Mystery Novels by Eva Reichl

“Now They’re Happy to Have a Body in the Garden”

Eva Reichl, a successful crime novelist, lives in the Lower Mühlviertel region.(Bild: Franz Bodingbauer)

Flames bring secrets to light: In Eva Reichl’s new crime novel, “Mühlviertler Feuer,” a series of arson attacks rocks northern Upper Austria. Since 2018, Reichl has been setting her crime stories in a region she calls home. In an interview with the “Krone,” she reveals why her crime novels are now firmly rooted here.

Upper Austrian author Eva Reichl lives in the Mühlviertel region and is known for her regional crime novels.

With Chief Inspector Oskar Stern and the thrillers centered on Diana Heller, she transforms her homeland into a setting for crime, revenge, and passion. Her motto: “Why wander far away when evil is so close at hand?” she says in the “Krone” interview.

With “Mühlviertler Feuer,” published by Gmeiner Verlag, she presents the ninth case for Chief Inspector Oskar Stern.

“Krone”: Why is “Mühlviertler Feuer” set in Rohrbach-Berg? 
 Eva Reichl: A gentleman from Rohrbach-Berg sent me an email saying it was time for an Oskar Stern mystery to finally be set in Rohrbach-Berg. He put it so charmingly that I drove right over there.

What did you discover through the eyes of a mystery writer?
The tradition of “calling the dead” fascinated me right away. This custom is unique to Austria and dates back to the 17th century. When someone dies in the Rohrbach parish, the death bell rings first, and then the sexton climbs the church tower and calls out the name of the deceased from the tower gallery in all four directions. Even though this custom didn’t make it into my mystery novel—because it didn’t fit the story—I was still so impressed that it was clear to me: Chief Inspector Oskar Stern’s ninth case would be set in Rohrbach-Berg.

(Bild: Gmeiner)

This time, it’s all about fire. Why fire, of all things?
When something is consumed by fire, it’s gone—destroyed. It cannot be restored. And I wanted to use that motif in this mystery novel.

With the wildfires of the summer of 2026, this has taken on a whole new dimension...
I wrote “Mühlviertler Feuer” a year and a half ago. Back then, I didn’t know that a summer like this one was just around the corner—a summer in which it felt like there was a fire somewhere in Austria every day, triggered by the drought and the heat.

For the past nine years, you’ve set your crime novels in the Mühlviertel region. What has changed?
At first, I thought about where I could set my crime novels. If the settings were private properties, I asked the owners for permission. That wasn’t always easy—I actually received a few rejections.

And now?
Now people are happy when I come to them with my request to place a corpse on their property. Some even volunteer to be the victim or the perpetrator—it’s really funny! Or mayors approach me to ask if I’d be interested in setting a mystery in their beautiful town. That’s just how the people of the Mühlviertel are: they throw themselves into things wholeheartedly!

I’m sure you have another book in the works?
In March 2027, “Four Corpses with Linzer Torte” will be published—a mystery in my series featuring Chief Inspector Lotta Meinich and her father Gustav, a now-retired chief inspector. It’s set throughout Upper Austria.

What do you consider your greatest success?
My last three crime novels have made it onto the domestic bestseller list of the Austrian Booksellers’ Association. I’m now in the fortunate position of being able to hang up my day job as a controller and focus entirely on writing from now on. For that, I owe my readers a huge thank you!