Auris by Vincent Kliesch, based on an idea by Sebastian Fitzek

I am a big fan of Sebastian Fitzek and even went to see a play based on his novel last year, at the Berliner Kriminal Theater - worth seeing it, and even to come back for more at this niche theater in Berlin. Therefore, when I´ve first seen his name associated with Auris, a thriller novel, I didn´t hesitate and just get it. 

In fact, the novel is only based on an idea by Fitzek, as the main author is Vincent Kliesch. Kliesch, who is also a stand-up comedy actor, is a relatively new name for me, but I am always grateful to discover new German authors. I´ve had access to Auris in the original German language, in the audiobook format, read by some good local actors thus was worth the experience. 

This is just the first installment from a long series featuring forensic phonetician Matthias Hegel and true crime podcaster Jula Ansorge. I don´t remember ever to have heard about such a character as Hegel in my whole crime-thriller reading experience, therefore I was fascinated to find out more about such skills. Hegel is able to gather forensic details useful for a crime, by just listening to the voice of a person and his or her background noise environment details. 

In the first volume from Auris, Hegel is about to spend a lifelong prison term, following the assumed guilt of having killed a homeless woman. However, Ansorge, specialized in finding unique crime details that may reverse court decisions, is decided to prove him innocent, no matter the price, and although Hegel himself seems to be reluctant to such a change of fate. Ansorge, as Hegel, are characters with a complex history, and those details are smartly inserted into the main story.

The audio format is on point, with so many audio details that are increasing the tension in life threatening situations. Maybe if I would have just read the book, my impression would have been one star less, but overall, it is a thriller that delivers what one may expect from such a genre: tension, many many surprising twists and deep delving into human darkness. I am definitely interested in reading or listening more of this series soon. 

Rating: 4 stars