The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

There is comparatively speaking a paucity of interest I believe in mysteries/thrillers written in the German language. There are some outstanding ones who are not translated into English, such as Friedrich Ani. Does anyone have a list of German writers - Swiss, German, Austrian. I would like to share the ones I have found. Thank you.

Five: A Novel by Ursula Archer

I received this book free through the Goodreads First Reads Giveaway program. It was published in Austria in 2012 and translated into English for this edition.

I enjoyed reading this psychological thriller about a serial killer who leaves grisly clues to taunt police by geo caching them. The principal detective is Beatrice Kaspary, a single mother of 2 children, who shares custody with her ex husband. He is a jerk, calling her at 3 am to ask about the children. She neglects her children for a couple of days to pursue this case relentlessly. There are plot lines that could be used in "Mysteries of Laura" or "Criminal Minds."

I did not suspect who the killer was until almost the end. Two small mistakes:

P. 60 "Was Nora sat(seated) next to you?"
p. 152 "Male corpse, 184(cm) six feet tall..."
This book is labeled "Advance Readers edition" so I hope these mistakes can be corrected
Other than those mistakes, the translation was very good.

Jack wrote: "There is comparatively speaking a paucity of interest I believe in mysteries/thrillers written in the German language. There are some outstanding ones who are not translated into English, such as F..."

I don't think it's a paucity of interest, exactly. I think the majority of people in the group probably are more interested in translated crime, since it seems that English is the predominant language here.

If you would care to post your authors, and we discover some of them have been translated, that would be good. Also, your post would be of great interest to readers who can read in German. I have a number of authors in mind, but I am a bit busy today so I'll be back on Sunday with the list.

Thank you Thomas. I will look for the book.

You're Welcome, Jack. Another author, which I have not read, is Nele Neuhaus
Several GR people have recommended her

There are a few books by Patrick Suskind that I have been meaning to read but, unfortunately for me, they haven't been translated and so I haven't had a chance to discover them. The Story of MR Sommer and El Contrajabo are some such. Sommer is not exactly a thriller/mystery, more like a coming of age by an adult from an adult's point of view but it's for the author that I've been searching for it.

Can't think of anyone else immediately. I'll keep posting if I remember any more :)

Jack - you might like to look up Oliver Pötzsch. He's written a historical mystery/ thriller series; The Hangman's Daughter, aka Die Henkerstochter. At the moment there are 4 books in the series, with a new one to come out this year.

I had done a Google Search

Murder on the Farm, snow White Must Die to name a couple.
If someone would do a Google search on German authors of mysteries, youwould be surprised at the results.

Benjamin

Nancy wrote: "Jack wrote: "There is comparatively speaking a paucity of interest I believe in mysteries/thrillers written in the German language. There are some outstanding ones who are not translated into Engli..."

Thank you nancy. I have been scratching my head trying to think of authors whose works have been translated extensively. I will do some research. Bernhard Schlink is well-known as the author of The Reader, but has a detective "Selb" who appears in several popular books. Jacques Berndorf has been around a long time and his reporter detective "Siggi" is very popular but I will have to look up if any of Schlink's or Berndorf's detective stories have been translated into English. It is really is a shame that Friedrich Ani's work does not appear in English. He has three unique detectives: one is a former monk, one is blind and the other Tibor Suden - much beloved in Germany - is an eccentric member of Munich's missing person's bureau. I answer more extensively this weekend. Regards, jack

Ishita wrote: "There are a few books by Patrick Suskind that I have been meaning to read but, unfortunately for me, they haven't been translated and so I haven't had a chance to discover them. The Story of MR Som..."

Thanks, I am familiar with this writer. I am not a big fan.

Bill wrote: "Jack - you might like to look up Oliver Pötzsch. He's written a historical mystery/ thriller series; The Hangman's Daughter, aka Die Henkerstochter. At the moment there are 4 books in the series, w..."
Thanks. I have read the first book but not the others. I will try to get them.

Thomas wrote: "You're Welcome, Jack. Another author, which I have not read, is Nele Neuhaus
Several GR people have recommended her"

I am a Nele Neuhaus fan, too. Thanks for the tip though.

I've read Perfume by him and I was super impressed by the lingering effect it had on me.

Perfume is a fine book. Thanks for your comment.

Hi Jack,
I think one reason for the relatively low number of translations is how much of the German industry is focused on the Regionalkrimi (at least in my perception.)
Like Alpenkrimi, Schwabenkrimi, Ostfriesenkrimi, etc., and I think those aren't really of interest to international publishers/audiences.

