The Second Rider

Description

"A thrilling, deeply satisfying debut novel by 'the new star of Austrian crime fiction'." -Kronen Zeitung Most of the remaining population of Vienna-a city scarred by World War I in which the grandeur of the Habsburg Empire is a fading memory-is surviving by its wits, living hand to mouth in a city rife with crime, prostitution, and grotesquely wounded beggars. There are shakedowns on every street corner, the black market is the only market, and shortages of vital goods create countless opportunities for unscrupulous operators. Into this cauldron of vice comes Inspector August Emmerich, a veteran himself, whose ambitions lead him to break the rules when necessary and whose abiding wish is to join the Viennese major crimes unit. When a corpse is found in the woods outside the city and immediately labeled a suicide, Emmerich, convinced it was nothing of the sort, sees a chance to prove his mettle. His investigations will reveal an insidious and homicidal urge lurking in the city. The Second Rider is the first volume in a gripping and bestselling series featuring police agent August Emmerich.

Alex Beer was born in Bregenz, Austria and studied archeology. She now lives in Vienna. The Second Rider is her first novel. Tim Mohr's published translations include novels by Wolfgang Herrndorf, Stefanie de Velasco, Charlotte Roche, and Alina Bronsky. He has collaborated on memoirs by musicians Paul Stanley, Gil Scott-Heron, and Duff McKagan.

Praise for The Second Rider ..".a dark and engaging mystery that pushes you forward rather than weighing you down." --Historical Novels Review ..".arguably one of the most notable and refreshing police procedural novels of the year." --Mystery Tribune "Beer vividly conjures the horrors of ruined Vienna: devastating shortages of food, shelter and other essentials, offset by rare treasures like real coffee and eggs. She also deftly balances her grim story with flashes of coal-black humor." --Seattle Times "With great intelligence, Beer brings both the epoch and the characters alive for the reader." --Die Welt "August Emmerich is an amusing cynic, yet also an extraordinarily perceptive detective. He's such a compelling character." --Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung "Beer transforms a gripping thriller into an exciting historical novel." --Leiziger Volkszeitung "The artistry here is that Beer draws the reader into Vienna between the wars and after no more than a few lines we want to know so much more." --NEWS "A fantastically gripping mystery that is rich in atmosphere." --B5 Kulturnachrichten