No Man Dies Twice

Bavaria, 1942. Inspector Peter Ritter of the Rosenheim police is a man on borrowed time. His refusal to toe the Nazi party line has earned him too many enemies; the Gestapo are closing in and his marriage is falling apart. Ritter seeks refuge in the brandy bottle, and in ghostly conversations with his dead father-in-law. Ritter's determination to investigate the murder of an unidentified Jew offers his critics a case in point: he is a man locked in the past, out of step with the priorities of modern Germany. But when a second victim is discovered brutally stabbed in a local hotel, Ritter finds himself at the heart of a deadly plot that could affect the outcome of the war itself. With not just the solving of a double murder but his own life at stake, Ritter needs to find an ally. And he has only two options: the Gestapo or the woman he believes to be a ruthless British spy.

No Man Dies Twice is the first book in a new series starring Ritter. Inspector Peter Ritter will return.

Reviews

"Exceptional. Not only does Smith know his history, he also has a tremendous understanding of the intricacies of espionage and detective work. Do not miss this brilliant thriller." ―Matthew Dunn, former British intelligence officer, author of the Spycatcher series

"[A] gripping mystery set in Germany during WWII that will resonate with fans of Philip Kerr's Bernie Gunther series." ―Publishers Weekly

"A brandy-soaked police inspector in Nazi Germany with a faithless wife, a Gestapo nemesis, and an out-of-favor sense of justice makes this a fascinating read with a terrific sense of place. No Man Dies Twice is filled with believable characters doing their best―or worst―in this tense wartime mystery." ―James R. Benn, author of the Billy Boyle World War II Mystery series

"Michael Smith has crafted a riveting murder mystery that moves inexorably forward as the single-minded and principled Inspector Peter Ritter tries to solve the killings and impart his skills to an obnoxious young probationary Hitler Youth poster boy cop assigned to him. Smith takes us into an area of wartime Germany we have rarely read about before, and into the lives of characters torn by the choices war visits on individuals." ―Joseph Heywood, New York Times bestselling author of The Berkut and The Domino Conspiracy

"A powerful debut full of fear, suspense, violence and geopolitical machinations. The tale thickens and twists, plunging us into a labyrinth of high-stakes intrigue involving the Gestapo and British spy agencies. Michael Smith explores turf reminiscent of the historical fiction of Alan Furst and Joseph Kanon. He writes with the detail, precision and sophistication you'd expect from a top journalist and historian who also happens to be a veteran of British military intelligence." ―Sebastian Rotella, author of Rip Crew

About the Author

Michael Smith is an award-winning UK journalist and author. He served in British military intelligence before becoming a writer, working for the BBC, the Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Times. Smith uncovered the Downing Street Memos, which exposed the truth about the intelligence used to justify the war in Iraq. He is the author of numerous books on spies and special operations including the UK No 1 bestseller Station X, the US bestseller Killer Elite, and Foley: The Spy Who Saved 10,000 Jews, which led to the recognition of former MI6 officer Frank Foley as Righteous Among Nations, the highest award the Israeli state can award to a non-Jew. He lives in Oxfordshire in England.