GOTHIC NOVEL

Bel Veder

The author cleverly arranges the motifs and stylistic elements of a classic Gothic novel into an atmospherically dense, gripping thriller that is most certainly no bedtime story.

Autumn 1946. The ancient owner of an abandoned grand hotel in the Bernese Alps disappears without a trace and is declared dead. His niece Eleanor arrives with her twin sister Violet from Baltimore to claim the inheritance and meets the members of her European family.

Until the opening of the will the small group settles within the empty rooms of the remote hotel palace and dreams of revived grandeur. Eleanor, however, feels increasingly threatened by the strange environment. The mountains as well as the abandoned halls and corridors of the hotel unsettle her. Is the old building really as empty as it seems. When a terrible accident happens and an unexpected snowstorm cuts the hotel off, the situation escalates. ​

Literary prize of Bern's Office of Culture 2019

Recommended by «New Books in German»

Hardcover with dust jacket, German, 13 x 21 cm, 443 pages, Cover photograph: Schweizerische Nationalbibliothek, Eidgenössisches Archiv für Denkmalpflege (EAD): Archiv Photoglob-Wehrli ISBN: 978-3-7296-0997-6 | ZYTGLOGGE PUBLISHER

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CHF 32.-

THRILLER

Schatten-

bruder

Mirko Beetschen’s debut novel is a psychological puzzle about identity and appearances, a multi-layered thriller with a surprising outcome.

Samuel Bach (37) seems to have everything he could wish for: He’s a successful journalist and architecture critic, lives in a wealthy Swiss city and enjoys his single life, culture and a small circle of friends. When he flirts with a stranger one night, however, his life takes, his life takes a wrong turn. 

Raymond does his best to maintain contact – much to Samuel’s chagrin. The seemingly random encounters and efforts of his devotee become increasingly irritating and more and more threatening. The shy stranger gradually evolves into a merciless stalker, and Samuel has no other choice than to turn the tables. That’s when he makes a shocking discovery.

Hardcover, German, 324 PAGES | ISBN 978-3-03762-046-5

BILGER VERLAG

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CHF 32.-