The historical fiction aspect of this book is great. The book is very atmospheric and chock full of historical details that must have taken a lot of time to research. As a former Dresden resident, all the familiar street names and landmarks are a real treat - but it might be a little boring for readers who don’t know the city.
The characters aren’t outstanding but also not bad - they’re quite realistic in their motivations and their relationships with one another, though our hero Heller can be a little suspiciously modern in his morals at times.
The drawback of this novel is definitely the main plot. The author gets so lost in the weeds of the history and the detailed backstories of his characters that he seems to lose track of Heller‘s case entirely. It’s very confusing and therefore quite difficult for the reader to truly get invested - less would have been more, and the pacing is abrupt and confusing at times. Unfortunately that seems to be the trend with Goldammer. Overall I still enjoyed the book, though not for the crime drama.