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    Woman of the Dead: A Novel
    Woman of the Dead: A Novel
    Woman of the Dead: A Novel
    Ebook282 pages4 hours

    Woman of the Dead: A Novel

    By Bernhard Aichner

    3.5/5

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    The #1 international bestseller hailed as "one of the most arresting thrillers" (#1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner), Woman of the Dead is the darkly riveting tale of Brünhilde Blum, a successful undertaker whose happiness is struck by tragedy that sets her on the path for revenge.

    For the past eight years, Blum has had a good life—a life that masks the terrible secrets of her past. She is a successful undertaker, a doting mother, and the loving wife of a decorated police officer.

    Then in one devastating moment, a hit-and-run changes everything. As Blum’s grief over the death of her husband, Mark, overwhelms her, only her two little girls can drag her back to the land of the living. Time passes quietly until while packing up Mark’s office, Blum discovers a recorded conversation from a case he was investigating. She soon learns Mark’s death was no accident—it was murder—and Blum dives headfirst into the abyss to find out why and have her revenge.

    Woman of the Dead, the first book in a trilogy, is an unforgettable thriller about the lengths one passionate woman will go to for vengeance and the tug-of-war between good and evil that exists in all of us. Vivid, tense, and written with breakneck narration, this novel introduces Bernhard Aichner as a rising star in crime fiction.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherScribner
    Release dateAug 25, 2015
    ISBN9781476775630
    Author

    Bernhard Aichner

    Bernhard Aichner is an award-winning author and photographer living in Innsbruck, Austria. His books have been translated into twelve languages. Woman of the Dead is his first book to be translated into English.

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    Reviews for Woman of the Dead

