Speaking of Weimar Berlin. . . . there is a new novel coming out in softcover in the UK which features Louise Brooks on the cover. The book, The Killing of Emma Gross, by Damien Seaman, will be published in the UK as a paperback by Five Leaves Publications and as an ebook by Blasted Heath in June 2013. The book will also be available as an ebook in the United States.
I have an interest in all things Weimar Berlin, and am interested in reading this new novel, which is based on the true story of notorious serial killer Peter Kürten and the unsolved murder of Düsseldorf prostitute Emma Gross. And anyways, I have to try and acquire a copy for my ever growing collection of Louise Brooks book covers.
The Killing of Emma Gross is a historical thriller, a police procedural set in Weimar Republic-era Germany. Here is the publisher supplied description:
"Dusseldorf prostitute Emma Gross has been murdered and the police have
charged Peter Kurten, the 'Vampire of Dusseldorf', the first man ever to
be called a serial killer. Murderer, yes, but did he commit this
particular crime? The arresting officer, Thomas Klein, thinks not, even
though Kurten has confessed. These are the dying days of Weimar Germany,
the police force is increasingly divided between right and left. It is a
dangerous time. Klein thinks that the real killer is somewhat closer to
home. Yet the only people who can help him include a Communist
journalist, Gross's friends, and others in the underworld who hate the
police. This is a novel of obsession set in the wild days of Weimar,
doomed to end with the Nazi takeover."
In an interview, UK author Julie Morrigan asked about motivation, and Seaman answered this way: "I lived in Berlin for several years and fell in love with the place. Having done a history degree that ended up dampening a lot of my enthusiasm for the subject, living in Berlin awoke my passion for the past and made me want to write about what happened there. I was also reading a lot of noir and hardboiled crime at the time, and I wanted to marry the sensibilities of American hardboiled literature with the expressionist movies and art of early 20th century Germany. When I decided to look for a real life murder case to base my story on, the most compelling one was that of Peter Kürten – the so-called Vampire of Düsseldorf – so I ended up pouring all of my inspiration about Berlin into a novel about Düsseldorf instead."
In an interview, UK author Julie Morrigan asked about motivation, and Seaman answered this way: "I lived in Berlin for several years and fell in love with the place. Having done a history degree that ended up dampening a lot of my enthusiasm for the subject, living in Berlin awoke my passion for the past and made me want to write about what happened there. I was also reading a lot of noir and hardboiled crime at the time, and I wanted to marry the sensibilities of American hardboiled literature with the expressionist movies and art of early 20th century Germany. When I decided to look for a real life murder case to base my story on, the most compelling one was that of Peter Kürten – the so-called Vampire of Düsseldorf – so I ended up pouring all of my inspiration about Berlin into a novel about Düsseldorf instead."
The Killing of Emma Gross is Damien Seaman's debut novel. Check it out.
1 comment:
Gosh - thanks for this. I had not previously known there was a Louise Brooks Society. The Blasted Heath ebook, by the way, does not have the cover featured - indeed, it came out earlier, and the print book has been re-edited. Not substantially different, but of course as the print publisher, I'd say get the paperback - and the fantastic Brooks' cover!
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