The German

The German, a psychological thriller and serial murder mystery set in a small Texas town during the aftermath of World War II, is a grisly, engrossing page-turner from Lambda awarding-winning author Lee Thomas.

The year is 1944 and the residents of Barnard, Texas have been shaken by a series of gruesome murders, where the victims are all young boys and the assailant has left behind clues written in German. Tempers flare as the town becomes divided among the sizable number of Germans in Barnard and their accusing friends and neighbors who begin to point fingers with suspicion.

Tom Rabbit, the widowed sheriff who tries to keep the peace while investigating the murders, is especially disturbed by the perpetrator's methods and ultimately enraged by the people's reaction. Ernst Lang, a German ex-soldier who barely survived when he fled his native country, lives a lonely gay man's life, haunted by violent events in his past. Tim Randall, a youngster whose father is reporting missing in action, is torn when his friends discover his neighbor (Lang) is gay and therefore must be the serial killer.

Events unfold from these three men's points of view in alternating chapters, and this storytelling technique is particularly effective because each has his own personal struggle to contend with, in addition to the resounding criminal issue at hand that affects them all.

Tom buries himself in work so he won't have to accept how lonely and detached he is without his wife. Despite the era in history, Lang is not in the least bit ashamed of his homosexuality, yet his actions as a former military officer are what keep him up at night. Tim, whose mother's preoccupation with her husband's safety leaves him essentially parentless, unwittingly develops a fondness for Mr. Lang; unfortunately, the young boy's sentiment proves to be too conflicting and leads to unspeakable behavior.

The timeline of events surrounding the murders becomes increasingly complicated, particularly when another boy goes missing. Tom suspects and confronts Lang about his violent tendencies when he learns of his involvement in a bar fight, only to renege when the missing boy returns home unscathed. Meanwhile, Tim reluctantly joins forces with a group of bullies who exact revenge on Lang after they are convinced his unnatural behavior by default makes him the killer.

Like any good murder mystery, the novel is filled with customary plot twists, questionable characters, and gruesome crime scenes that keep the pages turning and the reader guessing. Although the outcome is tragic, Lang's spirit is especially admirable and the author deserves praise for crafting a mid-20th century gay male who is tormented by shameful behavior and acts that have little to do with his sexuality.

The German isn't a conventional mystery novel, but rather an intriguing period piece complete with historical references and character studies that will likely provoke thought and discussion and remind its readers how far we've come.