Heads Off

by Falko Rademacher

Detective Inspector Lisa Becker is Her bathroom scale is becoming more and more impertinent, the nice guy next door is too intrusive, her sexy colleague is not intrusive enough, an alley cat has moved into her apartment – and then there is this serial killer who beheads people in their sleep. Who needs that?


There seems to be no connection between the murders. The killer could be insane, choosing victims at random. Lisa is convinced that that’s not the case, and after lots of digging she finds the motive...


An unconventional thriller from Berlin, full of irony, an offbeat detective and lots of blood-covered carpets.


FALKO RADEMACHER is one of Germany’s most successful indie authors. His thrillers and mysteries are as popular as his satire and comedy books. He is 40 and lives in Berlin.

Genres: Mystery

250 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Falko Rademacher's career as a writer and satirist spans almost 30 years. He has been succesful in all media, including TV, radio and magazines. However, he is mostly known as one of Germany's most succesful indie authors of thrillers and mysteries. Recently he added Science Fiction to his portfolio with the Starship Nautilus series.

Available novels in English so far:

"Heads Off. A Lisa Becker Mystery"
"Dead Beauties. A Lisa Becker Mystery"
"The Vampire of Berlin. A Lisa Becker Mystery"
"A Suitcase Full Of Blood. A Philip Eckstein Thriller"
"American, Die. A Philip Eckstein Thriller"
"The Frozen Boy (Starship Nautilus)"
"The Shada Experiment (Starship Nautilus)"
"Terror on Nandoria (Starship Nautilus)"

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm always surprised when I find something German that has a true sense of humor.

Halbe Leichen (available in English under the title of Heads Off) proved to be one of those charming exceptions that reveal the Germans *can* be funny, very funny. And the fact that the novel was a 2012 bestseller in Germany hints at the possibility that there are at least a few other Deutsche Voelker out there as readers who also have a funny bone to match this offbeat murder mystery.

This police procedural is Book #1 of the Lisa Becker "Krimi" series, featuring Lisa as a homicide detective who's not your average protag. That's decidedly something German -- in fact, most European -- authors often do better than we Americaneren. Poor Lisa is a bit stocky, not at all of the Lauren Bacall ilk (I suspect Kathy Bates would be about right to play her on screen). She's unsure of herself -- although a good investigator. She's also obsessed with her detective partner Favian, who might be a "Brad Pitt." But kudos to Favian-Brad, who sees something special in Lisa both on the force and in the bedroom.

Lisa, on the other hand, realizes that anything they might share would be transitory, but she's okay with that. No need for a happy ending in the love department. She's willing to be shallow about it.

And intertwining the subplot of this shallow office romance is the real story, a gruesome crime they're investigating that involves a growing roster of bodies beheaded in homes across Berlin. The vics are all schmucks and deserved it, but without a single link among them.

Author Falko Rademacher flirts throughout the story with the standard tropes of police procedural murder mysteries, replete with offbeat characters, red herrings, twists and turns, and wry comments throughout that pun on classic Brit and American noir icons and their stories -- all to very entertaining effect.

I can't decide if I ultimately liked this one more because of the German colloquialisms on crime, or because of its sound plot and interesting twist near the end. But the German readership certainly embraced Becker's storyline: The first book spawned multiple sequels.

Recommended for those wanting an unconventional, sometimes funny, sometimes punny take on the standard mystery.

[Arthur Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable fun cop book, with the interesting addition of periodic (and charming) photographs of Berlin. A nice, enjoyable read.

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

Readers, make sure you heads are screwed on to your necks tightly because this fast-paced mystery will have heads spinning by the time we reach the very unforseeable finish. Rademacher is a talented writer, and book lovers will thoroughly enjoy the humorous undertone which he incorporates with ease throughout the storyline. Our amazing heroine, Detective Lisa Becker is struggling with her weight, realistic and a unique character who will be admired by all. Excitement, romance and a puzzling murder mystery are just some of the significant and stirring components which make this book so special. Another thing that adds to the thrill of this novel is that the author resides in Germany and the description of the wondrous setting of Berlin is remarkable. And, it was a very clever idea to include illustrations which is just an added bonus.

[Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lisa Becker is a murder investigator working in Berlin. She dreams of a romantic relationship, but being a bit heavier, her self-doubt about her body image holds her back.

Witty and bold, Lisa is one tough cookie. When heads start coming off, she and her partner/love interest, Fabian, set out to figure out who is the culprit. As she follows her strong intuition, things get even more dangerous as she gets closer to solving the murder case.

'Heads Off' is an entertaining murder mystery to pick up for readers who like their characters refreshingly different and genuine, along with a complex and unpredictable plot that you will not want to put down.

[D.L. Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book needs a good edit, many words are joined, misused words, and the original book was in German so the place names are still German, and some words were not interpreted. The story is good, Frau Becker is an investigator, she is faced with someone cutting heads off of people. She is heavy, has no self confidence about her job, her body, her life. she adopts a cat, that she names cat. There is some sexual tension with her partner on the police force, she thinks he likes her, then she thinks he doesn't like her, then she thinks he likes her, then she thinks...well, you get the idea. I am guessing it was better in German.

[Kaite · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detective Inspector Lisa Becker is a very tough, modern woman. She thinks her job is dull, she’s not getting any thinner and her boss has serious B.O! This quirky crime thriller describes the police investigation of a killer who’s removing people’s heads while they sleep, and leaving a hell of a mess!

Other crime thrillers I've read have been very serious and I found them a bit draining; this, however, is quirky and I really enjoyed reading it. I like the diversions from the main theme of death and blood, into who would make a good boyfriend and how to get rid of that stray cat in the living room.

Entertaining, definitely recommended!

[Amy Krouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a funny and also thought-provoking mystery set in Berlin. Lisa Becker is a very unusual detective, clever but full of self doubt about her appearance and her capabilities. She is like a normal human being and a great role model. I especially like how Rademacher's characters talk like real people - very direct, sometimes harsh, but never vulgar. Not many authors write like this.

[LucyMayBR · Rating 1 out of 5]

An Amateur Effort

This book is not worth reading. First, the conversion from German to English was poor - many mistakes with word choice and verb tense. Also, the digitizing of the book was the worst I have ever seen. Quotation marks were messed up throughput the book. The characters were very shallow. I didn't enjoy it at all.

[Pamela · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was just a little....doarkie for me. I MADE myself finish it. It wasn't awful, but too much like Janet Evanovichs' Stephanie Plum series. Been there, read that. Totally guessed the ending half way in:(

[Frau_Nachti · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ach herrje...

[Beth Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of fun. More please :)

[Mhd]

female detective--don't care for her; little action