Your next casestarts here.

A corpse in the moor. A stolen body. A killer playing a twisted game.

Forensic pathologist Julia Schwarz is efficient, brilliant, and emotionally impenetrable—traits that have earned her the nickname the Ice Lady. In the sterile halls of her institute, she forces the dead to give up their secrets, clinging to the cold logic of science to keep the demons of her traumatic past at bay.

When Detective Florian Kessler calls her to a grim discovery in the desolate moorlands, it seems like a clear-cut case. But then the unthinkable happens: the body recovered from the moor vanishes during transport to Julia’s institute. Stolen. Gone without a trace.

Driven by an instinct she can’t ignore, Julia returns to the moor—and uncovers a second, even more gruesome victim high in the trees. The only link between the dead girls is a bizarre tattoo on their stomachs: a clue pointing to a serial killer with a ritualistic agenda. But as Julia races to decode its meaning, she doesn’t realize she’s already crossed a deadly line. Now the darkness is coming for her—inside the very halls she once believed were safe.

The gripping first installment in the international bestselling Julia Schwarz series.

He waits for darkness. He loves to play. And if you lose, you die.

Julia Schwarz is known as the "Ice Lady." A brilliant forensic pathologist, she commands the autopsy room with cold precision, finding comfort among the dead as she tries to outrun the nightmares that haunt her. But her professional detachment shatters when a woman is found brutally tortured—then stuffed into the trunk of a car like trash. Julia throws herself into the hunt, desperate to stop the monster responsible.

When the prime suspect takes his own life, the police consider the case closed. But the dead don't lie. When a second body lands on Julia's table, Detective Florian Kessler suspects a copycat. Julia knows better. The evidence tells a different story—one that points to a signature only she can see.

As she races to decipher the killer's twisted message, Julia realizes the horrifying truth: the investigation isn't over. She's walked straight into a trap. Now she's no longer the hunter. She's a pawn in a psychopath's deadly night game—and he plays for keeps.

Everyone dreams of rising to the top. But be careful what you wish for—it might be the last thing you do.

Forensic pathologist Julia Schwarz is summoned to a crime scene on a bitter winter night. At first, the call seems like a mistake. There is no body—only a magnificent, dramatically lit ice sculpture standing in the center of a city square.

But as Julia steps closer, the breathtaking art turns into a nightmare.

Trapped deep within the frozen block, staring out with vacant eyes, is the face of a dead woman.

The method is impossible. The logistics are baffling. Detective Florian Kessler can't find a single witness who saw the statue arrive. And for Julia, the wait is agonizing: She cannot begin her work until the ice releases its grip. She must wait for the evidence to thaw.

But the killer has no intention of waiting.

As Julia fights to unlock the secrets of the frozen tomb, the "Ice Sculptor" is already preparing his next masterpiece. And this time, he intends to make the whole world watch.

When you read his message, the game begins.

Forensic pathologist Julia Schwarz can't believe what she's seeing. She's been called in to autopsy a young woman who apparently died from an electric shock in the bathtub. But what looks like an accident quickly turns out to be murder. Worse still, the killer has left a coded message hidden inside his victim's body. It contains a challenge that Julia can't solve—and that has Detective Florian Kessler equally stumped. One thing is certain: if they don't find the answer soon, another woman will die. Julia races to crack the riddle. But the killer is playing a treacherous game—and luring her into a trap. He forces Julia to decide who lives and who dies.

Be good—and maybe he'll let you go.

Forensic pathologist Julia Schwarz has seen a lot in her career. But a dead woman left in the middle of a playground is a first. And it only gets worse. The victim is dressed in a white ruffled dress with pink barrettes in her braided hair. She looks like a well-behaved schoolgirl. When Julia examines the body, she discovers that an arrow pierced her heart—but there is no blood. Before the investigation can gain momentum, Detective Florian Kessler calls Julia to a neighboring playground, where a second body has been found. During the autopsy, Julia uncovers a link between the two victims that leaves no doubt: the killer will strike again. But how do you catch a murderer who hasn't left a single trace?

Never stray from the path. It could be your undoing.

Forensic pathologist Julia Schwarz is no stranger to the dead. But nothing prepares her for the body waiting in a derelict container yard. A young woman has been murdered, her ears cut off and replaced with someone else's.

Julia and Detective Florian Kessler soon learn the ears belonged to a man found dead without his hands. Then the young woman's ears turn up in a blue box in his kitchen.

Now Julia knows she is hunting a killer who doesn't just murder—he orchestrates. Every mutilation, every clue, every crime scene has been planned in advance. And as Julia edges closer to uncovering his identity, she realizes she has walked straight into a trap the killer set long ago.

