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A murder in the Wachau: Beate Maxian's new crime novel and honest country life
Discover the author talk with Beate Maxian about her new Wachau crime novels, the life of journalist Sarah Pauli and the importance of organic farming. Read more about their creative processes and inspiration!
A murder in the Wachau: Beate Maxian's new crime novel and honest country life
The bestselling author Beate Maxian presents her second crime novel, “Tödliche Marillenzeit”, which takes readers to the picturesque Wachau. The book was launched on September 18th and quickly made it onto the bestseller list in Austria. The action takes place in the fictional village of Marienkirchen, which lies between Dürnstein and Krems, where Lou Conrad, a former detective inspector from St. Pölten, has opened a delicatessen.
The charming story paints a picture of strong women who keep the community alive with their small businesses. A prominent character is the star chef Fabio Gerber, who impresses with creative dishes made from the local apricot, including the popular apricot dumpling. But the idyll is suddenly interrupted when the popular apricot farmer Marta is found dead - is there a murder behind this?
A look at the inspiration
Maxian explains that her family roots in Lower Austria and her love for the region motivated her to start this new series. While the Weinviertel has already been featured in numerous crime novels, she chose the Wachau as her literary setting. Their stories also include important topics such as organic food cultivation and the effects of pesticides. She emphasizes this in relation to her hope that more people will turn to organic products. “An intact ecosystem” is of great importance to them because it not only produces healthier food, but also promotes biodiversity, which is beneficial for both people and nature.
Maxian is known for her detailed writing, which serves to create vivid images in the readers' minds. It describes not only the landscape, but also the characters' clothing, hairstyles and ambience. These stylistic devices help emphasize the symbolism and atmosphere of the stories. Her creative work has already enriched the literary world, and she plans to publish the 15th part of her Sarah Pauli crime novels on April 23, 2025, which will be entitled “Death on the Danube”.
The author is completely dedicated to writing and uses her time from morning to evening to develop stories. Her career is impressive because when her children were small, she juggled her job as a TV editor and writing, often at night. Now that her children are grown, she has given up her TV job and is fully concentrating on her literary projects.
Together with her husband Jeff, Maxian was awarded the Honorary Glauser in 2022 for her achievements in German-language crime literature and she is also a co-founder of the first Austrian crime festival. She explains her passion for crime novels by saying that she finds the logic and structure necessary in this genre particularly fascinating. “Every word can lay a right or wrong trail,” she says, demonstrating the craftsmanship she uses in her books.
Anyone who would like to experience Maxian live has the opportunity to do so on November 14th in Mistelbach. Information about her reading dates can be found on her website www.maxian.at.
For further information and a deep insight into the author's extensive work, see the current reporting on dieniederoesterreicherin.at.