Fatal Puzzle

Zons-Krimi #1

by Catherine Shepherd

Zons 1495: Eine junge Frau wird geschändet und verstümmelt aufgefunden. Offensichtlich war sie Opfer des Rituals eines perversen Mörders geworden. Eigentlich ist das kleine mittelalterliche Städtchen Zons, das damals wie heute genau zwischen Düsseldorf und Köln am Rhein liegt, immer besonders friedlich gewesen. Doch seitdem der Kölner Erzbischof Friedrich von Saarwerden dem Städtchen die Zollrechte verliehen hatte, tauchte immer mehr kriminelles Gesindel auf. Bastian Mühlenberg von der Zonser Stadtwache ist geschockt von der Brutalität des Mörders und verfolgt seine Spur – nicht ahnend, dass auch er bereits in den Fokus des Puzzlemörders geraten ist...

Gegenwart: Die Journalismus-Studentin Emily kann ihr Glück kaum fassen! Sie darf eine ganze Artikelserie über die historischen Zonser Morde schreiben. Doch mit Beginn ihrer Reportage scheint der mittelalterliche Puzzlemörder von Zons wieder lebendig zu werden, als eine brutal zugerichtete Frauenleiche in Zons aufgefunden wird. Kriminalkommissar Oliver Bergmann nimmt die Ermittlungen auf. Erst viel zu spät erkennt er den Zusammenhang zur Vergangenheit. Verzweifelt versucht er die Puzzleteile des Mörders zusammenzufügen, doch der Täter ist immer einen Schritt voraus...

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Historical Fiction, Ebooks, Historical, Crime

144 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2012

About the author

Bestselling German author Catherine Shepherd lives with her family in the small town of Zons on the river Rhine. She originally moved to Zons to be near her place of work at a major German bank in Düsseldorf. However, the medieval atmosphere of the town and the advent of self-publishing soon combined to stir the writing spirit that had lain dormant in her for many years. She began to write again, weaving together the threads of medieval and present time. The result? A series of four crime novels set in Zons, each a mixture of an exciting thriller and a mysterious story from the Middle Ages. The first ("Der Puzzlemörder von Zons") as well as the third ("Kalter Zwilling") and fourth ("Auf den Flügeln der Angst") hit #1 on the German Kindle charts.

Reviews

[Sonja Rosa Lisa ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eine Mordserie im Mittelalter und ein möglicher Nachahmungstäter in der Gegenwart? Klingt erst mal gut. Ich mag Geschichten, die auf zwei oder sogar mehr Zeitebenen spielen. Und besonders das Mittelalter finde ich sehr faszinierend!

Die Geschichte vom Puzzlemörder in Zons ist auch durchaus gut, aber es gibt auch viel Luft nach oben. Es bleibt alles ein bisschen hölzern; ich habe es jedenfalls so empfunden. Die Charaktere hatten wenig Tiefe; ich konnte mich nicht so recht in sie hineinfühlen.

Das Buch war gut, aber nicht gänzlich überzeugend. Ob ich auch den zweiten Band noch lesen möchte, weiß ich derzeit noch nicht.

[Zoeytron · Rating 1 out of 5]

Moving between 1495 and present day, this murder mystery did not do it for me at all. With its simplistic writing, paper-thin characterizations, and unlikely "fits", there is nothing about it that makes me want to solve any further puzzles. And sorry, I found the cliffhanger to be just plain silly, almost juvenile. Only my opinion, of course.

This was a Kindle-First offering, thank you.

[Rachael · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review also appears on my blog, Reading Rachael.

I'm not one to read a lot of mystery or crime novels, but the synopsis of this book sounded quite promising and this title is available this month for free from Amazon's Kindle First program, so I thought I'd give it a shot. However, I find myself closing this book feeling quite disappointed.

