When death walks through Vienna, there is only one person who can uncover all its secrets.

1893: Augustin Rothmayer is a gravedigger at the famous Vienna Central Cemetery. A quirky yet highly educated oddball, he writes the first almanac for gravediggers. His peace is abruptly disturbed when he receives a visit from the young inspector Leopold von Herzfeldt. Herzfeldt needs a death expert: several maids have been murdered—each brutally impaled. The gravedigger has seen corpses in every form, knows all causes of death and stages of decay. He understands that impaling is an ancient method to keep the undead buried. Is there a superstitious serial killer on the loose in Vienna? The inspector and the gravedigger begin to investigate together and must realize that deep abysses open behind the gates of this glamorous metropolis.

Vienna at the turn of the century - bestselling author Oliver Pötzsch takes us into the darkest corners of the city with this spectacular murder case.