Der Richter Und Sein Henker

My German 4 AP class used this book as our second semester reader. It was great. It had an interesting plot, unlike most other texts I've read in a foreign language, and it wasn't too hard, so that with a little help from our teacher, we were able to figure out what was going on. I would highly reccomend this to any upper level German class, or someone who is jut looking for a good German book.

In Der Richter und Sein Henker, known in English as The Judge and his Executioner, Durrenmatt presents a classical mystery story with true literary elements and remarkable characters. The story focuses on a terminally ill police detective whose partner had been murdered. Over the course of a few days, the reader is allowed into the mind of a truly good man and his truly evil nemesis, and learns that life is not filled with direct justice. The good man can be the judge, but only evil can be the executioner. A rewarding ending, a well-written book, and an altogether stunning read. If you speak any German at all, you would do well to treat yourself to the original as opposed to the translations. Enjoy!