    3.5/5

    50 ratings6 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I received a copy of Woman of the Dead through Goodreads Firstreads.I really enjoyed Woman of the Dead. Once again it is the first time I've read this type of thriller/mystery and I can definitely say I will read more of them. I haven't watched/read any of the shows/films/books that Woman of the Dead has been compared (yet) to so I've no idea if they are great comparisons. Though I have a gut feeling that they may be quite similar.The events of Woman of the Dead are told in the third person point of view following the character Blum. You are with Blum the whole time as she figures out who each of the men are. Therefore, we don't really get to much insight into what the other characters are thinking and this adds to the mystery. I also felt that the twists to the story added to it's unpredictable nature and I was completely taken by surprise when the identity of the final man was revealed. The conclusion was definitely climatic and everything tied together nicely. I was sitting on the edge of my seat as I read.The chapters were also quite short - around 4 to six pages but some as short as 2 pages. This gave the illusion that it was fast paced yet still included great descriptions. Woman of the Dead was also a fairly easy read as the language used was quite basic and easily understood. This is probably due to the translation of the story from German.I also had an odd experience with the character Blum. I really liked her yet she was a complete and utter psycho. Her secret, which is actually revealed in the prologue, is something I found really shocking. And her revenge is just so gruesome (and brilliantly described). Her job as an undertaker also provides her with the resources to commit the perfect act of revenge in quite a terrifying manner. Yet it is clear that Blum has so much love for her husband, Mark, and children, Uma and Nela. She is devastated when Mark is killed and is almost comatose in the days following his death. It is clear that Blum has amazing support behind her during this tough time, especially from her father-in-law, Karl, who helps take care of the children despite his old age and her assistant, Reza, who keeps her business running whilst she grieves.I would definitely recommend Woman of the Dead. Particularly to those who love a good thriller/mystery.
    • 2/5
      Oy. Well, what can I say. Every so often I come across a book that just doesn't do it for me at all. Here we have a revenge thriller with psychopath mortician/loving mommy in the leading role, and I just flat out didn't care for it. First of all, I figured out the BIG reveal so early into the story that it was just a matter of waiting for the end to prove myself right. tick tick tick yawn. Not that that hasn't happened with me and crime novels more than a few times, but so early into the game just really wrecks things beyond repair, and nothing after that point made me even question my guess. Second, this novel is so over-the-top violent that it was not at all a pleasure to read. Third, and what really gets me, is that everything happens and falls into place so unrealistically easily in this novel that there was no challenge whatsoever in the reading. I mean, if you're going to write a "thriller," it should pretty much thrill, and this one just didn't. Oh well. Enough people here have enjoyed it and rated it highly, so it's probably once again just me being uber-picky.
    • 2/5
      quite disgusting, really. obnoxious prose, too.
    • 4/5
      A dark and disturbing tale of vengeance and violence, Woman of the Dead is the first novel by Bernhard Aichner to feature Blum, mother, mortician and murderer.When Blum's beloved husband is killed in a hit and run she is nearly destroyed until she learns that he was deliberately targeted. The photographer, the cook, the priest, the huntsman, and the clown - these are the men responsible, and Blum is going to make them pay.Woman Of the Dead has one of the most memorable character introductions I've ever read. The story opens with a during a defining moment in Blum's life before leaping forward eight years to place us in the present. Blum is the devoted wife of Mark, a police detective, the doting mother of their two young daughters, and the owner of a successful funeral business. She is both hero and anti-hero in this story, grieving widow and ruthless killer.There is raw and visceral emotion in The Woman of the Dead. The pain and numbness of Blum's grief and the horror of the abuse Danya experienced at the hands of the mysterious cabal. There is also grisly and often explicit violence, this isn't a story for the squeamish.The plot is quite straight forward, perhaps stretched a little thin at times. It's a fast paced story that builds suspense, though astute readers shouldn't have any problems guessing the identity of the last man standing.Woman of the Dead is an unusual story, with a rather extraordinary protagonist. I'm curious to see how the series develops.
    • 4/5
      You never want to get on the wrong side of this woman! Blum is happily married with 2 young children. Her husband, Mark is a Policeman and she is a successful undertaker. Then, her world falls apart after her husband is killed in a hit and run. When she finds out that it wasn't an accident but murder, all hell breaks out. This is the first book in a trilogy, not sure what else she can that she didn't already do in this book. Not for the faint at heart!
    • 2/5
      Revenge is a dish best served cold in Bernhard Aichner’s crime novel, “Woman of The Dead”. The book was a huge success in Europe and Anthea Bell has done a good job in translating this story from its original, German text. But something may have been lost in translation because what’s left behind is quite cold, clinical and gory (and often just for the sake of it).The story stars an unlikely but strong female protagonist; she’s a mortician, widow and mother named Brunhilde Blum. She had had an idyllic life with her husband Mark until he was tragically killed in a hit and run accident. Blum decides to delve deeper into her husband’s life because she suspects that his death was a murder. Over time the lines between investigation and revenge become blurred.One of the biggest problems with this novel is that it’s hard to relate to Blum. In the opening chapters she kills her parents because she claims she was abused. Unfortunately, Aichner fails to provide enough of a back story and justification for this unconscionable act. So while the character is a strong and determined woman, at times she is difficult to engage with, especially as she rediscovers what she is really capable of.The story sees Blum also investigate the crimes perpetrated against an illegal immigrant named Dunya. The latter had been subjected to years of physical and sexual abuse and held hostage in a cellar by a group of five men known as the: photographer, huntsman, priest, cook and clown, respectively. The methods Blum uses to discover the identities of these men seem improbable and unbelievable as the story just clicks into place a little too easily. The narrative itself is also not as thrilling or gripping as other books from this genre, as these can often be hard to put down.“Woman of The Dead” has an interesting-enough premise as it poses the question, “How far will you go in order to avenge a loved one?” It also has a strong female protagonist, which is commendable. But this character is also quite a flawed one and the writing is too repetitive and staid for it to really cut through. This novel may be full of dark secrets, sex and revenge but there is still a little spice or something missing, meaning it’s a good book but not a great one.

    Book preview

    Woman of the Dead - Bernhard Aichner

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