Come, Sweet Death

by Wolf Haas, Annie Janusch (Translator)

Overview

Another dose of hilarity and mayhem from the author Carl Hiaasen calls “the real deal”

In this winner of the German Thriller Prize, ex-cop Simon Brenner, as part of his never-ending quest to get as far away from being a cop as he can, takes a job as an ambulance driver in downtown Vienna.

It’s a hair-raising job, though, made more so by the tendency of the other EMTs to place bets on how many red lights they can run. Even worse, Brenner’s new employer has a problem: its major competitor is somehow listening in on radio communications and beating his unit to every pickup. Knowing his past on the force, Brenner’s boss asks him to act like a cop and investigate. Meanwhile, is it Brenner’s paranoia or are certain wealthy elderly patients who are essentially healthy dying more quickly than they should?

It isn’t long before Brenner’s life is in real danger, and once again it will take a certain amount of booze, pills, and bad behavior for our man to survive being a cop one more time.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781612193403
Publisher:	Melville House Publishing
Publication date:	07/08/2014
Series:	Studien Zur Klassischen Philologie. Bd. 137 , #3
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Wolf Haas was born in 1960 in the Austrian province of Salzburg. He is the author of seven books in the bestselling Brenner mystery series, three of which have been adapted into major German-language films by director Wolfgang Murnberger. Among other prizes, the books in the series have been awarded the German Thriller Prize and the 2004 Literature Prize from the city of Vienna. Haas lives in Vienna.  

Annie Janusch is the translator of the Art of the Novella series edition of Heinrich von Kleist’s The Duel, as well as the first three books in Wolf Haas’s Brenner series, Brenner and God, The Bone Man, and Resurrection.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

05/26/2014
Simon Brenner lands in the midst of the literally cutthroat competition between Vienna’s two premier ambulance services in Austrian author Haas’s darkly funny mystery featuring the hapless ex-cop, the fourth to be translated into English (after Resurrection). Though reviving his investigative skills is one of the last things the rookie Vienna Rapid Response EMT wants, his boss manipulates him into agreeing to find out how rival Pro Med Vienna, aka the “Pro Meddlers,” has managed to tap VRR’s dispatch radio to steal calls. Then when gonzo ambulance jockey Manfred “Bimbo” Big—famous for betting on just how fast he can make it to pickups—turns up dead and a fellow driver falls under suspicion, Brenner can’t very well demur, even though it quickly becomes clear he’s risking limb and life. Distinctively sardonic, and told with a deceptively digressive style that mirrors Brenner’s deductive process, this wild ride careens unpredictably to a hair-raising, hilarious climax worthy of the brothers Coen. (July)

Publishers Weekly

One of the wittiest and most appealing novels of the summer.”
—Globe and Mail (Canada)

“Darkly humorous writing, filled with witty banter, is the trademark of this mystery series, perfect for fans of European crime novels with a comic flair.”
—Library Journal

“Distinctively sardonic, and told with a deceptively digressive style that mirrors Brenner’s deductive process, this wild ride careens unpredictably to a hair-raising, hilarious climax worthy of the brothers Coen.”
—Publishers Weekly

“This award-winning series reads like Elmore Leonard meets Ken Bruen—in Vienna, with Tom Robbins offering frequent asides. A dizzying treat mixing comedy and hard-boiled mystery.”
—Booklist

Praise for Brenner and God

“Simon Brenner, the hero of Wolf Haas’s marvelous series of crime thrillers, is a wildly likable and original character—a delightful and unexpected hero to show up in this noble and enduring genre.”
—Jonathan Demme, Oscar-winning director of The Silence of the Lambs

“A must for crime fiction lovers with a sense of humor: In Simon Brenner, Wolf Haas has created a protagonist so real and believable that I sometimes wanted to tap him on the shoulder and point him in the right direction!”     
—Andrey Kurkov, author of Death and the Penguin

“Brenner and God is one of the cleverest—and most thoroughly enjoyable—mysteries that I’ve read in a long time. Wolf Haas is the real deal, and his arrival on the American book scene is long overdue.”    
—Carl Hiaasen, author of Sick Puppy

“A meticulously plotted, dark, and often very funny ride.”
—The Millions

“Brenner and God is a humdinger . . . a sockdollager of an action yarn, revealed via the smart-ass, self-effacing narrative voice that’s a sort of trademark of author Wolf Haas.”
—Austin Chronicle

“[A] superb translation of one of Austria’s finest crime novels . . . Haas never loses the thread of investigation, even as he introduces off-beat characters and a very complex plot . . . This is the first of the Brenner novels in English. We can only hope for more, soon.”
—Globe and Mail (Canada)

“Even as Haas darkens the mood of this sly and entertaining novel, he maintains its sardonically irreverent tone.”
—Barnes & Noble Review

“A pacey and gripping read.”
—Euro Crime

“A gleaming gem of a novel.”
—Crimespree Magazine

“This quirkily funny kidnapping caper marks the first appearance in English of underdog sleuth Simon Brenner . . . Austrian author Haas brings a wry sense of humor . . . American readers will look forward to seeing more of Herr Simon.”     
—Publishers Weekly

Praise for The Bone Man

“Darkly comic . . . American mystery fans should enjoy Haas’s quirky, digressive storytelling style.”    
—Publishers Weekly

“It’s a novel that leaves you laughing even as you work to solve the mystery.”
—Globe and Mail (Canada)

“A brilliant book . . . Already among the greats of mystery fiction.”
—Book Devil

“The most original figure here is the narrator, who hovers above the action with matter-of-fact detachment, ever alert for moments when he can swoop down and set you straight about what’s going on or change the subject entirely.”    
—Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Resurrection

“It’s truly amazing to see Brenner finally put the pieces together . . . Add a narrator whose rapid-fire monologue piles additional layers of digression atop Brenner’s own circumlocutions, and you have the shaggiest detective currently working the field.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“If you like the Coen brothers, you will adore Inspector Brenner.”
—Globe and Mail (Canada)

From the Publisher