A decidedly un-idyllic, slyly humorous regional crime novel. For the village pastor, the Holy Mass takes an unexpected turn when a woman's corpse is discovered in the confessional of his church. Not only has the victim been brutally mutilated, but the young woman is also still wearing her carnival costume from the day before. It's a tricky case for the Memmingen detectives Sissi Sommer and Klaus Vollmer, as half the village was present at the carnival ball in the tavern. Behind which mask is the murderer hiding?.