Balthasar Matzbach, born in 1939, is a little typical hero in a detective novel. He is neither slim, nor beautiful. Neither macho, nor brutal. Balthazar is an anti-hero. He is fat and greedy, very ironic and extremely articulate. The stories about the amateur detective are distinguished by wit and live on through the protagonists’ repartee.

Matzbach studied philosophy and nuclear physics and has made ??an invention at 25, which, though unexplainable anymore, has earned and still earns him an extra penny. The only thing that he can still say today is that it has something to do with betatron.

In order to strengthen his financial independence, the chubby Matzbach has composed a little later and wrote a simple but, nevertheless, very catchy pop song with lyrics that is still played as an Evergreen and always yields extraordinary perks.

But that was not enough, for he won the lottery, which meant that Matzbach didn’t even need to work anymore. Still, perhaps that is why the knowledgeable and often ironic amateur detective wrote a newspaper column on life advice and a suggestion box entitled "Ask Mrs. Griseldis".

Matzbach is someone who knows too much to take a lot of things seriously. But still enough to bluff or amuse laymen. Since he invested both the GEMA checks and the lottery winnings, he could afford a good education.

Works such as "Monotheistic tendencies of the island Celtic Druidism", "Shamanistic influences in the Analects of Confucius," or "Sexual and pathological aspects of psychokinesis" appeared at that time. The mentioned works were of such great expertise that they are now considered standard literature in the field.

His first case, (Murder on the Million Dollar Hill) begins with the amateur detective finding a foreign toothbrush in his bathroom. This toothbrush makes it difficult for Balthasar to indulge in his normal course of the day. Therefore, he makes it his mission to find the owner of this strange toothbrush, which keeps the reader of this book appeared in 1981 in suspense for over 180 pages.

Balthasar Matzbach is neither a hardboiled detective, nor a smart private eye or particularly handsome. Matzbach is simply... Matzbach. Readers who like quirky wit, irony and wit and who enjoy seeing how you can play with the German language will love these mystery novels.

Since the books of writer Gisbert Haefs about the amateur detective Balthasar Matzbach are linked together chronologically and in a logical context, they should be read in order.

Novels in the Balthasar Matzbach Series

Murder on the Million Dollar Hill

There Sits a Raven

The Double Grave in Provence

Murderers and Marder

Matzbach’s Navel

No Free Beer for Matzbach

Cuddle Murder

Fireworks for Matzbach