This is one of the few books that I have read that I felt would have honestly been better if it had been a bit simpler. If the author had stuck to a plot about a journalism student investigating some gruesome murders that took place 500 years ago, only to have a similar killing take place in the present day, I feel this book would have been a lot better. The puzzle aspect of the story was a nice touch, but when the insinuation of paranormal activity was added to the mix, my interest quickly began to wane. And I'm not sure if this is merely a case of poor translation (this novel was originally written in German), but the writing left a lot to be desired as well. Honestly, there wasn't much of substance in the way of dialogue and many of the plot strings were too far fetched for me to even be slightly believable. I mean, what woman in her right mind would invite a complete stranger into her apartment for a cup of tea in the middle of night? And readers are to believe a man was appointed to the police department simply because he had the insight to capture a violent crime on video with his cell phone? A group of people ice skating nearby don't notice a dead body dangling from a tower? A guy falls "head over heels" for a girl after interviewing her about her research on some grisly murders (not exactly what I call romantic...)?

I am often weary of reading books taking place within two different periods of time, but this is one where it could have worked really well if the story were put together a little better. This is the first part of a series (I read that the author is working on the fifth installment), although I am not sure if I will be continuing with this saga.

[Matthew Schultz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though the description of this book was intriguing, and it definitely had a lot of potential to be a captivating and suspenseful thriller, it failed to meet expectations. The story and plot ideas were very interesting, which is why I gave it two stars instead of one. I love medieval times, and was looking forward to reading a good crime thriller that took place in a medieval German city. I even liked the idea that it jumped between the past and the present. I thought it was a unique twist to the overdone "copycat killer" theme. Unfortunately, there were just too many inconsistencies, inaccuracies, and unbelievable details and circumstances which left me feeling disappointed and even annoyed at times throughout the read. On top of that, each time period had very anticlimactic endings. I felt as though the author rushed to write the book and didn't take the time to do enough research and editing.

There were many things I found hard to swallow through out the book. First, there was the commander of the city guard in the year 1495 who carries around a notebook to jot down notes about the crimes he is trying to solve. In a time when people wrote with a quill and inkwell, I cannot imagine how he accomplishes this. Also, everyone in the past seemed to drink wine or mead out of a goblet or chalice, instead of mugs or cups made from clay. Goblets were more of a religious thing back then. Then there was the part in the present where kids were playing on ice right next where a dead body was hanging in the air, yet neither kids nor parents saw it. On top of that, nobody thought to clear and rope off the area for over an hour. It just doesn't sound very realistic. Another is how easily 500-year old documents were checked out of the library. Anyone can just come and take them whenever they want, as long as they put up with the archivist's creepy ways. Shouldn't these be protected a little better than that?

The characters were okay. I liked the complexities of the original killer and the personality of his pursuer. The present-day characters were boring though. There was not enough background or uniqueness for them, and their cheesy romances and crushes made me roll my eyes and shake my head.

As for the puzzle of the book, I thought it would have a lot more significance than it really did. It was played up so much throughout the story, that when it was finally revealed, all I could say was, "That's it?"

I think this book would have been much better if it had taken longer to write. More research about life in the middle ages. More background for the characters. More details - I wanted to see the town. The author lives there, she should have shown us a little more. But all I got were walls and towers. And more suspense. Both villains were defeated way too easily and quickly. Very disappointing.

[Daria Marshall · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've had this on my Kindle for over 2 years (it's one of many Kindle First books that I got and then proceeded to not read because I'm a horrible person like that) and one of my goals is to read all of my Kindle First books this year, so here I am.

The idea of jumping between 1495 and present day was intriguing, but the way that it was executed was rather disappointing. I'm not sure if it is because it was translated to English so the writing fell flat or if the writing just was not strong to begin with. There were several plot points that I had a really hard time getting behind and felt like there was no need to include the paranormal aspect.

The puzzle aspect held promise, but I feel like the fact that the first two victims' last names matched up with an aspect of the puzzle just to throw off the scent was a little too easy. I find it hard to believe that the investigator would focus on the last names and not the names of the towers.