Some additional authors I have seen in translation: Sebastian Fitzek, Andrea Maria Schenkel, Ferdinand von Schirach, Bernhard Schlink (yes, Selb is in English), Jan Costin Wagner, Simon Urban, Wolf Haas, Christian von Ditfurth, Jakob Arjouni, Paulus Hochgatterer, Charlotte Link.

Some authors I've recently enjoyed in German: Elisabeth Herrmann, Cay Rademacher, Andreas Foehr, Johanna Alba, Kluepfel/Kobr (Kluftinger), Rita Falk, Klara Holm.

I've also recently become aware of some early 20th century collections available for kindle, but haven't had a chance to really look at them yet...
Gessamelte Krimis: Alarm + Der Held von Berlin + Die graue Macht by Alfred Schirokauer
Gesammelte Krimis Sven Elvestads (actually Norwegian)

Ishita wrote: "I've read Perfume by him and I was super impressed by the lingering effect it had on me."

I was kind of disappointed with Perfume. I was expecting more.. Still an interesting concept.

Many thanks for your list. I had never heard of the ones you read in German. I intend to take a close look at their bibliographies. Fitzek, Urban and Hochkatterer are new to me, also. I used to live in Hamburg so I was delighted to run across the books by von Ditfurth. (Alas, only one so far has been translated into English as far as I know.) This book proves your point. German Krimi writing is regional. That's why I love them, because I enjoy reading about different parts of Germany and reliving if you will my own travels there. Since you read German, I highly recommend the Swiss author Hansjoerg Schneider, whose "Hunkeler" detective series are delightful to read. They are extremely popular in Switzerland and were made into movies. Unfortunately, the actor who portrayed "Hunki" - as the Swiss call him - died. I can metion to you some other regional writers who I think are terrific if that might be of interest. Regards or rather Tschuess, Jack PS: I can read German almost fluently but my written command is spotty.

Miss M wrote: "Hi Jack,
I think one reason for the relatively low number of translations is how much of the German industry is focused on Regionalkrimi (at least in my perception.)
Like Alpenkrimi, Schwabenkrimi,..."

Oops, I forgot to thank you personally, Miss M. My response was ent a few minutes ago. Verzeihung.

Oh, if you're interested in Hamburg, definitely check out the Rademacher trilogy, really excellent IMO. Set in the immediate post-war era and describes a lot of the city's reconstruction. I'll type some more later, need to get back to work! Thanks for the recommendations.
Der Trümmermörder

Miss M, that is a great recommendation! I intend to find these books as soon as I can. By the way, I cannot recall the name right now but another author has written a detective series set in the late 19th Century in Hamburg. The detective is actually an architect. I was enthralled with his description of the city at that time. I'll send the name if I can find it. Regards, Jack

The Other Child. Charlotte Link is on my TBR list. It's the first of her books that has been translated in English, as far as I know.

Miss M wrote: "Oh, if you're interested in Hamburg, definitely check out the Rademacher trilogy, really excellent IMO. Set in the immediate post-war era and describes a lot of the city's reconstruction. I'll type..."

Miss M, I found the author: Boris Meyn. He has written a whole series of historical novels about Hamburg in the late 19th Century - Commissaurius Bischop is the detective. And of course I forgot to mention Petra Oelker who writes historical novels about Hamburg in the 18th Century.

Carolien wrote: "The Other Child. Charlotte Link is on my TBR list. It's the first of her books that has been translated in English, as far as I know."
Caroline, I have not read this particular book. I will do so when I can. Thanks, Jack

Jack,
Thanks again for the recommendations - I ordered Schneider's 'Flattermann' last night (appealed to me more than the plot of the first book.) I will also take a look at Boris Meyn, thanks!

Miss M, It pleases me that you have ordered a "Hunki" book. The stories are centered in Basel but spill over into Germany and into the Alsace region of France, where Hunki has a cottage. Hunki is quite the gourmand and one also learns a lot about the local history. My wife and I know a lot about this area as we had relatives there and have visited it many times. I confess that our love for the region is part of the reason I like the books, but I am sure you will find they are fun to read. Tschuess, jack

My problem with the translated mysteries of Mankel, etc., is the desolation and horror. Watching these is even worse. Spanish authors have some wonderful books, but magical realism must be accepted. Once in a while a friend will recommend a translated book and I enjoy them.

