The White Circle

"A fitting and frightening conclusion to a magnificent series" The Times

The final instalment of the acclaimed Black Forest Investigations brings the series to a shattering close.

Louise Boni, Chief Inspector of the Freiburg criminal police, gets intelligence from an informer that two guns have been bought from a Russian criminal network. Desperate to prevent a fatal act of violence, Boni is swift to investigate. Before long she identifies the vehicle used to collect the weapons, but the car's owner has a watertight alibi. The man driving that night was Ricky Janisch, a neo-Nazi and member of the extreme right-wing group, the Southwest Brigade.

"Bottini is one of the most sophisticated crime writers of our times" JOAN SMITH, Sunday Times

Boni and her team put Janisch under surveillance, and identify others belonging to the extreme right. The further they probe, the more shocking their discoveries. Could this be part of a much more powerful neo-Nazi network which will stop at nothing? And how will they prevent an attack when the perpetrators are always a step ahead and they don't know the target? By the time Boni pinpoints the victim, it may already be too late . . .

Translated from the German by Jamie Bulloch

A fitting and frightening conclusion to a magnificent series. -- Mark Sanderson The Times
Oliver Bottini is one of the most sophisticated crime writers of our times . . . [his] plots are always original, and this one is as intriguing as ever -- Joan Smith Sunday Times
The Black Forest investigations are emblematic of the European crime scene, with the striking southwest Kirchzarten region the backdrop to cruel malfeasance. -- Barry Forshaw Financial Times Summer Crime Picks
Bottini is a terrific storyteller Sunday Express
Bottini's novels are infused with his knowledge of the darker corners of European history, showing its impact decades after the horrific events that drive his plots. Sunday Times

Oliver Bottini was born in 1965. Five of his novels, including ZEN AND THE ART OF MURDER and A SUMMER OF MURDER of the Black Forest Investigations have been awarded the Deutscher Krimipreis, Germany's most prestigious award for crime writing. ZEN AND THE ART OF MURDER was shortlisted for the 2018 CWA International Dagger. He lives in Frankfurt.

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