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DEATH BY TRUFFLES

NEUNER'S FIRST CASE
BuchGebunden
296 Seiten
Englisch
BRINKLEY Verlagerschienen am21.06.2021Neuauflage
The shady lawyer Marc Bergmann is found dead sitting on a park bench. It quickly transpires that the man has been poisoned with chocolate truffles. Inspector Quentin Neuner and his team have to work their way through the complex private life of the dead man. Marc Bergmann was married but had a fiancée and a good half-dozen mistresses who require tight time management. While investigating the surroundings, the police also come across a Russian gangster boss whom the murdered man had represented at court hearings and with whom he had conducted shady business. But there are also his parents-in-law who do not exactly endear Marc. Especially the father-in-law, owner of a construction company, had a motive because the dear son-in-law wanted to take over the company and sell it for profit. Most of the suspects have watertight alibis and are soon ruled out. However, when Quentin Neuner's childhood sweetheart gets involved in the case, things get even more difficult for the investigators. Have Quentin Neuner and his team missed something?Pralinen des Todes is a crime novel with exciting entanglements and gripping dialogues. Quentin Neuner and his team go about their work consistently but are not immune to mistakes. Since the victim was a B-list celebrity, they have to deal with the press, the mayor, and the police chief, who puts on a lot of pressure. The foray through Salzburg provides the necessary local colour.mehr

Produkt

KlappentextThe shady lawyer Marc Bergmann is found dead sitting on a park bench. It quickly transpires that the man has been poisoned with chocolate truffles. Inspector Quentin Neuner and his team have to work their way through the complex private life of the dead man. Marc Bergmann was married but had a fiancée and a good half-dozen mistresses who require tight time management. While investigating the surroundings, the police also come across a Russian gangster boss whom the murdered man had represented at court hearings and with whom he had conducted shady business. But there are also his parents-in-law who do not exactly endear Marc. Especially the father-in-law, owner of a construction company, had a motive because the dear son-in-law wanted to take over the company and sell it for profit. Most of the suspects have watertight alibis and are soon ruled out. However, when Quentin Neuner's childhood sweetheart gets involved in the case, things get even more difficult for the investigators. Have Quentin Neuner and his team missed something?Pralinen des Todes is a crime novel with exciting entanglements and gripping dialogues. Quentin Neuner and his team go about their work consistently but are not immune to mistakes. Since the victim was a B-list celebrity, they have to deal with the press, the mayor, and the police chief, who puts on a lot of pressure. The foray through Salzburg provides the necessary local colour.
Details
ISBN/GTIN978-3-9519891-3-6
ProduktartBuch
EinbandartGebunden
FormatMass market (rack) paperback
ErscheinungsortÖsterreich
ErscheinungslandÖsterreich
Erscheinungsjahr2021
Erscheinungsdatum21.06.2021
AuflageNeuauflage
Seiten296 Seiten
SpracheEnglisch
Gewicht420 g
Artikel-Nr.49908376
Rubriken
GenreKrimi/Spannung TB

