A Complex and Exciting Mystery

Snow White Must Die, by Nele Neuhaus (Read by Robert Fass)

Wow! This is simply one of the best books I have read since I stumbled upon Stieg Larsson's Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series. While Larsson's story offered an intriguing plot that hinged on a single outstanding character, Neuhaus offers an incredibly complex plot that hinges on a cast of interesting characters.

The story, which takes place in Germany, opens with Tobias Sartorius who is being released from prison after completing a ten year sentence for the murder of two young women. Tobias has no choice but to return to the village of Altenhain where he and the victims had grown up.

Then, a woman named Rita Cramer falls from a bridge into traffic below causing a a terrible traffic pile-up. Police officers Pia Kirchhoff and Oliver von Bodenstein become involved in the investigation when a witness claims that Cramer, who is Tobias's mother, was pushed off the bridge. Reluctantly, the police are dragged into a re-investigation of the earlier murders when another young woman connected to Tobias goes missing. And that's when the secrets of the village begin to unravel.

This is a complex story with many threads that tighten relentlessly and through surprising and interesting turns of the plot. Altogether, it makes Nele Neuhaus and her work an exciting discovery for English readers. If you love really good mysteries, this is a book you have to add to your list.

Finally, I listened to the audio version of this book read by Robert Fass. I especially recommend the audio version for the German flavor the narration brings to the book.