Germany’s national bestseller from one of the strongest authors in the genre.
A psychological thriller steeped in a sense of madness and the crafty game of a psychopath.
In the remote depths of legendary Schwarzwald, a tense battle for survival begins.
For young Jessica, an ordinary trip to town turns into a nightmare: she is abducted by a stranger. Waking up, she finds herself in a solitary cabin in the middle of an impenetrable forest. And very quickly she realizes: she should not fear the man. He is only a pawn—the real evil is hiding behind the guise of a… little girl. Jessica is forced to become a “living doll” and to follow the rules of the game, where any mistake is punished—and each time the punishment grows harsher. But what’s hidden in the basement turns out to be more terrifying than any ordeal.
Commissioner Eveline Holm, investigating Jessica’s disappearance, is convinced that behind the abduction there is something more than her colleagues assume. The criminal knew too much about the girl and her family. Perhaps he knows the truth about Jessica’s missing mother and what truly happened to her father. Every new clue makes the story even darker and only multiplies the questions. The main one is how Jessica managed to escape from this hell?