Do we only want originally written in German books? Because I have been meaning to read Kurkows Samson und Nadjeschda for ages now.
My local bookstore recommended Ingrid Nolls Gruß aus der Küche, but I haven’t read anything from her yet. Apparently Noll is one of the most successful Krimi authors currently.
Kurkow has written a Krimi? First I hear of it, and I’ve read several of his books. I’d say it’s totally fine to nominate it. I for one cannot read it in the original anyway.
Edit: Ah, looks like it probably hasn’t been translated into English, which explains why I hadn’t heard of it. Even more reason to nominate it then.
Browsing for books I found this site that presents and ranks many Krimis, and even lets you filter by era, subgenre, place, and more (unfortunately no original language, or at least I didn’t see it). There’s even a Buch-Entdecker where you move some sliders to let the system find you books with specific characteristics: Buch-Entdecker - Krimi-Couch.de
This is a very cool idea in theory, but I’ll admit I’ve never actually managed to find books to my liking through such systems in the past. I suppose the database wasn’t large enough, or the tags accurate enough? Still, fun to try.
Have read quite a few of his. They are decent. Passagier 23 is my favourite so far.
I’d rec Marc Elsberg’s Blackout. More of a Mystery Thriller type of thing, but that book caused a water cooler moment at my work. Which has never happened before or after. 
(And I think there is also a TV miniseries… maybe)
Title: Tod an der Wien: Historischer Kriminalroman (Ernestine Kirsch und Anton Böck) | L32??
Book type: novel
Available formats: physical / ebook / audiobook
Ermittlungen inmitten des Wiener Faschings. Wien 1923. Mitten in der Ballsaison verunglückt Operettendiva Hermine Egger im Theater an der Wien tödlich. Die pensionierte Lehrerin Ernestine Kirsch glaubt nicht daran, dass die von ihr bewunderte Sängerin einem tragischen Unfall zum Opfer gefallen ist: Sie vermutet einen Mord. Gemeinsam mit ihrem Freund Anton Böck ermittelt sie zwischen Opernhäusern und Kaffeehäusern – und begibt sich damit in tödliche Gefahr …
Investigations in the midst of the Viennese carnival. Vienna 1923: In the middle of the ball season, operetta diva Hermine Egger dies in an accident at the Theater an der Wien. Retired teacher Ernestine Kirsch does not believe that the singer she admires has fallen victim to a tragic accident: she suspects murder. Together with her friend Anton Böck, she investigates between opera houses and coffee houses - and puts herself in mortal danger …
No idea.
Reason(s) for nominating: I looked around the current bestseller krimis here in Austria and one of hers was there. Apparently all of her books play in historical Vienna, which seems like a fun setting to me. Also maybe some German learners are interested in getting exposed to a bit of Viennese German (which I can of course help with as a Viennese German speaker). It also has an audiobook and an ebook and is not translated into English.
I chose this book because I saw on Goodreads a review of a German learner who seemed to enjoy the book from the perspective of a language learner:
I really enjoyed this book. The language was readable for me as long as I looked up several words per sentence. The only problem was when a character spoke in Viennese dialect, but there wasn’t too much of that and I could get the gist.
I loved the Vienna references that sets the story a specific place and time. I learnt “ “mit dem 71er fahren” means to “kick the bucket” as the 71 tram serves the Zentralfriedhof (cemetery).
Oooh I love this choice as I’m interested in Austrian German. However looks like it’s 2nd in a series? Tod am Semmering is first.
Oh my, I somehow missed that! But I just saw some people mentioning that they liked the 2nd book better than the first on Goodreads and I think they don’t really build up on each other, so I think it’s fine to go with book 2, but maybe someone her has actually read something in the Series and can give their experience 
Otherwise I might change my nomination, the first book doesn’t sound that much different anyway regarding setting and so on
I think so, too. They might reference each other in passing, like when they meet a police officer that they have met before and mentioning how they met, but usually crime series like this do not require you to have read any other within the series to understand what is going on. 
I have seen these books in shops and have been curious, just never got around to reading one. 
Hahaha the other day I was going through my favourite Krimis in my head, and it went like this: “Oh, we could read some Sjöwall/Wahlöö, I guess they are pretty easy - oh no, they are Swedish! Henning Mankell, then? Oh, same problem… Dan Brown? Argh…” and so on
Title: Der Richter und sein Henker | L30?? (learnnatively.com)
Book type: novel
Available formats: physical / ebook / audiobook
“Der Richter und sein Henker” ist einer seiner berühmtesten Romane - die Geschichte eines Mordes. Mit den reißerischen Mitteln einer Detektivstory erzählt er die Aufklärung einer Gewalttat an einem Polizeileutnant, den letzten Fall des todkranken Komissars Bärlach - die Geschichte einer hintergründigen Pointe.
When a member of the Bern police force is shot dead on a Swiss country road, the enigmatic Inspector Barlach and his colleague Tschanz are intent on tracking down the killer. But the ailing Inspector doesn’t have time to lose. Soon the pair discover that the victim was murdered on his way to a clandestine party at the home of a wealthy power broker - so why was a local policeman socialising with some of Switzerland’s most influential men? Who was his shadowy host? And why has Barlach’s past returned to haunt him in his final hours?