The current day killer seemed so out of left field. I wish we had gotten more from his perspective, to be honest. Especially given some of his inner thoughts near the end of the book. It just didn't make sense to me. And again, it felt too easy to have one of the suspects that the police were interested in.

I felt like the 1495 scenes didn't feel as authentic as I would normally like my historical fiction because the language felt a little too modern for my taste.

I'm giving it a 2 star rating rather than a 1 star rating because I'm taking into account that some of my problems could have been due to the translation from German to English.

[Tifa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really interesting premise, but really terrible execution.

I think some of the problems may have come from translation, particularly when the text repeats the same descriptions a few times in adjoining paragraphs. And I wonder if there was more character development in the original language.

Unfortunately, this was more of a novella with an interesting idea that could have benefited from a better editor. The plot had holes you could drive a truck through, and I was left so confused about the motive behind the entire modern crime. It just didn't make sense and makes me wonder if it was lost in translation somehow.

The medieval section was kind of neat, and the author obviously is well versed in the history of Zons which is cool, but overall, the book just didn't work. Someone should have pointed out the plot holes and encouraged the author to develop several of the main characters more because they all felt extremely one dimensional. I just couldn't bring myself to care about any of them.

On the upside, it was extremely short, really more of a novella than a novel. I definitely won't be reading any more by this author.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gratis erhältlich als E-buch vom Kindle Lending Library, doch nicht die Zeit wert. Was ist eigentlich das Rätsel? Wir glauben zu wissen, wer der Mörder ist, warum er tötet, wer die Opfer sind, und dass der Mörder irgendwie in der Gegenwart gelangt. Die Frage scheint nur zu sein, warum er bestimmte Ziffern im Kopfhaut der Opfer kratzt (ekelhaft), aber als Anlass zum Lesen genügt das mir wohl nicht. Ansonsten sind die Beschreibungen in diesem Roman völlig gattungsmäßig; ich habe mich eher gelangweilt als erschrocken als ich gelesen habe, wie es dem Mörder erregt, die Mädchen zu überwinden. Ich könnte die geschichtlichen Details ebenso bemängeln.

(Review in German because I don't see this one getting translated.)

[Pete Stolz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eine sehr spannende packende Grundstory.

Die Story des Krimis springt zwischen zwei Zeitebenen hin und her. Einmal im Mittelalter (1495) und der Gegenwart. Der Schauplatz ist das immernoch gut erhaltene mittelalterliche Städtchen Zons mit Burgwall, am Rhein zwischen Düsseldorf und Köln liegend.

Die Zeiten sind so gut, schon auf eine mystische Art und Weise, ineinander verflochten. Und genau diese Mystik hat mir sehr gut gefallen. Es bleiben diesbezüglich Fragen offen, so dass ich weiterlesen muss. Am besten hat mir das mittelalterliche Setting gefallen. Ich konnte mich gut rein versetzen.

Die 3 Sterne gebe ich, weil es gerade in der ersten Hälfte leider zu hölzern geschrieben ist, was den Lesefluss gestört hat.

Auf die Story selbst werde ich nicht weiter eingehen. Ihr könnt dazu gerne den Klappentext lesen.

[Linus · Rating 2 out of 5]

This small story about serial murders five hundred years ago in the German hamlet of Zons, with an echoing modern crime in Zons in the present, is pleasant enough and makes little sense.

"Fatal Puzzle" is sparely and simply written, telling a businesslike story peopled with stock characters. There's the handsome, forward-looking medieval chief of the guard, and the super-human Serial Killer With A Master Plan, and the clever female protagonist who, in the course of being a journalism student, solves mysteries that baffle the police. Add a few sidekicks and a couple of virginal victims to be horribly raped and murdered, and it's ready to go.

It's a not a bad book, but it's a book abstracted from a hundred prime time detective shows, tossed with a few new flavors. Strictly in the Dan Brown tradition of Drama Lite, with the baffling addition of a plotline drawn from supernatural fantasy stories (which really goes nowhere). This is the first of a series, but you don't need to read the other books to learn who the killer is - and I'm stopping here.

