Germany’s Best Crime Novels for 2016

In German Buch News by Ingrid Süßmann

Looking for the next big thing in crime novels? Look no farther—here are the top three German crime novels for 2016, as selected by the German Prize for Crime Fiction.

By Ingrid Süßmann

When it comes to a stamp of approval for crime fiction, the Deutscher Krimi Preis (the German Prize for Crime Fiction) is what you’re looking for. Each year the Bonner Krimi Archiv in Germany selects the top three national and international crime fiction titles. The jury consists of 23 literary critics, booksellers, bloggers and journalists with a penchant for bloody murder and nail-biting mysteries.

Here are this year’s crime novel picks:

Ani_Der namenlose TagDay Without a Name: A Case for Jakob Franck (Der namenlose Tag)
Author: Friedrich Ani
Publisher: Suhrkamp

Detective Chief Superintendent Jakob Franck has been retired for two months and feels that he can now start to lead a life in which he leaves behind the dead—until a case from his past catches up with him.

Sold to Seagull (English world rights) and Emons (Italy)—English Sample Translation available. For further information on this title, please contact the Suhrkamp Foreign Rights Department.


Kroeger_HavarieSea Damage (Havarie)
Author: Merle Kröger
Publisher: Argument

A rubber dhingy, a majestic cruise ship, a freighter and the sea rescue—they all come together in a forceful political thriller. Merle Kroeger paints a picture of the Mediterranean as a holiday paradise and the cradle of the European culture—but also as a frontier for today’s Europe.

For more information on this title, please contact Argument Verlag.


Beck_SchwarzblendeFade to Black (Schwarzblende)
Author: Zoë Beck
Publisher: Heyne (Random House)

Cameraman Niall Stuart is on his way to the supermarket when he sees two men attack and kill a soldier for no apparent reason. Niall tapes the scene with his mobile. One of the killers comes up to him holding a blood-covered knife and calmly tells him why he has committed the murder. Niall becomes famous from one minute to the next. Little does he realise when he is commissioned soon afterwards to make a documentary about the case that he has been chosen to do this special job for reasons that are more than a little gruesome.

For more information on this title, please contact the Random House Foreign Rights Department.

About the Author

Ingrid Süßmann

Ingrid Süßmann is an IT Project Manager at Droemer Knaur in Munich, Germany. She previously worked as Author Relations Manager for neobooks, and has held various positions at Random House Germany and Carlsen Verlag. In addition to her work in book publishing, Ingrid is also a certified beekeeper and fan of baby donkeys.