Views
Marc-Uwe Kling. Blackstone, $27.99 (228p) ISBN 979-8-228-31904-2
A viral video of a sexual assault prompts a police investigation in this brisk, Berlin-set mystery from novelist and podcaster Kling (Qualityland). The victim in the video is 16-year-old Lena Palmer, who has since gone missing, igniting a search for both her and the masked, dark-skinned men who appear to be her assailants. Detective Yasira Saad, a single mom who’s deeply affected by the crime, leads the investigation. She interviews Lena’s boyfriend, father, and friends, all to no avail; meanwhile, the public demands answers and a right-wing political group uses the case to ramp up its anti-immigrant rhetoric. With all her investigative avenues exhausted, Yasira begins to wonder whether the video might be a deepfake doctored by someone with a political agenda. Kling keeps the action moving and the suspense taut while offering insightful observations about the conflicting pressures that bear down on law enforcement. Unfortunately, he ties things up with an unsatisfying finale that sacrifices thrills for the sake of (admittedly trenchant) critiques of technology. Still, readers seeking an immersive procedural will get what they came for. Agent: Laura Bonner, WME. (May)
Details
Reviewed on: 01/30/2026
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Compact Disc - 979-8-228-31909-7
MP3 CD - 979-8-228-31910-3