The Judge and His Hangman is a thrilling tale of lifelong rivalry, and of two men chained together by a wager that would destroy them both.
No idea.
Reason(s) for nominating: I was browsing the Goethe Institut library for possible nominations and when this caught my eye I got instantly nostalgic. I had read it back when I was still in school. I remember nothing about it other than I liked it a lot (as I did all Dürrenmatt books I had read back then) and would be happy to reread it. It’s considered a classic in German-language noir fiction, with themes that run much deeper than a mere mystery.
Oh wow we read this in school back then! I hated it, as I hated all books we read in school, because we would dissect and analyze and interpret and and and… and I tought that was horrible, back then. Maybe a reread would improve my impresssion here 
So many people have hated books just because of school, I sometimes wonder if maybe schools shouldn’t be making students read after all, at least not the way they’ve been doing it.
That said, I don’t think I’ve ever hated a book just because I was forced to read it. I did dislike all the necessary analysis and interpretation and blah blah that came afterwards, but I remember enjoying some books on their own merits. Now if only I could remember what they were. I didn’t even remember the name Dürrenmatt until I saw it again, I’m ashamed to say
Title: Die Wahrheit und andere LĂĽgen: Roman | L30?? (learnnatively.com)
Book type: novel
Available formats: physical / ebook / audiobook
Henry Hayden ist ein erfolgreicher Schriftsteller. Er ist elegant, großzügig und charmant. Und er ist gefährlich. Denn Henry ist ein skrupelloser Hochstapler, der in Wahrheit keine einzige Zeile seiner Romane selbst geschrieben hat. Während er seinen Ruhm genießt, sorgt seine Frau dafür, dass er auch weiterhin andauert. Denn sie schreibt die Bücher, für die Henry berühmt geworden ist. Als Henrys Geliebte schwanger wird und verlangt, dass er seine Frau verlässt, steht mit einem Mal seine Existenz auf dem Spiel. Wäre es da nicht einfacher, die Geliebte aus dem Weg zu räumen? Doch dann passiert Henry ein nicht wieder gutzumachender Fehler…
From the outside, Henry Hayden has a perfect life: he’s a famous novelist with more money than he can spend, a grand house in the country, a loyal, clever wife. But Henry has a dark side. If only the readers and critics who worship his every word knew that his success depends on a carefully maintained lie. A lie he will stop at nothing to protect.
He has been lucky, butone day his luck must surely run out, and he simply can’t allow that to happen. In thrall to paranoia and self-interest, Henry makes a fatal error that could cause the whole dream to unravel and land him in the gutter, and despite his most machiavellian efforts, events swiftly spin out of control as lie is heaped upon lie, menace upon menace. And it turns out that those around him have their secrets too . . .
I don’t know.
Reason(s) for nominating: I liked the title, basically, and it’s about an author, so good for a book club full of avid readers I suppose. The reviews are generally good, and it’s supposed to be full of twists and make you not know what to believe. Sounds fun. It’s also been translated into English.
I also wanted to nominate this:
because I was attracted by the cover (yes I’m weird) and this quote:
„Beim Müll geht es ja immer um das Trennen. Darum sag ich, Müll beste Schule für das Denken. Weil du hast die Kategorien, sprich Wannen. Ohne die klare Trennung kannst du jedes Recycling vergessen. Und da bin ich noch nicht einmal bei den Problemstoffen.“
but it’s apparently 9nth in a series. Austrian author, apparently very popular, has won awards, books made into movies, plus, I understand, a sense of humour. Maybe I should nominate the first one?
So vong Prinzip her, oder was ey?
OMG if you need exposure to contemporary German spoken by the young generation, then this seems to be the book to go for 
Not sure about the young generation (the author was born in 1960), but judging from this snippet of a review of the first book in the series, maybe these books aren’t exactly the best for language learning specifically
And this is a review for MĂĽll:
I wonder what kind of writing it is that only an Austrian can do it
I think I have heard the name, but that’s about it. I probably should read more Austrian literature.
Since they reference the humour, it’s probably that. (East-)Austrian humour differs quite a bit from German humour (very generalized speaking).
Isn’t Schifahren neue deutsche Rechtschreibung? Curious that someone has an issue with that. Or did Germany not have the same spelling reform?
Edit: So, apparently they didn’t. Schi is Austria only… (though, personally, I am still using Ski)
Edit2: Apparently in Germany you can also use Skilaufen… which my brain REALLY doesn’t like…
Haha that confirms my suspicion But if you like a train-of-thought-y writing style, maybe he’s your author then…
Did Austria have the same reform?
Ah ok good, I mean I’m not a pro when it comes to new German spelling (I was out of school already when it hit us) but I hadn’t heard of that… (still grieving over Tunfisch and Portmonee 
)
I think for me this rather triggers the image of Langlauf rather than alpine… which is more like running than driving, no? 
I think it would be great fun to read a book by an Austrian author as well! I’m currently in Vienna and I’m enjoying those little differences in language immensely - like calling a huge wide staircase a “Stiege” 
