cover image Woman of the Dead

Woman of the Dead

Bernhard Aichner, trans. from the German. Scribner, $25 (288p) ISBN 978-1-4767-7561-6

Austrian author Aichner makes his English-language debut with a tense thriller, the first in a trilogy. Brünhilde Blum, a 24-year-old undertaker in Innsbruck, couldn’t be happier. She has a thriving business, a husband she loves, and two little girls she adores. Then a large black car fatally strikes her police officer husband, Mark, who’s just left for work on his motorcycle, and speeds away. Paralyzed with grief, Blum knows she must be strong for her girls, but that grief is refocused when she discovers evidence that indicates Mark’s death was no accident and that the people responsible are among the vilest of men. Blum is all too familiar with the evil that men do, and she’s not afraid to use every tool at her disposal to take down Mark’s killers. Not for the faint of heart, this thoroughly satisfying novel explores how far a person will go for love. [em](Aug.) [/em]