Hamburg Noir

Hamburg is a bustling port city with a diverse population. It has a rich history full of social contrasts, smuggling and black-market activities; Johannes Brahms used to play the piano in a brothel there. All of this makes Hamburg a great setting for mysteries. This new volume in the “Akashic Noir” series contains 14 stories, each set in a different Hamburg neighborhood and categorized into one of three sections: “Water & Schnapps,” “Dream & Reality,” and “Power & Powerlessness.” “Ant Street” by Nora Luttmer features a Vietnamese restaurant owner who has a very effective method for dealing with extortionists, while Timo Blunck’s “Angel Fricassee” tells the story of a young man who meets a chef with some interesting recipes. The protagonist of Katrin Seddig’s “The Assignment” meditates on the draft of writing as they also try to fulfill the requirements of a mysterious patron. These stories and more will entertain mystery readers in search of brief cases to mull over and solve.