On a cold December morning in 2011, a woman's body is found in a forest near Berlin, hidden between tall trees under dry leaves and moss. She has been strangled in cold blood. The victim's husband, Heinrich Scholl, is devastated. He is well respected in the community, a former mayor, and had been happily married:or so it seemed:for almost fifty years. Three weeks later he is arrested, and after an eighteen-month trial is sentenced to life. To this day he pleads not guilty.
Can this charming, courteous man possibly be a killer? Journalist Anja Reich-Osang followed the case from its beginning and talked to family, friends and Heinrich Scholl himself. She tells an utterly gripping story of marriage, sex and politics, in which nothing is as it seems.
About the Author
Anja Reich-Osang, a Berlin native, has written for Die Zeit, Die Welt and Berliner Zeitung. She was awarded the German Reporter Award in 2012 and is currently working as senior editor at Berliner Zeitung.
Industry Reviews
`Reich-Osang tells this story in wonderfully simple language, full of sympathy for the people involved, but without any pathos, and with restrained but steadily growing tension as death draws inevitably closer.' * Suddeutsche Zeitung *
`A chilling true story that reads like a thriller. Highly recommended.' -- Caroline Overington
'The Scholl Case shines a light into the dark corners of a fascinating mystery. Anja Reich-Osang captures the twists and turns of a doomed marriage with a tension that builds to its courtroom climax. A compelling story that pulls the reader along with every page.' -- Jane Harper, author of The Dry
`A gripping book about a mysterious murder that delves deeply into the psyches of its protagonists. Anja Reich-Osang's clear language cuts like a knife, exposing the layers of two lives and one unhappy marriage. A great read!' -- Melanie Raabe, author of The Trap
`Despite the grim end to Brigitte's life, this is not especially dark or depressing to read. The prose and tone that Reich-Osang strikes makes this much more a revealing examination around the foibles of lives and the hidden side to an otherwise success story.' * Abbey's Crime Chronicle *
`I am totally mind-blown by this book.' * Bibliophile Mom *
`Reich-Osang provides a powerful, beautifully written exposition into a murder that is as much about the world Scholl inhabits as it is about the man himself.' * Readings *
`It opens with a chapter of such sustained scintillation and engulfing sense of mystery that no one who starts reading it is likely to stop' -- Peter Craven * Australian *
`It reads like a novel-easy to get through, hard to put down, and never boring.' * Books by Scar *
`This is an intriguing story...Questions will linger about the verdict, conflicting testimonies and questionable evidence. Anja's detailed research glides you through the lives of a couple whose marriage had been described as a long relationship of dominance and subjugation.' * PS News *
'The Scholl Case is pure journalism: facts have not been altered to suit the story or build suspense. Instead, readers' terror comes from seeing that, though unhappy, the Scholls are quite ordinary, thus giving the sense that this could happen to anyone. A quick and absorbing read for those who prefer their true crime without pretence.' * Booklist *
