Norbert Horst “The Lost Place”: A Grandson’s Trick with Deadly Consequences

A body has been found in the mysterious ‘lost place’ of Essen. Norbert Horst was a detective. His new crime novel is full of mysteries.

Forensics at the crime scene Photo: Michael Gstettenbauer/imago

If you read Norbert Horst’s novels with a little more horror, it’s probably because the author was once a detective and involved in murder investigations, so he knows firsthand what people are capable of.

For most people, it would be hard to imagine a day like that of Inspector Deniz Müller of Essen KK 11 in Horst’s new novel “Lost Places.” Müller is constantly on the road to “morgue problems.” The novel begins with a homeless man found dead in a tent in the woods. It’s not a wrongful death, but the possibility still exists, and the police must act first.

The next body issue also seems unsuspicious. An old woman dies alone in her apartment, with a carefully prepared apple slice by her side. Her doctor confirms that the woman has suffered from a long-standing heart condition, but Denise Müller still has a strange feeling. Camila Lopez, an old friend with a phenomenal memory, confirms her anxiety when the body photo reminds her of another death from years ago.

“Urbexer” and “Lost Places”

In a parallel storyline, journalist Alex Rahn is investigating the circumstances of the “Urbexers”, the people who carried out his mission. Lost Place Explore and share your experiences in abandoned places on the Internet. The relevant contacts are very helpful for Alex’s purpose. However, after the first trip, the young man reports via text message: “A body has been found. Report it to the police.” But he did not report it and went missing…

Horst tells the story almost equally from the perspectives of the three main characters, Deniz, Camilla, and Alex, as well as through the eyes of various supporting characters, many of whom initially pose a mystery because their functions in the story aren’t always immediately clear.

It is charming and well-finished, as all the pieces gradually fall into place, like a kind of narrative puzzle. In the treatment of the protagonist, who can be somewhat provocative, the author clearly put too much effort into drawing attention to diversity. Denise Müller is half Turkish and half German, and Camila Lopez has a dark-skinned Cuban grandfather, which her lover uses as an opportunity to compare to a sweet-smelling café au lait.

Deniz and Camilla’s family relationships are both detailed, but they have no function in the plot at all. No personal background is mentioned for any of the other characters. What was intended well could easily become something else by overemphasizing the insignificant outstanding features. But perhaps it is not the role of a reviewer to have an opinion on this.

blue latex gloves

Back to the beginning: the fact that the author himself was once one of his friends and assistants ensures added value to the content, as the novel also includes details that make the daily life of a police officer clear and truthful. For example, journalist Alex noticed that his old friend Deniz kept a pair of thin blue latex gloves in his jeans pocket.

Denise always grabs her “mission backpack” before she heads out when called to a corpse (unfortunately, it’s never explained what’s in it). And in the KK 11 building, it doesn’t matter when or where you can throw away old greaseproof paper. These things may be considered ‘useless knowledge’, but that’s what makes them fun.