In his second case, Josef Maria Stachelmann, assistant professor for historic studies at the Hamburg University, is accused for a murder he did not commit. Stachelmann is distressed. His professorial dissertation still does not make any progress and he finds his position as his boss´ potential successor threatened, when handsome Wolf Griesbach, a highly respected scientist and former professor of the Berlin university, is assigned associate to the chair.
When Griesbach does not return from a trip to Berlin, his wife Ines, with whom he has a love affair, asks Stachelmann to help her searching for him. Stachelmann drives to the capital to investigate and returns to find Griesbach´s corpse in the trunk of his car. The only possible suspect is himself!
He is not detained by the police but instead, somebody seems to stalk him. One morning, his tires are slit and Stachelmann has to realize that his apartment is broken into several times by an unknown but seemingly all knowing person who leaves small signs only for the owner to be known. Sometimes smoke from the intruder´s cigarette is still hanging in the air or a CD-cover is left lying around, then he changes the computer-password,...
Every attempt to catch the mysterious person fails. Stachelmann continues to investigate and is drawn further into what proves to be old Stasi-relationships. Dangers close in on him and the only person to stand by him now is Anne, who helped him solve his first case. When he realizes who is behind all this, it is almost too late!
Again Christian von Ditfurth managed to write a detective story that keeps the reader on the edge of his seat. While his last case lead him into the depths of events in Third Reich Hamburg, this time he is confronted with even younger German history. He is drawn into the world of Stasi-entanglements, espionage and secret connections that still exist. Another thrilling and breathtaking story that impatiently let us await Stachelmann 3!
