If you're looking around for a good crime novel, check out Tannöd by Andrea Maria Schenkel. Published in 2006, this book won quite a few awards, both in her home country and in other parts of Europe. And in 2008 (finally!), the English translation of the novel was published. Set in a rural backdrop, this crime story uses creepy atmosphere as well as bits of local history to narrate its tale. On a side note, for those who are keeping tabs on this book, do check out the upcoming flick. The book did so well in Germany that folks wanted to make a crime thriller out of it. Check out the trailer for it here.

Apparently, the story itself is based in actual events. It draws from a gruesome murder on a smallholding that occurred in Germany around the 1920s. In this way, the crime novel follows the murder of a farmer and his family, an event that horrifies all in that small village and mystifies them as well. After all, much as the father was disliked by many, it was not reason enough to kill him … or is it? Once the murders have taken place, the reader follows the narrator, who tries to solve the mystery. Given the far-off surrounds, the mindset of locals shut off for the most part from the rest of the world and the depressed post-murder mood of the whole village, this little journey ends up being rather disturbing for the reader. The events unfold and the narrator discovers many creepy little details (where the whole atmosphere and character development is slightly akin to a David Lynch movie). What will he or she find out in the end?