John Lawton specialises in taking historical events and using them as a support for his writing with his Troy series focusing during and after WWII, with this one set in Berlin in the 1950s.

Inspector Troy and his sidekick Jack Wildeve are sent to view a body that appears to have ‘fallen’ from a roof several floors up. Whilst the name of the person is known, the information about him is less secure with it eventually turning out that names and identity are a key element of the story.

Lawton has structured this book cleverly with sections focusing on each of the main characters, slowly revealing their links and hidden identities although always written in the third person. We get to see how these characters escaped, be it the Russians, the war or just home, and the shape their lives then took.

The title suggests destruction with the smoke and embers left: the embers ready to ignite should the conditions be right and the smoke suggesting lasting consequences, both of which fit well with the narrative. Written in short chapters, this is a book that you can devour in a couple of sittings