Chief Inspector Stahnke is a very busy man. Not only does he investigate in all nine novels by Peter Gerdes, but he also occasionally has to take action in short stories. Here, things often unfold quite differently than in the novels, which Gerdes generally approaches with realism and always addresses current trends and issues, from regional to global. Even in these stories, things can get quite turbulent. However, in the short crime stories, the perpetrators suddenly appear sympathetic, their motives understandable, and the investigator is tempted to switch sides and become an accomplice. At other times, Stahnke does everything in his power to prevent suspected crimes from happening at all. Sometimes it even gets extraterrestrial. And when the chief inspector has clear evidence that is too obvious, it becomes thrilling.