[Hans Schäfer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, this book kept my interest from beginning to end. Fatal Puzzle is an exciting story about a murder mystery that took place 500 years before and how it is linked to a recent murder in the present time.

[nikkia neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

You don't want to miss out on this book especially when you can get it with kindle first! This is a great mystery and very heartfelt. You really lose yourself in the characters and escape to that great place a good book will take you!

[Michel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sehr interessantes Konzept, dass ein Teil in der Gegenwart spielt und ein anderer im Mittelalter. Lediglich das Ende kommt dann doch etwas plötzlich, hier hätte man sich vielleicht noch etwas mehr Informationen zur Aufklärung gewünscht.

[Keksisbaby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ein Mörder hält die Polizei in Atem und kopiert Morde aus dem Mittelalter. Mittendrin die Studentin Emily und ihre beste Freundin Anna, die den historischen Hindergrund beleuchten. Im beschaulichen Städtchen Zons schändet ein Mörder in Vollmondnächten junge Frauen und hängt sie an den Stadttürmen auf. Zuvor rasiert er ihnen aber noch den Kopf und schneidet ihnen Zahlen und Buchstaben in die Haut. Bastian Mühlenberg ist erst vor Kurzem bei der Stadtwache und schon muss er sich mit der Aufklärung dieser blutigen Morde beschäftigen. Als seine Verlobte, dem Mörder in die Hände fällt, spitzt sich die Sache zu.

Der erste Band der „Zonser-Krimireihe“ und mein zweiter. Nun bin ich geneigt ein milderes Urteil, bei diesem Buch abzugeben, als beim ersten Teil. Denn dieser ist ja der Vorgänger und Catherine Shepherds Debüt. Aber auch hier erschloss sich mir die Verknüpfung von Historie und Gegenwart nicht. Ich mochte wie schon in dem Roman „kalter Zwilling“, den mittelalterlichen Erzählstrang weit mehr, als den gegenwärtigen. Für mich braucht es Emily, Oliver, Anna und die anderen nicht. Dafür aber ein bisschen mehr Tiefgang bei den Personen im historischen Zons. Wer ist Bastian Mühlenberg? Was treibt ihn an? Oder auch ein bisschen tiefere Einblicke in die Abgründe des Mörders, denn die Figuren schienen mir ausbaufähig. Die Intention hinter den Morden der Gegenwart ist mir als Leser aber dann doch so völlig abhanden gekommen. Weil der ganze Plot einfach heruntergerasselt wurde, wie eine Aufzählung von Fakten und Ereignissen und dabei bleiben die Figuren auf der Strecke und ich hatte das Zeitgefühl, wie viel Zeit zwischen den einzelnen Morden vergangen ist, irgendwann komplett verloren. Auch wurden einige Sachen nicht aufgeklärt. Wie war der Archivar jetzt mit dem Puzzlemörder verwandt? Wieso um Gottes Willen gab Martin vor Schwul zu sein? Und für alle die das Buch gelesen haben und sagen, na um Anna zu schützen. Ja das habe ich verstanden, aber die Erklärung ist zu blöd. Er hätte doch sagen können, er hätte eine andere Frau kennengelernt. Die Auflösung beider Serienmorde war zum Haareraufen hanebüchen. Mal ehrlich der Puzzlemörder sonst so clever, lässt sich ein zweites Mal von dem hungrigen Wolfsrudel anfallen und Bastian wirft einen Blick auf ein Eisenstück und weiß wo er zu suchen hat? Da wäre massig Potential für eine spannende Suchaktion gewesen. Und Christian bringt Anna und Martin auseinander um sie leichter zu töten? Warum wartet er nicht einfach in der Tiefgarage wenn sie von Arbeit kommt, wie andere Triebtäter auch? Ich gebe aber gern zu, dass ich beim Vergleich beider Bücher, feststellen muss, dass die Autorin sich in „kalter Zwilling“ schon verbessert hat, was Sprachstil und Spannungsbögen betrifft.