Sandy, my problem with the Scandinavian authors is not the translations so much but my feeling that they seem to compete with one another in dreaming up the most ghoulish and bizarre ways to kill people in a very gloomy setting, but the plots can be quite good. I find them depressing and not much fun to read. Try the French author Fred Vargas, whose books have been translated into many languages. They are educational as well as entertaining. Fred is female; it is a contraction of Frederica. Regards, jack

Hi Jack, it's great to see somebody interested in German writers, does not happen very often. Although I love the Scandinavians, as a Bavarian living in the UK for the past 30 years, Krimis and especially Regionalkrimis are a way of keeping in touch. Starting of course with Kluepfel & Kobr's Kluftinger (and his family, could be people from my home town), other Bayerinkrimis I've enjoyed were by Gerwens & Schroeger, Andreas Foehr, Martin Brock, Andrea maria Schenckel, Rita Falk. Jumping over the ever so important Donau border, you get to Stuttgart with Rainer Loeffler, Frankfurt with Nele Neuhaus, Andreas Franz, further up into Heidelber with Wolfgang Burger, Berlin with Alexander Hartung and mainly Sweden but Berlin elements with Voosen & Danielsson, Ostfriesland with Klaus-Peter Wolf. Hope that gives you a nice tour through Germany.

I haven't read quite a few of the above, so thanks for the above suggestions all.

Oh by the way, have you ever watch Tator and Der Alte (a lot of the old films are available on You-tube). These are the Samstagskrimis I have grown up with and they are brilliant. I of course also love the Rosenheim Cops, Der Bulle von Toelz (my home town), all shows which are Krimis but are much more about the Regions and a funny take on the relationships between Bavarians and Preussen (Prussions, but really anybody over the Donaugrenze). Living in the UK I am always struck with the difference in attitude to the regions of Germany and the UK. In Germany you are proud to come from your home region, whilst here if you don't come from the South or London, than you are somehow seen provincial etc. Again, above the M1, the UK has so much to offer and it is a shame that so much is concentrated in the South. Wonder about the USA?

Guten Tag, Gisela! Oh my! You have given me so much to say about your msgs. Regional Krimis are the way I learn about the different regions in Germany and relive the many trips we have taken there. I lived in Hamburg for three years so I am best familiar with that area but we also know well the Karlsruhe area where my wife's family comes from. (She also has relatives near Selestadt from the time the Alsace belonged to Germany. It is a pity to me that some of the better German writers are not translated into German. I am a big fan of Friedrich Ali, whom you bases his stories in Munich. I can add to your list with other regional writers and with a few Swiss ones. By coincidence, I am just reading Milchgeld, Kluftinger's first book. It is very entertaining so far. Please give me a few days to compile my list. In answer to your question, American literature abounds with regional Krimis. Thee is ahrdly a single state in the USA that does not have a Krimi series based in it. There is pride and competition among the major cities. People in our country are very proud and sometimes defensive of their areas and regions. There is no doubt that New Yorkers look down on people in other regions. That is well-documented. In fact, New Yorkers tend to be more insular than people in other big cities. Yet, it is not a major source of friction and people from all over our country flock to New York for the plays, museums and entertainment. The same pertains to other big cities. One advantage we have that tends to blur the distinction is the fact that although we do have some distinct accents, we can understand each other very well. That is not the case in Germany where a Hamburger may not be able to understand someone form parts of Bayern and in England where I know personally it is awfully hard to understand cockney and regional dialects. In Germany, the regional dialects were once very distinct. Consider Schwaebisch and Baedisch. I once tried to book a room at a Gasthof in Ulm and could not understand a word the clerk said. I thought she might have been a guest worker from the then Yugoslavia. I asked her in Hochdeutsch if she spoke German. She thought I was a local man so she laughed and said she was speaking Schwaebisch. This is a reader's forum so I hope I have not bored people. I just want to say that in Germany there are wonderful regional Krimis that are highly illustrative and instructive of the culture and history of the people. I would love to correspond with you Gisela if that is permitted. Tschuess, Jack

Gisela, My other reply was getting too long. I have not seen the films you brought to my attention. I will try to find them. You should know that while I read German almost fluently, I have difficulty at times understanding spoken German in films and on TV. My written German is rather spotty. "Klingt manchmal etwas komisch," sagt eine penpal. But she says she can understand me. I am working now on a list of German-speaking authors, some of whom you and others might not know. Tschuess, jack

Jack wrote: "Guten Tag, Gisela! Oh my! You have given me so much to say about your msgs. Regional Krimis are the way I learn about the different regions in Germany and relive the many trips we have taken there...."

Thanks Jack. When I came to England as an Au-pair (with very little spoken english) I thought I understood from the lady of the house that she told me that there was a foreign language channel on British TV (there were only four at the time). The family tended to watch Eastenders (which runs in the East-end of London and most people speak with a cogney accent) and I could not understand a word of it, so of course, I thought, aha that's it - the foreign language channel. Turned out it was BBC1!

All right -- here is what I have in my collection for German-language authors.


