Zänker


Fiction - Thriller - General
Kindle Edition
Reviewed on 04/09/2023
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    Book Review

Reviewed by Olga Markova for Readers' Favorite

Zänker by Peter Maeck is a brilliant crime mystery intricately crafted to fascinate even seasoned crime fiction fans. The story unfolds in November 1988 at Ballyvaughan College in Glenfarne, Vermont, USA. Since 1970 the President of Ballyvaughan College was Dr. Amos Loeb, a sixty-one-year-old Auschwitz Holocaust survivor. Awarded for his scholarly and humanitarian achievements, Dr. Amos Loeb had a controversial reputation; much as some students and alumni loved him for his kindness, others hated him for his reforms at Ballyvaughan College as he closed the fraternities and opened this traditionally men-only college to women for enrolment as students. Then, Dr. Amos Loeb is brutally attacked at the grand traditional celebration of Autumn Inferno weekend, attended by thousands of the College’s alumni and students.

Zänker by Peter Maeck impressed me with the unusual plot where Peter Maeck personally investigated the mystery of the attack on Dr. Amos Loeb, explored the facts of his life, interviewed his friends and foes at the college, and discovered surprising revelations. Fast-moving and easy to read, it captivated me with its intricate suspense driven by the motive and opportunity of several characters to commit the crime. I also liked the deeper historical aspect as Maeck portrays the life story of Dr. Amos Loeb and others against the backdrop of the suffering of Jewish people across Europe in the German Holocaust during World War II. I highly recommend it to fans of crime fiction, thrillers, and the history of the Holocaust.