The jolting debut collection of stories from one of Germany’s most prominent defense attorneys, based on his own experience in court and as a close observer of the criminal mind and motive.

The narrator of the nine stories in Crime is coolly intelligent, yet full of compassion for the worldweary, lonely, sometimes foolish characters who populate its pages. Among the cast of criminals is Fahner, a small-town doctor whose patience with his cruel wife runs out after what feels like a lifetime of abuse; Theresa and Leonard, privileged, neglected, and ultimately doomed siblings whose escape from their father’s uncaring household offers only a short-lived freedom; Karim, the youngest, pluckiest brother in a family of petty criminals who hides his wiles behind the cards he plays close to the vest; and a nameless man who ceases to speak after killing two skinhead attackers. Yet, however heinous the crimes, the author lets us see the human at the core.

Writing from his unique perspective, Ferdinand von Schirach offers a quietly powerful, nuanced perspective on guilt and justice.