There is a lot to be said about the very diverse and multi-faceted world of the German krimi, a genre that due to linguistic limitations is mostly confined to a German-speaking audience. Personally, I am always grateful to my language skills allowing me to discover so many authors and topics that do help me better understand my country of choice as well.
In addition to the diversity of the topics, the German krimi are usually geographically defined. There are series set in a specific part of Germany, and therefore a full understanding may require some local knowledge as well. Thus, it also attracts a very clear local audience, with bookstores displaying the latest by local authors.
As I am also a traveller, and Germany is my favorite destination for a weekend break or a long family vacation, Discovering new places I want to visit through the pages of a crime story may be my newest hobby, but this is what books can be also about.
This week, I started my first from a series by Klaus-Peter Wolf set in East Frisia - Ostfriesen - a region on the Nordsee coast in Lower Saxony. I had access to the book in audiobook format read by the author himself. It is one of the many books in the series set in this part of Germany, the 16th case for the fierce investigator Ann-Katrin. However, compared to the other characters in the book, ferocious ones, she is not necessarily playing a too big role in the development of the narrative, thus would have to check other books as well.
A couple of serial crimes are happening, and for a long time, there is only a teenage boy the main suspect. Are the victims connected with his family, maybe with his mother? This idea is becoming a high possibility as the mother herself is confessing one murder. As the victims are men, maybe there is a revenge by an extremist feminist?
The story takes place during Corona times, hence the extra anxiety ambiance, and there are many references of political life - daily Saxony political diversity - which increases the suspense. It is a different Germany one may encounter, but a realistic one. The presence of a paid killer, actively and ingenously catching his victims, adds more confusion that may not be clarified even after the story ends. It ends as it starts, on a dark, suspenseful note.
Ostfriesen Sturm is a dark crime novel, with bad characters and taking place in an ambiance of anxiety and distress. It is a masterclass in creating suspense and confusion, connecting the dots of time, space and characters in many unexpected ways.
As usual after a German krimi marathon, I can only wish that there are more and more works belonging to this genre translated into English, because more and more crime novel readers may get to know the outstanding skills of German authors. Hope I can introduce more and more such books soon.
Rating: 3.5 stars
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