.

      look forward to the next book though to see how he develops after the war.
    • 5/5
      Pale House is the second book in the Gregor Rinhardt historical crime fiction series by the author Luke McCallin. Gregor Reinhardt is a German intelligence officer during the second World War who has just been promoted and reassigned to Feldjaegerkorps, a very powerful military police branch. His first assignment takes him to Sarajevo to oversee the retreat of the German army through Yugoslavia. When Reinhardt comes across a massacre of civilians by the dreaded Ustaše, he knows at once that far more is behind this atrocity. As more bodies crop up, each with its own set of disturbing clues, Reinhardt finds himself sucked into an investigation that threatens to expose not only the complicity of the Ustaše, but a conspiracy that reaches back to Berlin. With many lives at stake, including his own, and the German army in full retreat, he must decide how far he is willing to go to see justice done.

      The Pale House is a suspenseful novel with a rather complex plot. The historical aspect that surrounded it makes for some thrilling WWII fiction that seems pretty close to being real. I was totally immersed in the book and I didn’t feel that I was reading fiction at all. I appreciate the historical note that the author put together at the end of the book, as it gave us a glimpse into just what really happened in Sarajevo during those sad days of the end of the WWII. I didn't know anything about this period in time and it was interesting to learn about it.

      It's remarkable that the author has managed to make a hero out of a German officer. It reminds me in many ways of the Bernie Gunther series written by Philip Kerr. I thought it was a very compelling study of fascinating characters evolving in a very complex story and of a man with a conscience in a time and place in history where lines get quite blurry between right and wrong.
    • 4/5
      The Pale House – A Return to SarajevoLuke McCallin returns to his Gregor Reinhardt character in The Pale House, his follow up to The Man From Berlin. Once again we are getting a wonderfully written and researched book on a time when Sarajevo was in complete chaos just before she was liberated by the Partisans. Like many places in 1945 as the Germans were in retreat and collapsing there was bloodshed and revenge on a lot of people’s minds. All this is illustrated in this excellent thriller, as we are fighting not only against time to find the truth but his own comrades.We have moved two years on from The Man From Berlin and Captain Gregor Reinhardt has managed to survive his ‘interview’ with the Gestapo and is in Vienna. He is issued with new orders and a transfer from Intelligence to the Feldjaegerkorps, a new branch of the military police with wide ranging powers. He is being sent back to Sarajevo to a city that is now in chaos as the Germans are in retreat and the Ustase are causing havoc and mayhem.On the way in to the City Captain Reinhardt discovers burnt bodies and mutilated by whom he has no idea, but one has a piece of German Uniform in his hand, are these German soldiers. As he drives back in to the city he comes face to face with his old adversaries in the Ustase and a German Major. Once in the City he notices the change in atmosphere and the amount of refugees that are seeking help.When three members of the Feldjaegerkorps are killed on a routine patrol, Reinhardt has to investigate their deaths and at the same time uncovers more bodies on a nearby construction site that is under the command of the 999th Penal Battalion with the Ustase hovering around. As Reinhardt investigates further he discovers that something is not right as German soldiers seem to be disappearing but the paybooks are still being used, he needs to get to the bottom of this. He is kicking stones over and does not like what he finds and everywhere he goes he seems to have an Ustase shadow.One night he is taken by force to the Pale House that is the base for the Ustase and he finds that besides not being the most popular person in the building he is still alive. What he sees is the Ustase trying to cover their tracks which makes him more suspicious of what is going on amongst the Ustase and the Penal Battalion. With his life in danger Reinhardt knows he has to carry on to a conclusion and follow it through to the end.Luke McCallin has once again written an excellent historical thriller set in the days when the Reich was dying a slow and very painful death. Reinhardt once again seems to be the honest ex-detective who wants to find the truth and uphold justice even while there is chaos around. This is well written and researched with some excellent notes to help illustrate the novel. Once again this is a page turning thriller in which the truth will out even in chaos. An excellent historical thriller which is a pleasure to read and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
    • 4/5
      The Pale House is a sequel to the author's excellent first novel The Man from Berlin. In the acknowledgements at the beginning of the book Luke McCallin states that he wrote this novel within a year whereas The Man From Berlin had taken eleven years to complete. Unfortunately I think this shows.For me, especially at the beginning, the novel seemed a bit muddled. I wasn't even sure that it helped having read the first book! There were also a few niggling repetitions in the prose but this decreased as the story went on. Eventually things began to come together and by the second half of the book the writing took on the quality of the first novel and became more intense. I would still recommend The Pale House as it does eventually turn into a good read but I hope that in future the author allows himself time to go more in depth and rely less on the reader already knowing the characters from the previous book.