Ich habe ja noch die anderen beiden Teile auf meinem Kindle und bin gespannt, ob sich meine bis jetzt gewonnenen Eindrücke bestätigen oder ich eines besseren belehrt werde.

[KruemelGizmo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Zons 1495 - Eine junge Frau wird geschändet und verstümmelt aufgefunden. Sie war offensichtlich Opfer eines perversen Mörders geworden. Bastian Mühlenberg von der Zonser Stadtwache ist schockiert und verfolgt seine Spur, nichts ahnend das auch er in den Fokus des Mörders geraten ist.
Gegenwart - Studentin Emily darf eine Artikelserie über die historischen Zonser Morde schreiben. Mit Beginn der Reportage scheint der Mörder wieder auferstanden zu sein. Eine brutal zugerichtete Frauenleiche wird in Zons gefunden. Kriminalkommissar Oliver Bergmann nimmt die Ermittlungen auf, viel zu spät erkennt er den Zusammenhang zur Vergangenheit...

Dies ist der erste Teil der Zons-Thriller von Catherine Shepherd.

Die Idee die Geschichte in zwei Zeitebenen mit 500 Jahren unterschied zu erzählen hat mir eigentlich gut gefallen, und dieGechichte beginnt auch interessant und spannend, aber leider scheitert für mich der Rest der Geschichte an der Umsetzung der Idee und an der eigentlichen Story.

Der historische Teil der mir vom Erzählfluss besser gefallen hat, weißt aber wirkliche Mängel auf die mit mehr Recherchen zum Thema Mittelalter hätten verhindert werden können. Normalerweise fallen mir dies kaum auf und/oder stören mich nicht weiter, aber hier sind sie so offensichtlich das ich sie nicht mehr einfach überlesen konnte. Auch ist die verwendete Sprache der Zeit nicht angemessen und störte mich zwischendurch doch immer mehr.

Der Gegenwartsteil mit seinen Protagonisten konnte mich im Verlauf immer weniger fesseln, die Geschichte plätschert so vor sich hin und wird dann auch noch mit einer recht einfallslosen beginnenden Liebesgeschichte garniert.

Der historische Fall endet abrupt und ließ mich mit der Lösung etwas enttäuscht zurück, und bei der Lösung des Gegenwartfalles ist mir irgendwie der Sinn verborgen geblieben, für mich war das Motiv total wirr und kaum logisch nachzuvollziehen.

Warum hier die ganze Zeit von einem Puzzle geredet wird ist mir persönlich schleierhaft, denn der Mörder hinterlässt Hinweise, aber keine Puzzlestücke die wenn man sie nach und nach zusammensetzt eine Lösung ergeben, für mich war es eher ein Code. Was mich aber wirklich ärgerte war das schon im historischen Teil von Puzzle die Rede ist obwohl es erst 300 Jahre später erfunden wurde.

Mein Fazit:
Für mich hier leider überhaupt kein Lesevergnügen, dafür hatte es meiner Meinung nach einfach zu viele Mängel.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating mystery. First off, let me say that the translation was well done. I have read books translated from another language in the past, and many do not flow as well as this one did. In addition, the translator worked hard to create a smooth, readable English version from the original German—which is probably not the easiest language to translate into English. Journalist Emily Richter is excited about writing a series of articles about the Zons killings that occurred centuries ago for a well-known newspaper. Just before her first article is published a murder occurs that looks suspiciously like those in the centuries old murders. Is the modern day murder related to those that occurred centuries ago? If so, how? This story follows the tale of several gruesome murders that occurred centuries ago and today’s copycat murders in this small German town. I found the story flowed smoothly and nicely. The characters, though fairly well developed could have been more developed, but that can come in later books. The book is not as long as some others, which may be the reason I felt some characters were not as developed as they could have been. Emily comes across as a serious student who keeps plugging at the story, trying to piece the puzzle together because she realizes how important its solution is to finding out what really happened. I enjoyed watching the puzzle and plot come together piece by piece. I thought the way the author shifted between the two time frames by devoting a chapter to each was great because, whenever I read a book that deals with more than one time frame I can often get confused as to which time frame I am currently in. This method precluded that confusion, allowing me to better follow and enjoy the story. The inclusion of a paranormal element in the book served its purpose, but could easily have been replaced by another non-paranormal element without detracting from the tale. This is a fairly good mystery that can be read rather quickly and easily. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys good mysteries and is looking for a different sort of mystery. I think you will enjoy it as much as I did. I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[AJourneyWithoutMap · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published originally in German as Der Puzzlemörder von Zons, Fatal Puzzle (Zons Crime) by Catherine Shepherd, and rendered into English by Julia Knobloch, is a crime mystery that moves back and forth between the medieval and modern times with a clear-cut story that is coherent and enjoyable. It is a quick read that will take you through the story without any confusion, and leaves you wanting more.

