Jacqueline Padberg Book order

Steffi faces relentless harassment from her ex-boyfriend Ronny, who invades her life with threatening calls and unexpected confrontations. Despite multiple attempts to escape his grasp, he continues to stalk her, adding to her distress. Complicating matters further is her overbearing mother-in-law, Gundula, who disrupts Steffi and René's marriage, even going so far as to take their dogs during a funeral. As Steffi and René grapple with these overwhelming challenges, they are left to confront the fate of their pets and the future of their relationship.

In the first part of René's biography, Emilie recounts the harrowing experiences of her half-brother René, who, unlike their brother Lars, survived. René endures abuse from their sadistic stepfather Bert in 1970s GDR, including scalding and witnessing Lars's sexual abuse. This true story reveals the profound suffering René faced in various homes.

After René escapes his abusive stepfather, he hopes for a normal life with his adoptive parents, Gundula and Josef, who are emotionally distant. When his brother Lars joins the family and becomes unhappy, he pressures René into a suicide pact. After failed attempts on René's life, he runs away, leading to a troubled path that includes imprisonment.

After René's release from juvenile prison, he marries Susi, who turns out to be a manipulative and abusive partner. She marries his half-brother, subjecting him to physical violence and infidelity. After a severe incident where she pushes him down the stairs, René faces a dire situation. Will he manage to escape her grasp?

Set in a dystopian Berlin in 2028, the story explores the devastating impact of the drug Xylazine, nicknamed Tranq, which has turned the Leopoldplatz area into a nightmarish landscape of addicts resembling zombies. As Stefan, a veterinarian, observes the grim reality around him, Inspector Bensky delves into the drug scene, unraveling the mystery behind the alarming rise of Tranq-related deaths. With three brutal murders of addicts and a dealer to solve, the investigation reveals the dark underbelly of addiction and crime in the city.