WOLF CHILDREN

  • Vera Buck’s superb thriller debut.
  • 70,000 copies sold of her thrillers Wolfskinder and Das Baumhaus.
  • Winner of The Prize for the Best European Crime Novel 2025 awarded by Le magazine Le Point (France)
  • With linguistic power and psychological depth, Vera Buck explores the darkest depths of human nature.
  • English sample translation available.

“This place was not built for living. It was built for hiding.”

The village of Jacob’s Ladder lies high up in the mountains, cut off from the modern world, in a forest where wolves still roam. It is a place ruled by the laws of nature – harsh and ruthless, but consistent. At least that’s how it has always seemed to Jesse, who grew up in Jacob’s Ladder. He and the other children have been taught that everything bad lives down in the city. But his friend Rebekka doesn’t believe this, and wants to leave the village. Then she disappears. And she’s not the only one. A number of women have gone missing in this mountainous region. Only the young journalist Smilla, who lost her friend Juli in the area years ago, sees a connection between the disappearances. Especially when a scruffy-looking girl bearing a striking resemblance to Juli runs out in front of her car. People are growing increasingly suspicious of the residents of Jacob’s Ladder, and Jesse is not the only one to fall victim to a brutal attack. Meanwhile, Smilla is trying to solve a shocking mystery which turns the supposed truth upside down. Where is evil really lurking?

“An incredibly engaging thriller debut, full of both darkness and light.” Romy Hausmann

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  • Publisher: Rowohlt Polaris
  • Release: 14.03.2023
  • ISBN: 978-3-499-00968-6
  • 416 Pages
  • Author: Vera Buck

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WOLF CHILDREN
Vera Buck WOLF CHILDREN
Asja Caspari
© Asja Caspari
Vera Buck

Vera Buck  was born in North Rhine-Westphalia, and studied journalism, European literature and scriptwriting in Europe and Hawaii. Her debut novel  Runa and her first thriller Wolfskinder were both nominated for the Friedrich Glauser Prize. Her book Das Baumhaus reached the bestseller list and is up for a Crime Cologne award. Now living in Switzerland, Vera Buck draws inspiration for her thrillers from her exciting adventures.