Emil and the Detectives would still be Friedrich's favorite book even if the author Erich Kästner weren't his neighbor and friend. Since he read it, he has dreamed of becoming a detective himself. Together with his friends Albert and Viktoria - who is so clever that she is only called "Doctor" - he is already helping the Berlin police to find lost items in the Tiergarten. In contrast, his older brother Rolf joins the Nazis and enthusiastically participates in the book burnings of 1933. Friedrich has to watch as Kästner's books are burned there too. Soon after, the police even assign the children to spy on the writer! When a murder occurs, Friedrich suddenly realizes that the time for detective games is over forever. An exciting reading adventure by bestselling author Philip Kerr - and a tribute to Erich Kästner.