The Good Cop
Set largely in Germany in the years between 1918 and 1945, The Good Cop is a tale about three individuals: Willi Geismeier, a detective who plays by the old rules of seeking the truth and convicting the guilty; Sophie Auerbach, a new reporter for a Munich newspaper that isn’t afraid to call Hitler a maniac; and Maximilian Wolf, a sketch artist who draws people and scenes to enhance the stories appearing in the same paper. Sophie and Max often work together and slowly fall in love. When they are attacked in a park, Willi tries to sort out the responsible parties and, when their paper is bombed, nurses suspicions it’s by the same group that perpetrated the attack. Several higher-ups in the force are enamored of Hitler and make sure no bad press comes to the Nazis from their offices. Willi is ordered off the cases but refuses to give up his passion for the truth and bringing the responsible parties to justice.
Steiner writes with crisp prose, using just a few crucial sentences to set a scene and unfurl the action. Readers can follow the trajectory of political intrigue across 27 years through his focus on a few crucial events. He does an excellent job of developing our empathy for each of the principal characters and others who support them along the way. Although we know the history, it is impossible not to feel the suspense as the characters work their way through the evil stacked against them.