Fatal Puzzle, the first book book in the Zons Crime series, is a about a mystery thriller that takes place in a small town on the Rhine. It is about a series of brutal murders occurring centuries apart. What is at the crux of the novel is the link that binds them together. In 1495, several women are raped and mutilated in the city of Zons on the banks of the Rhine. At that particular time in history, Bastian Muhlenberg is the head of the city guard and is bent on stopping the killer. Fast forward to 2014, a young and enterprising journalist Emily Richter is working on a series of articles about the 1495 killings. Before the story could be published, a murder occurred with striking similarity to the 15th century cases. It is up to Emily and Detective Oliver Bergmann to piece together the jigsaw puzzle and solve the case.

While the story in itself is enjoyable, Fatal Puzzle is simply implausible on various fronts. First, the author’s description of Middle Ages, people and mannerisms are open to discussion. Many readers would choose to disagree on various counts. Read through the book and you will understand.

And most importantly, there seems to be no pattern in the killings. Simply put, a crime without a motive is meaningless. The killer seems to be killing people just for the heck of it, nothing else, and that does not make any sense.

[Jo Reason · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Review

I was attracted to the word puzzle in the title and the cover, I know, another example of do not judge it´s book by the cover, but for me it is the first impression from which I decide if or not to read the blurb. It is an enjoyable murder mystery with some descriptions and details of the murders but nothing too gruesome. This book is all about a cozy murder mystery that took place 500 years before and how it connects to a recent murder in the same town in the present time.

“Since that night when he´d sneaked into the church and spied on Bastian and the priest discussing his “fatal puzzle” he had felt irrepressible pride. “

It is written from various points of view, and different times, the present and 500 years in the past. My favourite character was Bastian, determined and brave. I enjoyed both past and present, but particularly enjoyed the past.
This is a translation from the original in German. The only downside of the book is that it is too short, I finished it in one sitting but I wanted more. This is part one of a series.

Netgalley copy.
Read more on my blog. click here

[Carlo Ruggiero · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received a free copy (and rather quickly, too) through Good Reads giveaways - Thank you.

This is a rather short, quick and easy read, more of a novella than an engrossing thriller. Nice translation as you would not know otherwise that this was originally written in German. I've read my share of novels about serial killers, mostly having taken place in the U.S., so a slight change of pace that this story is set in the Medieval city of Zons, Germany, which alternates chapters between a series of murders in the late 15th Century and a copycat killer in the present day.

Fatal Puzzle had potential, it is a good first effort, but in my opinion everything just happens way too quickly, the reader is not given enough time for the story to percolate in the imagination as the chapters are short, making for jerky continuity. The characters, especially the modern female journalist, could have been more fully developed and it would have added more to the narrative going through the research with her. That is not to say that I won't read the follow-up, once it is available in English, just could not rate this book any higher than given.

