Review "Ned Schmidtke's deep, authoritative voice suits the story. He never gets in front of the action. Instead, he supports this atmospheric tale with well-paced, even reading and a few carefully chosen vocal mannerisms for the main characters. A moody, involving listen."-- "AudioFile""Steinhauer deftly presents minor characters, while he richly renders the country's travails as was is followed by occupation, suspicion, corruption, and betrayal."-- "Publishers Weekly"In this richly drawn detective mystery, the large cast of secondary characters is well realized, and the social and physical setting is powerfully drawn.-- "Kliatt "Ned Schmidtke's narration provides a gripping reading that allows this novel to unfold steadily toward the exciting conclusion.-- "Library Journal (audio review) "Steinhauer makes you smell the murky sewers and feel the damp chill of the dark alleys as Emil works to solve the case. This is a finely formed novel that evokes all of the desperation, intrigue, and bloody-mindedness that was postwar Europe, but it also brings to life the spirit of those people, who not only survived those horrible years but went on to build new lives.-- "FennFocus Reps Picks"Time, place, and cast are all richly evoked in [this] well-written, often gripping debut.-- "Kirkus" Product Description In this auspicious literary crime debut, an inexperienced homicide detective struggles amid the lawlessness of a post-World War II Eastern European city. It's August, 1948, three years after the Russians liberated this small nation from German occupation. But the Red Army still patrols the capital's rubble-strewn streets, and the ideals of the Revolution are but memories. Twenty-two-year-old Detective Emil Brod, an eager young man who spent the war working on a fishing boat in Finland, finally gets his chance to serve his country, investigating murder for the People's Militia. The victim in Emil's first case is a state songwriter, but the evidence seems to point toward a political motive. He would like to investigate further, but even in his naivete he realizes that the police academy never prepared him for this peculiar post-war environment in which his colleagues are suspicious or silent, lawlessness and corruption are the rules of the city, and he's still expected to investigate a murder. He is truly on his own in this new, dangerous world. The Bridge of Sighs launches a unique series of crime novels featuring a dynamic cast of characters in an ever-evolving landscape, the politically volatile terrain of Eastern Europe in the second half of the twentieth century. About the Author Olen Steinhauer is a New York Times bestselling author of ten novels, whose work has won the Dashiell Hammett Award, been a two-time Edgar Award finalist, and was shortlisted for the Anthony, the Macavity, the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger, the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, and the Barry awards.Ned Schmidtke has played leading roles on Broadway, on national tours, and at dozens of regional theaters in the United States and Canada. He currently resides in Los Angeles, where he continues to work in theater, film, and television. From AudioFile Emil Brod is a newly minted homicide detective in an unnamed bomb-damaged Eastern European city just after WWII. The Russians are in charge. Emil is assigned to solve a case that no one wants to touch. As he reveals a murder cover-up, he guides us through cold, dark streets; introduces us to desperate, determined people; and has us feel their ever-present fear. Ned Schmidtke's deep, authoritative voice suits the story. He never gets in front of the action. Instead, he supports this atmospheric tale with well-paced, even reading and a few carefully chosen vocal mannerisms for the main characters. A moody, involving listen. A.C.S. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine