Part of La Comédie Humaine
First published 1994
Two young Frenchmen stop for the night at a Rhine Valley inn, where they meet a prosperous German merchant. The three men enjoy an evening of drinks and conversation before going to bed. Morning brings horror: the merchant's decapitated body is found in his room. The inn becomes a place of fear and doubt. Inspector Balzac arrives to investigate the brutal killing. The French travelers must face both their revulsion at the violence and mounting suspicion about their role in the merchant's death. Balzac conducts his investigation through the misty German countryside, seeking answers to the crime. The case exposes the sinister possibilities that hide within chance meetings between strangers.
Genres: classic-literature, mystery, crime, thriller, detective, 19th-century
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, mysterious, suspenseful, unsettling
Tropes: chance-encounter, locked-room-mystery, unreliable-suspicion
Setting: Rhine Valley, Germany, France, Inn
Period: 19th century, Romantic period
66 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Folio
Content warnings: murder, violence