The judge and his hangman ; The quarry: Two Hans Barlach mysteries (Godine double detectives)

By Friedrich Dürrenmatt

Book Overview

This volume offers bracing new translations of two precursors to the modern detective novel by Friedrich D rrenmatt, whose genre-bending mysteries recall the work of Alain Robbe-Grillet and anticipate... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0879234377
• ISBN13: 9780879234379
• Release Date: January 1983
• Publisher: D.R. Godine
• Length: 162 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.

Customer Reviews

like no other

Like Durrenmatt's other detective novel (The Pledge), The Judge and his Hangman and The Quarry stand alone among the detective fiction that I've read. The police do not catch the bad guy, the cliches are avoided or twisted to suit the novelist's bizarre sense of humor, and the bureaucracy can be as thick as mud. Durrenmatt's characters are well-drawn with subtlety and charm. When it comes to themes, Durrenmatt cuts to the chase, showing just how vicious, pathetic, and, on the other hand, how decent people can be. Importantly, Durrenmatt leaves his characters their humanity, and he reminds us readers how important our humanity and our compassion are. Hans Barlach is the main character in these two novels. In The Judge and his Hangman, a policeman from another town is murdered within Barlach's jurisdiction. His investigation leads him to a bizarre wealthy man named Gastmann who throws elaborate parties which include some very influential guests. In The Quarry, Barlach checks himself into a hospital so he can investigate a doctor. Durrenmatt's crime novels are all excellent.