“A thrilling, deeply satisfying debut novel by 'the new star of Austrian crime fiction'.” —Kronen Zeitung

Most of the remaining population of Vienna—a city scarred by World War I in which the grandeur of the Habsburg Empire is a fading memory—is surviving 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 Inspector August Emmerich, a veteran himself, 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 labeled a suicide, Emmerich, convinced it was nothing of the sort, sees a chance to prove his mettle. His investigations will reveal an insidious and homicidal urge lurking in the city.

The Second Rider is the first volume in a gripping and bestselling series featuring police agent August Emmerich.

Alex Beer
Alex Beer was born in Bregenz, Austria, and studied archeology. She now lives in Vienna. This is her English-language debut.

• Jan 2 2019
  ”. . . bowls along to a thrilling and unexpected conclusion.”
  — TripFiction
• Nov 19 2018
  “A new voice in mystery”
  — Bookgasm
• Nov 9 2018
  “...may push her English-language debut onto many best-of-the-year book lists.”
  — CrimeReads
• Nov 5 2018
  “...a procedural thriller filled with gritty historic detail.”
  — The Historical Novel Review