ENGLISH

The Dutch author Ellen Gerretzen (Ellen G.) lives and writes in Amsterdam, Spain, Lisbon and Berlin, her favourite locations. Her debut Bloodwedding was published in Spanish in 2015 (Heridas abiertas). The sequels, featuring former chief inspector Wolfgang are set alternately in Berlin and Spain. Bloedbruiloft (Blood Wedding, 2011), Schaduwspel (Shadowplay, 2012), Verdorven (Depraved, 2013), Manzanilla (2014), Zerk (2017). 

 

Her thrillers breathe international flair.

 

Following a personal drama in his life, Wolfgang, former chief commissioner of the Berlin Homicide Division, wants to build up a new life on the rugged northwest coast of Spain. But he lets his friend Esteban convince him to go with him to the village where he was born, in the Extremadura, to help solve a murder case that has the entire village in its grip. It goes without saying that the authoritarian guardia civil Javier sees Wolfgang and Esteban as a threat. During their search, Wolfgang gets to know the intriguing region where black Iberian pigs populate the vast dehesas of cork oaks and supply the best hams in the world. However idyllic the countryside may be, the villagers are less so, starting with Esteban’s family. The past is not a topic for discussion and, due to innumerable vendettas between the families, some going back to the Franco era, it turns out that the brutal murder of Ricardo is probably a result of much buried tension. Ricardo was a vet and involved in the quality inspection of the pigs. Do they need to look for the murderer in the ham sector, where large sums of money change hands?

 

‘A book about guilt and passion, a book about life under the scorching Spanish sun’ 

Wolfgang, former chief of police of the Berlin Mordkomission (homicide division), has just solved a complicated murder case in the Spanish Extremadura and he can finally begin his new life. Buying a house on the Spanish northwest coast. Leaving his past behind. Forgetting.

 

But again his plans are foiled. The Spaniard who was going to buy his Berlin house is found dead, murdered in an allotment garden complex. So Wolfgang returns to his hometown. He gradually becomes convinced that there must be a connection to other unsolved murders in the past.

 

In his search for the killer, he is aided by no-nonsense pub owner Gitta, pathologist Siegfried who was fired under strange circumstances, and Turkish journalist / taxi driver Arhan. The investigation leads them all around Berlin, a city that is—like Wolfgang— scarred by a past that can not be forgotten.

 

When Spanish Julia appears, the romance Wolfgang has been waiting for begins. But the killer deals a merciless blow and then the nightmare truly begins. Slowly the question arises: who is hunting whom?