Based on a true crime – the unsolved brutal murder of Düsseldorf prostitute Emma Gross – and the story of notorious serial killer Peter Kürten – the so-called “Vampire of Düsseldorf” – The Killing of Emma Gross is a gripping police thriller set during the dying days of Weimar Republic Germany.
Detective Thomas Klein’s career is going nowhere until he gets a tip-off leading to the Ripper’s arrest. But the killer’s confession to the hooker’s murder is full of holes, and Klein soon comes to believe this is one murder the killer didn’t commit. Motivated by spite, ambition, or maybe even a long-buried sense of justice, finding out who really killed Emma Gross becomes Klein’s obsession. Particularly when the evidence begins to point closer to home…
Part historical police procedural, part true crime thriller, The Killing of Emma Gross will particularly appeal to fans of Philip Kerr (the Bernie Gunther novels) and Andrea Maria Schenkel (The Murder Farm). Fans of Child 44, James Ellroy’s LA Quartet and Christopher Isherwood’s Berlin novels are also in for a treat. As is anyone else hankering for a damn good mystery.
What they’re saying…
“…a top notch piece of detective fiction… it is the lightness of [Damien Seaman’s] touch when building characters and settings that make this book such an enjoyable read”
– James Oswald, author of Natural Causes
“One of the highlights of my holiday reading.”
– Stuart MacBride, author of Birthdays For The Dead
“I read it in one sitting. It’s brilliant: tough, unsentimental, humane and intelligent, and Seaman wears his considerable learning lightly.”
– Ruth Dudley Edwards, author of Murdering Americans
“…a fast-paced novel that delves into the dark heart of Weimar Germany. A page-turner that gripped me from start to finish.”
– William Ryan, author of The Holy Thief
“Damien Seaman has written one of the best first novels I’ve read. An immediate classic.”
– Tony Black, author of Murder Mile
“”I loved everything… Damien Seaman’s clean, uncluttered style, the simultaneously vivid and subtle journey through 1929 Düsseldorf, and the fact that it was based on real events. This is as good as it gets.”
– Helen FitzGerald, author of The Donor
From the author…
“The Killing of Emma Gross, based on true events, tells the story of a police detective who gets dragged into a high-profile serial-killer case and ends up shunning the limelight to solve the neglected murder of a prostitute instead. Set against the backdrop of a country teetering into madness, the novel explores how the meanest motivations can still lead to noble acts, while the noblest intentions can lead to disaster. It also features a detailed and accurate timeline of real events for true crime buffs with an interest in the Kürten case.”
