The Second Rider

First in historical crime series by "the new star of Austrian crime fiction." (Kronen Zeitung) Most of the remaining population of Vienna in the ruins of World War I is surviving by its wits, living hand to mouth in a city rife with crime, prostitution, and grotesquely wounded beggars. Post-war Vienna is a deeply scarred city where the glories of the Hapsburg Empire are but a fading memory, where the black market is the only market and shortages of vital goods create countless opportunities for unscrupulous operators. Into this cauldron of vice comes Inspector August Emmerich, a veteran whose ambitions lead him to break the rules when necessary and whose abiding wish is to join the Viennese major crimes unit. When a corpse is found in the woods outside the city and immediately labelled a suicide, Emmerich, convinced it was nothing of the sort, sees a chance to prove his mettle. But his investigations will reveal a more insidious and homicidal urge lurking in the city than even he anticipates. An internationally acclaimed crime novel set in post-WWI Vienna: “A thrilling, deeply satisfying debut” by “the new star of Austrian crime fiction” (Kronen Zeitung).Vienna, 1919. In the desperate years after World War I, the Habsburg Empire is a fading memory and most of Vienna's remaining population survives by its wits, living hand to mouth in a city rife with crime, prostitution, and grotesquely wounded beggars. There are shakedowns on every street corner, the black market is the only market, and shortages of vital goods create countless opportunities for unscrupulous operators.Into this cauldron of vice comes Insp. August Emmerich. A veteran himself, Emmerich is determined to join the Viennese major crimes unit, and he's more than willing to break the rules in pursuit of his ambition. When a corpse is found in the woods outside the city and immediately labeled a suicide, Emmerich sees a chance to prove his mettle. His investigations into the suspicious death soon reveals an insidious and homicidal urge lurking in the city.The Second Rider is the “outstanding series launch” of Alex Beer's international-bestselling novels featuring police agent August Emmerich (Publishers Weekly, starred review).