Taoist Max Reinartz is a copywriter for the WATCH advertising agency in the Dusseldorf neighbourhood of Oberkassel. He was previously also living in Dusseldorf, but he decided to move to Cologne when the fashion style with shorts, shirts and ties emerged in the advertising industry. Max Reinartz, the merciless bigmouth with an inclination to Taoism has been divorced for years. The now in his late thirties detective practices long-distance running as training for the New York Marathon, loves opera (especially Verdi) and enjoys cooking.

Of course Max Reinartz never once considered becoming a private investigator in Cologne. It happened just like that. During a training run for the New York Marathon, he was shot in the old town of Cologne on his way home - a glancing blow on the upper arm. He could not think of anyone with a desire to shoot him, apart from various people whom he had had several unpleasant discussions with.

Neither the police can carry out an investigation without any starting points and therefore is not of much help either. In the course of the first novel, "Ciao Tao", he makes the acquaintance of his girlfriend, Alwine. After being attacked with a knife by a hooded stranger, who he got on the run, Max Reinartz started carrying out investigations himself. He was thereby led to a customer of his employer.

Together with his old friend, Hartmut Knodt, he observes these customers at the Konigsallee in Dusseldorf being transported in broad daylight by two sitting Mossad agents on a motorcycle in a life-threatening situation involving machine guns and a hand grenade. Reinartz and Knodt lowered their heads and kept them down.

Shortly after they inspect the situation, Max Reinartz sits down at the curb in shock. He incidentally sat down on an aluminum case, which was thrown from the victim’s vehicle during the explosion and, without thinking, he takes the case with him. As he and his friend later find out, there are $500,000 in there, which the two share 50-50.

Naturally the story is later cleared up and they find out who assaulted Max and towards the end Reinartz also quits his job as a copywriter. In his second adventure, Max Perplex, he starts his own detective agency in Cologne, where he is now working as an independent private investigator. It is therefore written on the door of his office overlooking the city garden not private detective, but investigator. Investigator because according to him you can earn double this way.

You may find information about author Hen Hermanns on this page.

Other Characters

Hartmut Knodt, Restaurant Owner and Real Estate Agent

Hartmut Knodt is a skilled auto mechanic and has interrupted his studies in sociology, psychology and architecture. He then focused on the purchase and sale of Citroens 2CV and founded an alternative city newspaper. It is rumoured that Knodt researched a story for this newspaper, and received a lot of money for it not to get published. It did not take long until Knodt moved into a luxurious 200sqm large old building and began driving a new Jaguar instead of his old VW bus. Today, Hartmut Knodt owns the restaurant "Basil", a restaurant promoting nouvelle cuisine, but with dishes based on wheat, and also deals with real estate trade.

Alwine, Girlfriend

Alwine met Max at a party. She is an actress at the beginning of her career, which is why she also works as a waitress. She bears a resemblance to Marilyn Monroe, though Alwine is slimmer, and wears horn-rimmed glasses. Her looks, her manner and her smoky voice drive Max Reinartz crazy. Alwine lives in an apartment in Cologne’s Marienviertel. Her bed offers the best view over St. Mary's Church.

Novels about Investigator Max Reinartz

• 
  Ciao Tao


• 
  Max Perplex


• 
  Maximum Trouble


• 
  Max Times 3 (the three Max Reinartz stories in one volume)