Wolf Haas
Ursula Archer
Paulus Hochgatterer
Thomas Glavinic
Simon Urban
Jakob Arjouni
Ferdinand von Schirach
Andrea Maria Schenkel
Pierre Frei
Sebastian Fitzek (although I'm not a huge fan)
Hans Werner Kettenbach
Jorg Fauser
Zoran Drvenkar
Gunter Ohnemus
Petra Hammesfahr
Friedrich Glauser
Friedrich Dürrenmatt, whose novel The Pledge is just by far one of the best crime novels ever written.

I've probably missed a few, but this list should whet anyone's appetite.

Nancy wrote: "All right -- here is what I have in my collection for German-language authors.


Wolf Haas
Ursula Archer
Paulus Hochgatterer
[author:Thomas Glavini..."

Thank you Nancy. This is a good list. I am not familiar with some of the names and will look them up as soon as I getc chance. Regards, Jack

Jack wrote: "Nancy wrote: "All right -- here is what I have in my collection for German-language authors.


Wolf Haas
Ursula Archer
Paulus Hochgatterer
[author:..."

My pleasure, Jack.

Nancy, I just ordered Pierre Frei's Berlin. I am keen to read it. Thanks again for the tip about this author. Jack

Jack wrote: "Nancy, I just ordered Pierre Frei's Berlin. I am keen to read it. Thanks again for the tip about this author. Jack"

You're very welcome. I haven't yet read it, so I'll be interested in your opinion.

Thanks to a tip from Gisela I just finished Milchgeld, by Kluepfel and Kobr, which is a dandy of a story for those who like Regional German Krimis. This one is about a small-town police inspector (Kluftinger) not far from Munich in the Allgaeu region not far form the Austrian border who is faced with solving the murder of a key figure in a prosperous cheese factory. You will learn fascinating details about the cheese industry and be amused by the antics of the inspector with his many faux pas. The story is lively and the good guys win at the end. I intend to read all the books in this series but alas none have been translated into English as far as I can determine. Thanks again, Gisela

Jack,
Klufti is one of my all-time favorite detectives, and definitely my favorite German - great choice!

Miss M, I have another German writer to recommend: Ulrich Ritzel. This is another regional writer. His Krimis take place in Ulm, one of my favorite cities in southern Germany. All of his books are excellent. You can find descriptions, if you already do not use this method, under his books listed on abebooks.com. Unfortunately, as far as I can tell none have been translated into German. I have a Swiss author to recommend, but will cover his books separately.

Miss M and Gisela, and all other German language readers; I highly recommend Swiss writer Martin Sutter's "Allmen" series. Allmen is a polyglot, delightful Swiss swindler who gets into all kinds of humorous pranks and solves crimes, too. These books have not been translated into English, but some of the others have been, including Der Koch, which is an excellent read and has been reviewed here already.

Thanks Jack, Ritzel looks very interesting, I'm going to put him on my wishlist for the moment, have a bit of a backlog right now but looks right up my alley.
Suter I tried many years ago and didn't take to, but maybe I should have another look.

Hoping my 'Hunki' order gets here this week, i ordered from Book Depository.

Miss M, I have read only a few of Suter's books outside of the "Allmen" series. Der Koch was interesting but the others not so hot. "Allmen" was a new type of character for Sutter. This series is rather light-hearted and very entertaining. I think you would enjoy the books. He only wrote three. I have another recommendation for you, but am having a senior moment trying to recall the author's name. Will do some research and post the name soon.

Miss M, I have recalled the name of the author and book. I recommend Die Netzflickerin by Maarten 't Hart. I have read this Dutch author in German. His books are highly literary and I find them touching, almost poetical. This book is about as elderly pharmacist in a small village in the Netherlands who is unjustly accused of collaborating decades previously with the Nazis doing the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. All Hart's books have vignettes about classical music and village life. They are to some extent autobiographical. I am surprised this book has not been translated into English as I believe it would have universal appeal.

Ha, Jack, you are terrible for my TBR stacks!
Die Netzflickerin is another one that looks intriguing...

Thanks to the tip from this forum I have just read a book by Rita Falk, Winterkartoffelknuedel. It is indeed "ein hundsgemeiner Provinzkrimi," as described by the publisher. It is simply hilarious and for those who love German cooking there is a small section of German recipes, which the main character's Oma prepared for him. A comment for Oma's Fleischpflanzerl recipe: Wuerde jemals ein Her McDonald's die Fleischplanzerl von der Oma probeiren, wuerde we sofort all seine Filialen schliessen. Und zwar wwlrtweit." This gives the reader some idea of the humor in this book. It is a zany romp, with a bunch of offbeat characters. It was a lot of fun to read and I have already ordered the follow-on. Highly recommended for German readers. This book alas will never be translated into English as it is too provincial and filled with local colloquial terms that one cannot even find in a standard Hoch Deutsch dictionary. As an aid, there is a glossary of Bavarian expressions.