Morgue Drawer Next Door

Written by Jutta Profijt

Narrated by MacLeod Andrews

Life and death are not so black and white at the city morgue in Cologne, Germany. There, Dr. Martin Gänsewein spends his days autopsying dead bodies—and conversing with a ghost named Pascha. They are an odd couple, to be sure: a shy, scrupulous forensic pathologist and a gregarious former car thief whose murder Martin reluctantly helped solve in Morgue Drawer Four.

As the second installment of Jutta Profijt’s popular series opens, a recently convalesced Martin returns to work anxious for a little peace and quiet and hoping that Pascha has finally gone into the light. Not only is the doctor out of luck, but the morgue soon welcomes Marlene, the spirit of a nun killed in the fire that ravaged her medieval convent and home.

Though disappointed that his new sidekick isn’t a leggy blonde, Pascha empathizes with the recently deceased holy sister—and suspects the fire that claimed her life was no accident. The ghosts are determined to uncover the truth, but they can’t do it without Martin’s help. Together with Martin’s girlfriend Birgit, the trio embarks upon a madcap (and frequently hilarious) adventure that will enchant readers from beginning to end.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Translator: Erik J. Macki
• Release date: Jul 17, 2012
• ISBN: 9781455876457

Jutta Profijt

Jutta Profijt was born in 1967 in Ratingen, Germany. After finishing school, she lived abroad working as an au pair, an importer/exporter, a coach to executives and students, and a business-English instructor. She published her first novel in 2003 and today works as a freelance writer and translator. Her first novel featuring coroner Martin Gänsewein, Morgue Drawer Four, was shortlisted for Germany’s 2010 Friedrich Glauser Prize for best crime novel.

Reviews for Morgue Drawer Next Door

[montzaleew · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Morgue Drawer Next Door (Pascha #2) by Jutta Profijt continues the craziness with the autopsy doctor and the ghost! In this book, Pasha gets Martin involved in finding out what happened when a nun died in a fire at the convent. The reason Pasha knows there was foul play because he can see and talk to the dead nun. This book gets really exciting. The nuns have a secret. Someone is trying to scare the nuns. Martin's boss thinks he is going crazy and there is tons of snarky comments to giggle about from Pasha! Great fun!

[quibee · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book follows the further adventures of a dead car thief and the forensic pathologist who want to get rid of this annoying, intrusive ghost.
There's another murder to investigate - if Pasha can just get his friend to get involved. Pasha even has a fellow ghost to interact with. It's a pity she's a plain, pious nun.
The interactions between the characters and Pasha's observations on life make this a light entertaining read--perhaps not as good as the first book, but still fun.

[cathyskye · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When I read the first book in this series, Morgue Drawer Four, I wondered just how long this premise would be able to last. After all, pairing the ghost of a poorly educated, outgoing young car thief with a highly educated, introverted and meticulous medical examiner does sound gimmicky. I'm happy to say that the premise is alive and well in this second book. The author keeps her idea fresh by changing it up a little. Martin is pretty much kept in the background, although he is at the heart of a running joke about his ghost-busting inventions. Instead, Martin's girlfriend Birgit has a much bigger part in the action-- and she plays her role well. Of course, the biggest change is bringing in a nun to pair with the irreverent Pascha. Marlene is such a polar opposite to the young man that it's fun to watch them get used to each other and finally begin to work together. While Martin remains a rather static character, Pascha does not. From being in the presence of people with much stronger morals and much more education than he's used to, readers can see how his language changes, how he thinks things through, and how his natural inclinations for compassion and doing what's right are growing stronger. It seems as though Pascha has to earn his wings before he can step into the light.One scene in Morgue Drawer Next Door did not work for me. Pascha, Marlene, and Martin's girlfriend Birgit have gone off to try to catch a killer while Martin stays at home to work on an invention. I won't go into detail about the scene, but Martin's behavior just does not ring true to his character.On the other hand, Pascha and Marlene find themselves in a situation that's familiar to crime fiction readers: they know whom the killer is, but there's no proof and a very real chance that the person will go free. However, these two crime fighters have a few tools unavailable to us mortals, and how they set about to force the murderer to confess is absolutely hilarious.Jutta Profijt is proving to be a writer who can think outside the box-- and one who can make me laugh out loud as I read her books. I'm definitely looking forward to continuing with this series.

[berly_4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The second in this murder mystery series was just as fun as the first! Poor Pascha is a spirit who cannot seem to find the light. He is still stuck in this world and the only one who can hear him is coroner Martin Gansewien. Pascha was a first class car thief in his former life, something he still takes great pride in. Deprived of his former career, he has put his mind to solving crimes with the still-living Martin serving as his often unwilling partner. The mystery this time is who tried to burn down the Cathedral and killed two nuns in the process. Pascha has a wicked sense of humor and his crass and course exterior does little to hide his big heart. Morgue Drawer Four, the first in the series, was shortlisted for Germany's 2010 Friedrich Gluaser Prize for the best crime novel. A wonderful, funny, quick read.

[teresa1953_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A return for Pascha...the very non PC ghost and Dr Martin Gansewein, the pathologist, who is recovering from injuries which left him close to death in the first book.The story has a serious background story about marginilisation, the treatment of prostitutes, greed and "nimbyism". However, the whole thing is kept light hearted due to Pascha's voice throughout. This time round he is joined by Marlene, a nun who has perished in a convent fire. There is more to this fire than meets the eye, and Marlene and Pascha leave no stone unturned in getting to the bottom of the mystery....using Martin and his girlfriend Birgit to do the dirty work!My only criticism is the translation from German to English which doesn't seem to ring true all the time. Pascha is sometimes too "witty" for his own good and this gets quite irritating. I did love the references to Pascha's "editor" and what her opinions would be...very funny.Altogether a good read and recommended for something a bit different.