FEAR by Dirk Kurbjuweit, Book Review

‘I am guilty. I killed somebody because   I didn’t know how else to help my family. I must be punished for that and I will bear my punishment with humility.’ 

Would you give your life for someone else? Most societies have a concept of sacrifice. The West, to a large extent based on Judeo-Christian values, has a strong archetype of self sacrifice. You may have already considered who you, hypothetically, would give your life for. But would you kill for someone else? Would you bear both the weight of the guilt and the punishment meted out by our justice system for the sake, of say, your family? In this fascinating and well written psychological thriller set in Germany, Kurbjuweit introduces the neighbour from hell, a police force unwilling to help and a family threatened to the core of their sanity and living in fear. And a murder.

 If, like me, you have had a neighbour from hell, you will thrill at this murder, revel in it, rejoice that it was committed. What you won’t expect is the delicious twist at the end. Enjoy. 

Dirk Kurbjeweit is deputy editor-in-chief at the German current affairs magazine, Der Spiegel. He has received numerous prizes for his writing and journalistic work. He has written seven novels, many of which have been adapted for film, television and radio. My proof copy doesn’t tell me who did the translation, but they did a cracking job.

To be released by Orion in January 2018 in hardback and EBook, both £12.99 and Audio, £19.99

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