Snow White Must Die

I would like to read all of Neuhaus's books after reading "Snow White Must Die" which feels like a mile-a-minute ride down the autobahn. This is a tight, multi-layered, complex mystery with a cast of characters who are all in some way suspicious of one crime or another in the small German village of Altenhain, not far from Frankfurt.Eleven years ago two girls went missing from the village, but their bodies were never found. Tobias Sartorius was indicted for the crimes on circumstantial evidence and sent to prison for ten years. When the book begins, Tobias has served his time and is now out of prison and has returned to his parents' home. The entire village is close-mouthed about the disappearance of the two seventeen-year-old girls, and no one has any sympathy for Tobias or his aging father.The two lead investigative police detectives, Pia Kirchhoff and Oliver von Bodenstein, are called to the scene of an accident where a woman was thrown from a pedestrian bridge onto a moving car below, but there is a witness to this crime. As it turns out, the woman is the mother of Tobias Sartorius, Rita Cramer, who is divorced from his father. Someone is out to get this family.When another girl from the village goes missing, the police know that it is related to those long ago crimes and the whole village has Tobias as the one and only suspect, but the police have a few other ideas in mind.In this closed-minded village where one family rules and everyone else is beholden to their generosity, anyone could be the perpetrator. Hard-working police work nearly around the clock to solve this crime and to find out who killed Snow White, called so because of her last name, Schneeberger, "schnee" meaning snow, and her friend, Laura, and to find their bodies. In addition, time starts to run short to find the other missing girl.This book is very hard to put down with new characters appearing and the private lives of the police detectives becoming as complicated as the mystery itself. Nele Neuhaus has written an excellent mystery that is airtight and with characters who are developed well over the course of the book, are flawed, but do their job despite what they face. They are very human, and a few of the ones on the police force do go against the rules, but do they get caught? There are so many questions in this book as well as twists and turns that all come together for a shocking ending.I'm looking forward to the next book of Neuhaus's that will be released later in the year. Highly recommended.

This is a compelling thriller, with a strong plot line, and a good read overall. The story centers on Tobias Sartorious, who has returned to his home town after serving nine years in prison for the murder of two girls. The evidence, we are told, was entirely circumstantial, but the townsfolk have no doubt about Tobias' guilt. They have ruined his father and driven his mother out of town, and are all set to turn on Tobias when he returns. But is he guilty? The plot thickens, of course, and then thickens some more, producing new crimes and the arrival of our detective duo on the scene. They have their own issues, personal and political, further complicating a complicated plot.Despite the complexity, I found it a compelling read, though I did have to stop from time to time to figure out how character X was linked to character Y. In addition, the translation feels clumsy at times (slang words in particular don't sound right). Finally, the plot does move into the Grand Guignol territory so beloved of Swedish crime novelists, so be prepared to tolerate a bit of implausibility. Overall, however, this thriller did its job -- it kept me turning the pages, a good bit further into the night than I had intended. I have already started reading another novel in the series, and look forward to proceeding through what's available in English.

Not a bad book, moved along well with lots of twists and turns. As is so often the case with modern mysteries, the characters were a bit shallow. Also, this was not a great translation from the German -- awkward usage of idioms at times.

I'm always looking for new international authors and this book was recommended by a friend. It's a marvelous book and the writer, Nele Neuhaus, is a terrific storyteller. She weaves a tale with lots of twists and turns but easy to follow because her writing is that good. Great characters and loved the personalities. I added her to my list of favorite authors. I enjoy stories that give me a window into other worlds; Nele Neuhaus is a German writer , and, having never been to Germany, I kept a map of Germany alongside my book to get an idea of places mentioned. I've discovered that great mysteries can take place anywhere in the world, human nature being what it is, and great mystery writers are everywhere, too.

I was very interested in reading this, as I grew up in Frankfurt and know the Taunus Mountain area very well. The author is an acquaintance of a friend of mine in Germany, and she recommended her books to me. So I, of course, had to try it. By and large it is a book that at times fascinates beyond belief and at other times is somewhat murky. In one beginning chapter there are so many people thrown at the reader and that was a bit disconcerting. I would have preferred fewer people and slower introductions, but the plot is good and keeps up the interest. The private lives of the two detectives, however, were less interesting and could have used less page space. Perhaps it was meant to explain their stance towards the principal characters, but I found it unnecessary and somewhat boring. It is, however, otherwise well written and easy to read, and - of course - I enjoyed the mentioning of lovely familiar places enormously. I would just hope that the people of the Taunus Mountains are not all so weird and backward, as I know they are not.

This is a book with a dense plot - excellent.

Some secrets when unravelled bring about an avalanche of troubles that one cannot fathom.A decade ago Tobias Sartorius all of 20 was convicted and sentenced for the disappearance of 2 17-year-old girls. While in prison his family faced the brunt of the angry town and was ruined along with their business and livelihood. Their lives all go for a toss to the point of no return. One of the girls who disappeared is Tobias's girlfriend also nicknamed Snow White.However, Tobias returns to the sleepy village of Altenhain and has to face the demons of his past. there is a witch hunt involved and he is injured, and the father-son duo is subjected to name-calling in the tight-knit community. However one of the neighbours a young 17-year-old girl Amelie believes in Tobias's innocence. In her quest to satiate her curious mind, she begins to dig out the past and skeletons tumble from the closets figuratively and literally. Detective Inspector Pia Kirchhoff and DS Oliver von Bodenstein are in charge of finding the story behind the recovery of a human skeleton and monitoring the tense atmosphere in the tiny village.As the dots begin to connect the hostility of the villagers increases and the detectives realise there is a lot more than what meets the eye especially. The disappearance of Snow White and the other girl over a decade ago doesn't seem to be an open and shut case any more.Was Tobias falsely accused? What did the village gain with his conviction?Amelie disappears and the police are thrown into a race against time to solve the mystery. Can they close the case that began a decade ago?The story is a riveting read and the author has brilliantly brought together a number of sub plots to converge into a jaw dropping climax. This is a must-read for thriller lovers.

La novela es realmente interesante y redonda. Tiene el atractivo del insight de un pequeño pueblo alemán con todos sus secretos, es un microcosmos de la sociedad, los personajes bien delineados, el desarrollo de la historia no es previsible, cada uno de los personajes va teniendo su dosis de protagonismo, los que parecen culpables al principio, van enseñando sus propias debilidades y miedos

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What a great read! This murder mystery certainly does not disappoint! Just when you think you've figured it out, I surprises you. The characters felt real - alive & well rounded. It wasn't gory or overly sexual. It was perfectly balanced for me. I really enjoyed it and could not put it down.