Stories

When Petra Hartlieb reads, language unfolds with pace, sharpness and a keen eye for what lies behind polished façades. On 17 October, she will be our guest at Refugium Lunz, presenting her new crime novel “Buberlpartie” – a political thriller about power, entanglements and the question of just how independent the truth can be.

A car crashes into a restaurant on a busy Vienna market. For its owner Amon Cohen, journalist Sebastian Schmuck and a young waitress, help comes too late. Was it an attack targeting the Jewish restaurant owner, the left-wing journalist or the family living above the restaurant – or simply an accident? The driver also dies in the crash, and he is no stranger to the authorities: Albert Schotterer was part of Austria’s far-right scene and had repeatedly been considered for a prominent role in a government led by a right-wing populist party.

Following her crime debut “Freunderlwirtschaft”, which received the Leo Perutz Prize for Viennese Crime Fiction in 2025, Petra Hartlieb sends detective Alma Oberkofler into her second case. She investigates in every direction – while, behind the scenes, politics appears to have decided the outcome of the investigation long before she has.

An evening for everyone who loves crime fiction that takes a close look and refuses to look away. Words that create suspense and raise questions – set against the quiet atmosphere of Refugium Lunz.

As part of our literary series, selected authors are invited to Refugium Lunz. Curated by Petra Hartlieb, who has accompanied us from the beginning with her fine instinct for voices, themes and remarkable books, the series brings writers to Lunz whose work moves, surprises or simply deserves to be told – each in their own distinctive way.

Those who wish can combine the reading with a stay: leaving time for conversation, for retreat, or for a good book that lingers long after the final page.