He drags you into the dark. Your nightmare has only just begun.

On a bitter winter night, a young woman drowns in icy water. A suicide note found on her suggests she jumped to her death from a bridge. At first, forensic pathologist Julia Schwarz sees no reason to question it.

Until the autopsy.

Julia finds something that leaves no room for doubt. The woman was murdered. Worse still, her killer appears to have tortured her before she died. The soles of her bare feet are riddled with shards of glass.

While Detective Florian Kessler investigates those closest to the victim, Julia catches a man in her own morgue just as he is about to remove the body from cold storage.

A man she knows.

Suddenly, nothing is what it seems. As Julia uncovers a serial killer’s gruesome plan, her own life is on the line.

The gripping seventh installment in the international bestselling Julia Schwarz series.

He’ll keep you on ice until he needs you.

In the darkness of a deserted industrial park, a car slams into a streetlamp. At the wheel: a young woman. Motionless. Lifeless.

When forensic pathologist Julia Schwarz arrives at the scene, she quickly realizes the crash did not kill the driver. The woman was already dead. The autopsy reveals the chilling extent of the crime: someone kept her body frozen for months.

Who would thaw a corpse only to prop it up behind the wheel of a car?

As Julia searches for answers, Detective Florian Kessler discovers a second victim—and disturbing parallels between the two deaths.

Together, they hunt a serial killer who delights in staging his crimes. And every time, he outdoes himself.

Can they stop him before he strikes again and completes his masterpiece?

The gripping eighth installment in the international bestselling Julia Schwarz series.

He’ll make you dance until your last breath.

On a cold, dark night, forensic pathologist Julia Schwarz is called to the scene of a brutal murder. A young woman lies dead on the steps of a dance school, a tiny ballet slipper clutched in one hand. Her arms are raised, as if she wanted to keep dancing even in death.

Julia and Detective Florian Kessler race to find the killer. Meanwhile, Johanna, who has been missing for weeks, wakes from anesthesia. But when she looks in the mirror, a stranger is staring back.

Someone has changed her face. And Johanna is not the only victim.

The deeper Julia and Florian delve into the case, the clearer it becomes that they are hunting a serial killer who strikes only under cover of darkness.

But how do you catch a shadow when every lead goes nowhere?

The gripping ninth installment in the international bestselling Julia Schwarz series.

Evil always lurks behind the kindest smile.

The six-month-old son of a powerful businessman vanishes without a trace from a supermarket. Practically under his mother’s nose. Berlin police are baffled. And the ransom call everyone expects still hasn’t come.

Brought in to tackle the case, special investigator Laura Kern finally makes headway. Then, without warning, more babies disappear.

The pressure mounts when Berlin’s notorious Couples Killer strikes again. At every crime scene, he leaves a gruesome signature.

Caught up in a dangerous chain of events, Laura finds herself reliving the nightmare of her own past. Time is running out. Can she find the missing children before it’s too late?

The gripping first installment in the Laura Kern series—from Catherine Shepherd, author of the Julia Schwarz thrillers. Prepare for sleepless nights.

He watches over you as you sleep. But beware—you may never wake again.

On a cold night in Berlin, a young woman lies on a park bench, her head resting on a pillow. Someone has laid her there with loving care. She isn’t breathing. She has no pulse. Her death certificate has already been signed. But as her body is carried away, she suddenly opens her eyes.

Everyone breathes a sigh of relief. Special investigator Laura Kern, however, senses that whoever did this will strike again. And she’s right. A second victim is found dead. This time, there’s no saving her. Now another woman matching the same profile has vanished, and the clock is ticking.

Laura realizes far too late that she has overlooked one tiny detail—and that she is up against a killer who believes he can defeat death itself.

The gripping second installment in the Laura Kern series—from Catherine Shepherd, author of the Julia Schwarz thrillers. Prepare for sleepless nights.

Everyone deserves a second chance. But if you waste yours, you die.

A horrifying video appears online. A young woman is murdered for the whole world to see. Moments before she dies, her executioner whispers something in her ear. Words that shake special investigator Laura Kern to the core.

She works around the clock to find him. But soon, a second video is posted. The killer seems to snatch his victims off the street at random. Yet he never kills without putting them to the test.

Laura is hunting a monster who always stays one step ahead. A dark secret finally puts her on his trail—but by then, he already has another victim in his clutches.

Laura has just one chance left to stop him before his next whisper becomes a death sentence.

The gripping third installment in the Laura Kern series—from Catherine Shepherd, author of the Julia Schwarz thrillers. Prepare for sleepless nights.