[Joy Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good way to pass a couple of hours. This book had a medieval city and a serial killer so how could it go wrong? The historical murder mystery was quite good and the characters seemed well-defined and you could understand their motivations. The characters in the present were not as strong and in some cases were really a bit flat like cardboard cutouts. The storyline was intriguing and the puzzle seemed to have a good start, but didn't quite fulfill the original promise. I felt like there was a decent puzzle started but then it was somewhat abandoned. Why the raven and the virgin? This is the authors first novel and so I don't want to be overly critical as there are some really good bits and I have a strong sense that the stories and characters will increase in depth and complexity as time goes on. I did enjoy the book and its premise, it really was a fun two hours. The ending was satisfying but I needed the present day murderer to have been more fully developed. This series has the potential to blend history and mystery and I look forward to see what happens next.

[Sally Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free ebook of this title through NetGalley.

To me, this book read like the mystery/thriller version of Susanna Kearsley's The Firebird, although it takes place in a completely different setting. I do love a good historical novel where I can learn tidbits about actual places and customs, and this mystery fit the bill perfectly.

Altogether it was a pretty quick read. I enjoyed all the characters and the way that the author tied everything (and everyone) together at the end of the novel. I exceptionally enjoy the fact that there was no manufactured romance in the plot :-) My only gripe is that the modern-day killer's motivation seemed a little sparse and the explanation was perfunctory. I would have enjoyed a bit more of a background/story there.

By far the best part of the book was the very end, which left me curious to know more about Bastien (certainly curious enough to read the next book!)

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the opportunity to read "Fatal Puzzle" through Amazon Kindle First, and I couldn't put it down! I love murder mysteries, and the plot summary was very intriguing right from the start.

Identical brutal murders taking place in the same medieval German town of Zons, 500 years apart. This is the story of Emily, a journalist living in the present, and Bastian, a city guard living 500 years in the past. Both are working to solve the murderers puzzle and stop him before he claims another victim.

This is the first novel in the series, and has been recently translated into English from the original German. The story has been translated seamlessly, and is as attention grabbing as the original.

As this first novel ends on somewhat of a cliffhanger, I hope they translate the additional sooner rather than later! I'm looking forward to reading what happens next.

[Elisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Amazon Publishing!
Fatal Puzzle is an entertaining, if not perfect, read. Mixing up timelines, it follows a gruesome string of murders from 500 years ago and similar crimes committed in the present by a copycat (or is it somehow the original killer?) I do admit that I thought it was going to go in a predictable direction and it ended up surprising me. Still, I expected a more creative explanation for the puzzles, and the characters seem too smart not to notice obvious things that a five-year-old would have seen. In any case, it is well researched, and made me curious to know more about the city of Zons.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received copy from Netgalley for honest review.

I really enjoyed this story, especially the way the author managed to bring two time-lines together in one story-500 years apart!

The characters are very well thought out and the writing is very good,especially the locations.

Overall a very good read and I will read more in series.

[Sina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ich habe das Gefühl, dass eigentlich alle Details relativ direkt zu Beginn des Buches klar sind und finde daher den Begriff "Puzzel" hier unpassend. Außerdem haben mich die ständigen Wiederholungen gestört.

Insgesamt war das Buch irgendwie ganz unterhaltsam, aber nichts Besonderes. Es fehlte definitiv an Spannung.

[Nancy Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

This was a well written murder mystery book I enjoyed reading. It took me a little time to get use to going back and forth but eventually I was able to follow and enjoyed this book immensely.

[Felix · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eine geniale Idee und eine gute Mischung aus Krimi, Thriller, Historien- und Regionalroman machen dieses Buch zu einem Leseerlebnis.

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting book with one spectacular moment following the other.
A must have for everyone!!!!!!!!

[Sunsy · Rating 2 out of 5]

OK - gute Idee, schlechte Umsetzung. Mehr als 4/10 Punkte sind einfach nicht drin.

Hier gehts zu meiner Meinung: http://sunsys-blog.blogspot.de/2015/0... .

[LeseMaus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meinen ersten Regional-Krimi hab ich grade beendet, und er konnte mich begeistern..
Abzüge gibt es in der B-Note, es sind zu viele Fehler im Text....

[Julie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Amazon Kindle First books are THE WORST.