Police Inspector Hunkeler is summoned back to Basel from his New Year holiday to unravel a gruesome killing in a gardening allotment on the city's outskirts. An old man known as Anton Fluckiger has been shot in the head and found hanging from a butcher's hook from the roof of his garden shed.
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Summary
Police Inspector Hunkeler is summoned back to Basel from his New Year holiday to unravel a gruesome killing in a gardening allotment on the city's outskirts. An old man known as Anton Fluckiger has been shot in the head and found hanging from a butcher's hook from the roof of his garden shed.
Description
Inspector Hunkeler is summoned back to Basel from his New Year holiday to unravel a gruesome killing in an allotment garden on the city's outskirts. An old man has been shot in the head and found in his garden shed hanging from a butcher's hook.
Hunkeler must deal not only with the quarrelsome tenants of the garden but with the challenges of investigating a murder that has taken place outside his jurisdiction, across the French border in Alsace. The clues lead to the Emmental in Berne, and then events from the last weeks of the Second World War in Alsace come to light, the wounds of which have never healed in the region.
'Ideal for anyone who enjoys reading about detectives like Martin Beck, Wallander or even Maigret.' - CrimeFictionLover
Critic Reviews
“BASEL KILLINGS: Listed in What to Read this Week in the WSJ. " An excellent first mystery and series launch This gripping, plausible debut bodes well for future entries ." Publishers Weekly (STARRED) "A magnetic central character, a skillful and unhistrionic telling and a dose of political realism make this book a very welcome arrival." Morning Star "Looks ideal for anyone who enjoys reading about detectives like Martin Beck, Wallander or even Maigret." CrimeFictionLover "A disturbing picture of a cruelty that has lain undiscussed behind the fa”
BASEL KILLINGS: Listed in What to Read this Week in the WSJ. " An excellent first mystery and series launch This gripping, plausible debut bodes well for future entries." Publishers Weekly (STARRED) "A magnetic central character, a skillful and unhistrionic telling and a dose of political realism make this book a very welcome arrival." Morning Star "Looks ideal for anyone who enjoys reading about detectives like Martin Beck, Wallander or even Maigret." CrimeFictionLover "A disturbing picture of a cruelty that has lain undiscussed behind the façade of Swiss propriety and complacency; and all the while he keeps us guessing right to the end." European Literature Network
SILVER PEBBLES: BEST NEW THRILLERS FINANCIAL TIMES: " Basel may be Swiss, but like all border cities it's anything but squeaky clean, especially in this fast-paced, gritty story." "Reminiscent of Wallander and Rebus, a little jaded, a bit rebellious and always independent with a strong intuition. The style is reminiscent of elements of earlier Swiss crime novelists Glauser and Durrenmatt work.--NB Magazine "Hunkeler has been compared to Simenon's Inspector Maigret, though there are no wreaths of pipe smoke or constant breaks for a quick digestif. After all, Basel is not Paris, it is cleaner, greyer and harder. Perhaps that's the point." --Shotsmag
About the Author
Hansjrg Schneider lives in Basel and began his professional career as a journalist and essayist. He is the author of a number of highly acclaimed plays and of the bestselling Hunkeler crime series, now with ten titles published.
Astrid Freuler lives in Lidney, Gloucestershire. She is a young translator from German and has published translations of non-fiction and fiction, including the crime thriller A Shadow Falls by Andreas Pfluger.
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