    • 4/5
      The Pale House is the second Gregor Reinhardt novel and it follows the story from The Man From Berlin, although you do not need to have read the first installment in order to enjoy The Pale House.The storyline continues in Sarajevo at the end of WWII, where Reinhardt has been reassigned to the Feldjaegerkorps. Like in The Man From Berlin Reinhardt is put in charge of a murder investigation where the Ustase, the Partisans and even the Greman korps could be involved.The storyline is fast-paced, very gripping and we we get an insight into Gregor Reinhardt's thoughts and views about the war. Reinhardt feels like a more rounded character this time, very human and we can relate to him more. He has his mental and physical struggles and we see him as a man with morals and beliefs instead of another soldier in the war following orders.The Pale House feels very well researched with rounder characters than in The Man From Berlin and with a very intriguing storyline which will keep you guessing until the end. The story unravels very cleverly and it shows how much thought and research the author has put into it. Overall I felt this second novel was stronger and more powerful than the first.I thoroughly enjoyed it and I am really looking forward to the next installment to find out where Reindhard goes next after Sarajevo.
    • 3/5
      I was really surprised when The Pale House by Luke McCallin dropped through the letter box. I have been a member of Real Readers for ages and this is the first book I have received. Because of that I wish I liked it more.This is the second book featuring Gregor Reinhardt. Perhaps if I had read The Man From Berlin, the first in this series, I would have had a better knowledge of the character of Gregor and would have been able to care more about him.The story is set towards the end of the 2nd WW, in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. Gregor has been reassigned to the Feldjaegerkorps. This was a branch of the military police who, in theory, answered to nobody but themselves.It is obvious to most of the characters that they are on the losing side of this war and no one wants to be left behind waiting for the Partisans and the Allies to arrive.Gregor is called upon to investigate the non-combat deaths of several German soldiers. At the same time, members of the Croatian Fascist police force are disappearing. Could the two be connected?It is difficult for me to put my finger on quite why this book didn't appeal to me.It has lots of good pointsit is well written with a taut narrativeIt has a logical plot with no gaping holesIt is well researched, but the research is not flaunted at the expense of the story.And yet for some reason it didn't strike a chord with me.If you like Historical/War/Crime fiction, and usually I do, then I would still recommend that you give this book a try. It might not be the book of the year for me, but it is still worth the reading time.
    • 5/5
      The Pale House - Luke McCallinI read the first Gregor Reinhardt novel with considerable enjoyment. So I was delighted to receive this, the second one, from Real Readers.There is a continuity between both books so it was easy to reacquaint myself with Gregor and find him intrinsically unchanged, a little more battered physically and emotionally but in fine shape to continue his role as a military Maigret.It’s a story that pulls no punches and the senseless violence and brutality of war is never far away but I think what elevates these stories beyond mere war novels or crime thrillers is the thread of morality that extends throughout the narrative. So that by the end whatever the resolution or final denouement the reader is still left with plenty to think about.It’s a sturdy work, muscular, strong characters with that curious rebellious detachment from decency that occurs in a war and that McCallin seems to comprehend with something akin to compassion almost. The research is immaculate and historically, I guess that at a stretch this could be slotted into that genre, it is enlightening and humbling.The plot is complex and it requires attention from its readers to understand all that has happened and why. As with the first novel there are no clever tricks, all the writers’ efforts are concentrated into furthering the narrative.I hope there’ll be more Gregor Reinhardt books; I like him, I want to know he’s okay!!!
    • 5/5
      I was really please when through the letterbox dropped The Pale House – the sequel to The Man From Berlin written by Luke McCallin. I was asked to review the first book by Real Readers and seven moths later I have been privileged to review his second novel.As before this has been well researched and well written. The author has continued to develop Reinhardt's character in this story and has insight into the character’s vulnerability.This thriller has war and action too and gives the reader insight into the history of the Balkans and the politics of the time.This author is going places and the reader knows at the end of this story Reinhardt will go on, there another book in the pipeline for 2015.This will be up there in the top ten this summer a great read from a great author.