Inhalt/Kritik

Leseprobe
1Mia and Alexia, engrossed in their conversation, didn t hear the music. And then, imagine ... Alexia disinterestedly poked at her Greek salad, tears of anger and disappointment running down her pretty face. I got out of the shower, and guess what happened next! He gave me, what I thought was a loving kiss, handed me a coffee, smiled brightly and then tossed divorce papers onto the breakfast table. Mia, Alexia s best friend and business partner, whose real name was Maria Anna Steiger, almost choked. Her fork fell, clanking to the ground. He what?! she spluttered. You re kidding? That s not true, is it? Was he out of his mind or what? Her voice echoed throughout the restaurant. Some guests turned around and stared, eying up the elegantly dressed young woman before continuing their lunches. An extremely attentive waiter immediately handed Mia a fresh set of cutlery. Enraged, Mia pushed aside her vegetable quiche, along with the cutlery, and beat her fists on the table. How dare he do such a thing? What a scumbag? I knew it from the beginning! I just knew it! The damned bastard leaves me speechless. You can t let him get away with this, Alexia! On the way to the gallery, I ll drop you off at Mertens and Partner. Your godfather can give you legal advice. You must act immediately, Alexia. There s no other way! Mia signalled the waiter. She dug in her purse, pulled out a fifty euro note, and dropped it on the table. She then jumped up and gestured to Alexia to follow her. She knew Alexia well enough to see the day was over for her and that today she would re-open the art gallery on her own. 2Alexia looked around. Jan Mertens office was a small narrow room with a single round window, no bigger than the bull s eye of a ship. Rays of sunlight shone through the little hatch, falling onto a pile of documents stacked on the ground, next to some periodicals, newspapers, encyclopaedias and legal texts. It was as if the sun had chosen the stack of documents to give it a particular glow. Involuntarily she smiled at the thought. What a mess. What chaos. Under those incredible piles of paper was only a hint of the antique desk she had found together with Jan at a junkyard last summer.Jan s father, Markus Mertens, Alexia s godfather, was one of the most prestigious lawyers in town and her father s best friend. A stern taskmaster, he believed that his son had to earn his place at the law firm through hard work, just like anyone else. Alexia! Welcome to my vault! Jan Mertens came through the door, smiling at the unexpected guest. He kissed Alexia on both cheeks and removed some piled files from his visitor chair, skilfully placing them on top of the cluttered desk. Clearly, Jan was adept at stacking files. Elegantly and skilfully, he swung the visitor chair in Alexia s direction. Take a seat. It's so great to see you. Do you have some business to discuss with my dad? No, Jan. I am here on a rather private matter, not wanting Jan to see her like this, she looked at the floor in embarrassment. But she had no choice. Jan, I need your advice as a friend and solicitor. This sounds a bit odd. You normally deal with my dad in all legal issues. Alexia sat down, put her handbag on one of the piles of paper next to the chair, and elegantly crossed her legs. Jan, I have a problemâ¦, she said, looking straight into his eyes. A phone rang somewhere under the pile of papers and books on Jan s desk. The ringing seemed to become louder and louder. Shouldn t you get that? Sure, and normally I would. If it s anything significant, they ll call back. Right now, you re more important. I m all ears. Alexia shook her head. Unbelievable. She couldn t understand how Jan could find anything in this chaos. She always needed a clean and structured workplace to get things done. Sorry, Jan, I can see that you have a great deal of work here, and now I m taking up your time. Maybe I should just go and discuss my concerns with your father after all. Alexia said, starting to get up. No way, Alexia Bergmann. Jan softly pushed her back onto the visitor chair. Hopefully, you know that I will always, and when I say always , I mean always , make time for you. So, what s the crux of the matter? A problem with one of your clients? Or is some unhinged artist stalking you? Jan removed a pile of documents and sat down on the edge of the desk. Can I offer you a coffee or something else to drink? Just some sparkling water, please. Jan ordered a cappuccino and sparkling water from his father s secretary and turned his attention to his guest. He slowly circled the desk, not letting Alexia out of sight. He could sense that something was wrong, terribly wrong. He had never seen her so vulnerable and sad. As he sat down, he looked at Alexia even more intensely. Alexia, I have known you for ages now, and I see it in your face. So, tell me. What s up? Spit it out. Jan s secretary brought the drinks but couldn t find anywhere to put them. Jan smiled at her with his best boyish smile and took the tray from her. Thank you, Anna, and please see to it that under no circumstances we are interrupted, and I mean no circumstances. Alexia looked at Jan, and suddenly tears, tears she had held back since arriving at Jan s office, rose to her beautiful olive-coloured eyes. Jan was startled. He knew Alexia well enough to know that she was not a girl who burst into tears quickly. Alexia, don t, don t cry. I m sure it can t be all that bad. Jan jumped up and hugged her. Endless pity rose in him. He had never seen Alexia in such a state. He held her in his arms until she calmed down and caressed her short auburn hair. He sensed that all this had nothing to do with Alexia s well-established gallery but that her husband Marc was the cause of her misery. Love, what happened? You can tell me everything, and I promise to do anything I can to help you. Marc, he isâ¦. Marc is, he wants toâ¦. he wants to get divorced, Alexia melted into tears again. Divorced? Marc wants to get divorced? Alexia nodded and sobbed on Jan s shoulder.Jan sighed and thanked God it wasn t anything worse. He d never liked Marc Bergmann and knew from the beginning that he was no good for Alexia. Marc was a known philanderer, a man who treated women as conquests, and that hadn t changed during his five-year marriage to Alexia. Sorry, I didn t want to let myself go like this. Alexia took the handkerchief Jan had handed her, wiped her nose and drank a sip of water. Are you kidding, Alexia? It must have been a shock to you when Marc asked for a divorce. He didn t ask. He just dumped it on me as a fait accompli, she said, sobbing bitterly. I just can t understand it. For me, everything seemed perfect, we got along, and I always had the feeling that our marriage was happy. We d even planned our winter holiday just a couple of days ago. Jan knew that Alexia had always ignored Marc s affairs. He had often tried to talk to her about it, but Alexia, not wanting to hear anything about it, had blanked him. Marc was her true love. She couldn t and wouldn t let anyone make him look bad. Bea and Gerd Brunner, Alexia's parents, had always been against her relationship with Marc - the town s gigolo and bad-boy. They were afraid that Marc was only interested in muscling in on Gerd Brunner s successful construction company. Only, out of love to his daughter, Gerd Brunner had made Marc the legal adviser of the company s overseas division five years ago. Do your parents know? Noooo! Alexia sobbed, tears welling up again. Just Mia, and now you know about it. Did you bring the divorce papers? I d like to have a look at them and check your pre-nuptial agreement. Alexia stared at him, tears still running down her cheeks. You do have a pre-nup, don t you? Alexia, trying to calm down, picked up her bag, pulled out some crumpled papers, and handed them to Jan. We don t have a pre-nuptial contract, she said sternly. I didn t think it was important or necessary. I always trusted Marc implicitly. Even now, I still do. He d never do anything to harm me. She hadn t yet read the papers and the conditions Marc had put forward. Jan briefly ran his eyes over the document. After a few lines, he realized that Marc would pull out all the stops in order to get half of Alexia s fortune, including the gallery and the shared penthouse. For the moment, however, Jan kept this to himself and asked his father s secretary to make copies and set up a file. He didn t want to alarm Alexia needlessly. In her current state, she was best treated with velvet gloves. According to what he had read so far, the negotiations with Marc would be challenging enough. He put the file Anna brought him to one side and suggested taking Alexia home. Alexia insisted that she didn t want to go home but to work instead. Therefore, Jan walked her to the gallery.mehr