Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Results in the search for German crime thrillers

On Monday I posted a general query about quality German crime thrillers and procedurals.

I also contacted Anja Seeliger, an editor at signandsight.com, an interesting site that monitors "arts, essays, ideas from Germany." I look in on signandsight every day and am usually rewarded.

Anja replied with some enlightening insights and great links:

Of course thrillers are very popular in Germany too. But as far as I know there are not many police procedurals. After years of old and ugly police officers in German tv series ("Derrick") the police in Germany is considered to be quite unsexy.

But of course there are some exceptions: Monika Geier (she has written three crime novels with a female police officer as leading character, all her novels are set in the German province), Astrid Paprotta, Friedrich Ani and the Austrian writer Wolfgang Haas. I have only read Monika Geier, whose books I liked very much. You find a bit more in English about the others here: http://www.litrix.de/magazin/panorama/ueberblick/en14147.htm
and here: http://www.new-books-in-german.com/featur48.htm

The authors, Tobias Gohlis and Thomas Wörtche, are the two best known critics of crime novels in Germany...both have websites:

http://www.togohlis.de/02impressum.htm
http://www.kaliber38.de/woertche.htm

Anja adds:
My preferred crimewriters - except of Monika Geier - are british (Liza Cody, Frances Fyfield etc.)
Many thanks to Anja Seeliger for the excellent leads and links. Check out her site at signandsight.com.

--Marshal Zeringue

Note: Special thanks to Friend of the Blog Cary Federman for recommending signandsight to me.