The Valkyrie Song - Tapa dura

'The heavens are stained with the blood of men,

As the Valkyries sing their song.'

Njal's Saga

Jan Fabel is a troubled man. His relationships with the women in his life are becoming increasingly complicated: his partner, Susanne, is looking for a deeper commitment. His daughter is considering joining the police and his ex-wife holds him responsible.

If that weren't enough, after a gap of ten years, a female serial killer – the Angel of St Pauli – again makes the headlines when an English pop star is found in Hamburg's red-light district, dying of the most savage knife wounds.

Links emerge with a series of apparently unrelated events. A journalist murdered in Norway. The death of a Serbian gangster. And a long-forgotten project by East Germany's Stasi conceived at the height of the Cold War, involving a highly-trained group of female assassins, known by the codename Valkyrie.

Fabel's hunt for the truth will bring him up against the most terrifyingly efficient professional killer. The ultimate avenging angel.

Fabel soon realizes the real danger he faces in hunting the Valkyrie ...

That he might just catch up with her.

Praise for Craig Russell

'If you're looking for a distinctive and exciting new voice in crime fiction, then look no further than Craig Russell. This is gritty, authentic and disturbing stuff' Mo Hayder

'This is a gruesomely gripping tale introducing German detective Jan Fabel, who is hunting a ritualistic murderer. Violently exciting - it had me hooked' Piers Morgan, Eve

'Sympathetic cop characters and meticulous scattering of clues leading to an unnerving outcome ... Gripping' Gerald Kaufman, Scotsman

'A gorgeous, grisly serial-killer tale that will have you on the edge of your seat' Daily Express

'A blood-curdlingly clever plot ... thoughtful and imaginative' The Times