The Firehand File
Bob Van Laerhoven
Next Chapter (2026)
ISBN: 979-8254772453
Reviewed by Sarah Osman for Reader Views (08/2026)
The Firehand File, by Bob Van Laerhoven, takes us to early 1920s Berlin. There’s Detective Chaim Orlosow, who’s on the trail of a serial killer known as the Skinner. His friend is a Flemish DADA poet whose girlfriend has left him for a more financially secure man. Two Jewish children struggle on the streets. An enigmatic woman with ties to the National Socialist Party may be hiding a secret or two. A woman is undergoing the process of her reassignment surgery. At the center of it all are mysterious diary entries that set the characters on a collision course with a powerful leader: Adolf Hitler.
While there are multiple characters and plotlines, Van Laerhoven helpfully guides us through them. Each character is unique, fully developed, and believable. One of the pitfalls historic fiction writers often fall into is focusing too much on the historic aspect, and not enough on the characters. Van Laerhoven does not make this mistake. He crafts his characters so that we feel their emotions and are invested in their relationships. The key to a great story is the relationships between the characters and feeling what they are feeling, which Van Laerhoven ensures.
Berlin in the 1920s also serves as a character. We see how Berlin fell to fascism just 10 years later through Van Laerhoven’s descriptions. Drugs and poverty run rampant. People are angry and still reeling from World War I. At the same time, Berlin isn’t a complete cesspool. There is a lively bohemian scene of cabarets, reflecting how so much vibrant art came out of Berlin during this time.
Juxtaposed against Berlin are other major historic events: the Boxer Rebellion and the Armenian Genocide. I’ve not seen much historical fiction that focuses on these tragedies, let alone connects them to the downfall of the Weimar Republic.
To stay true to the time period, Van Laerhoven uses the harsh, offensive language commonly used (primarily by Nazis). Yet the author’s use never feels like it was used just to shock. The language the characters use directly reflects truths about each character, including their jealousy and prejudice. A trigger warning at the beginning of the book would have been appropriate, but the novel’s synopsis does focus on the dark, depressing material that is present throughout The Firehand File.
At a Glance: A dark historical crime novel set in 1920s Berlin follows a detective hunting a serial killer as intersecting lives and mysterious diaries lead toward the rise of Nazism. The story explores political extremism, poverty, prejudice, violence, and Weimar-era bohemian culture.
Best for Readers Who Enjoy: historical crime fiction, Weimar Berlin, serial killer mysteries, dark historical fiction, rise of fascism, interconnected characters, political intrigue, gritty atmospheric novels, LGBTQ+ history