The Promises of the Gods

Berlin, 1939. In the city, nightmarishly mutilated female bodies are discovered one after another. The investigation is assigned to the secret police, but they are completely bewildered. It is known only that all the victims belonged to high society; all attended a very exclusive closed women's club; and all dreamt of the ominous Marble Man shortly before their demise — either a killer, a mirage, or a ghost. The serial murders must be solved at any cost; failure could lead to punishment as severe as execution. In desperation, investigator Franz Biven, who is not skilled at solving real crimes but knows how to extract confessions from innocent people, teams up with two civilian psychiatrists. The search for the killer will take these three on a highly winding path: together with them, the reader will often hit dead ends and ultimately uncover the truth in very terrifying realms. In his novel 'The Promises of the Gods,' acclaimed master of European detective fiction and holder of numerous prestigious awards, Jean-Christophe Grangé, turns to a new genre for himself — the historical thriller — and it is unlikely that this fearless seeker of evil could have found more fitting settings. Victims and executioners who are well matched, all-encompassing paranoia, and a revelation that no one could have imagined even in their worst nightmares — Grangé reveals the full horror of human nature, distorted by unbearable circumstances.