Ashes of the Past

By Mariele Grether

"We regret to inform you..."

Vienna patrol officer Layla Kareem, twenty-eight, receives yet another rejection for detective training. With every setback, her hope of ever solving her mother's robbery-murder fades a little more.

Then everything changes.

A brutally staged killing shocks University of Vienna. Thanks to her deep knowledge of ancient history, Layla is unexpectedly drawn into the investigation targeting a notorious conspiracy theorist. At last, the opportunity she has waited for is within reach.

But just as her future begins to open, her younger brother falls into the grip of one of Vienna's most feared crime clans, putting his life-and his future-at risk.

Now Layla faces an impossible choice: protect the family she failed before, or chase the career that may finally reveal the truth about her mother's death.

And then there is Richard Drexler, a charismatic detective who sees more in her than just another cop. He looks straight into the wounds she keeps buried-and awakens feelings she thought were long dead.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0H28CPJJV
• ISBN13: 9798258987013
• Release Date: May 2026
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.64 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.7" x 5.0"