Latest news with #MyRussianMother-in-LawandotherCatastrophes
Daily Mail
29-04-2025
- Daily Mail
Bestselling novelist 'killed on houseboat': Murder probe launched after award-winning writer found 'gunned down'
A bestselling German novelist was found dead on a houseboat after being violently attacked. Alexandra Fröhlich, 58, was discovered 'lifeless' by her son on Tuesday morning aboard her long, cerise houseboat in Hamburg. The mother of three, whose novels were were highly regarded in Germany was believed to have been shot, according to the NDR, the local broadcaster. Police believe she died between midnight and 5.30am and her body showed signs that she had been attacked. As a result, the case was passed onto the murder squad. Investigators have issued an appeal for witnesses who may have seen anything suspicious on the Holzhafen bank of the Elbe River, where the boat was moored. A police spokesperson told local media: 'According to current information, relatives found the 58-year-old woman lifeless on her houseboat and alerted the fire brigade, who were only able to confirm the woman's death,' a police spokesperson told local media. 'After evaluating traces and evidence, the investigating authorities now believe that the woman died as a result of violence.' Investigators have issued an appeal for witnesses who may have seen anything suspicious on the Holzhafen bank of the Elbe River, where the boat was moored He said they were looking into whether the killer knew the suspect. Fröhlich began her career as a journalist, creating a women's magazine in Kyiv. She then worked as a freelance journalist in Germany before becoming a novelist. She published her debut novel My Russian Mother-in-Law and other Catastrophes in 2012. It remained on the bestseller list of Der Spiegel magazine for several months - an indicator for book sales in Germany. In 2016, she published a crime novel Death is a Certainty and in 2019, Skeletons in the Closet. Her books were loved in Germany and full of humour.
The Guardian
27-04-2025
- The Guardian
Bestselling German novelist found killed on Hamburg houseboat
A murder inquiry has been launched after a bestselling German novelist was found dead on a houseboat in Hamburg having been violently attacked, police have said. Alexandra Fröhlich, 58, whose novels have had prominence on Germany's bestseller lists, was found on Tuesday morning, investigating authorities said. The case was quickly passed to the murder squad amid evidence she had been attacked. Authorities have refused to give more details other than saying forensic evidence had been gathered and a coroner's report submitted. According to the local broadcaster NDR, citing police sources, Fröhlich was shot. Investigators have issued an appeal for potential witnesses who may have observed suspicious activity on or around the long cerise houseboat in which Fröhlich resided, on the Holzhafen bank of the River Elbe in the eastern Moorfleet district. Her son discovered her body on Tuesday morning, according to police, who believe she died between midnight and 5.30am. 'According to current information, relatives found the 58-year-old woman lifeless on her houseboat and alerted the fire brigade, who were only able confirm the woman's death,' a police spokesperson told local media. 'After evaluating traces and evidence, the investigating authorities now believe that the woman died as a result of violence.' The spokesperson said investigators were looking into possible suspects and whether the killer may have been known to Fröhlich. 'Given the ongoing investigation, no further information can be provided at this time,' he said. Media reported that divers were at the scene of the crime, amid speculation that the weapon could have been thrown into the Elbe. Fröhlich started out as a journalist, initially in Ukraine where she founded a women's magazine in Kyiv. She later worked as a freelance journalist in Germany for women's and other magazines such as Stern, before turning her hand to writing novels. In 2012 she published her debut novel, My Russian Mother-in-Law and other Catastrophes, which she said was based on her own experience of being married to a Russian. It entered the bestseller list of the magazine Spiegel, one of the closest-observed indicators of fiction and nonfiction sales in Germany, where it remained for several months. It was subsequently translated into French. A critic at the time described it as 'a hilarious west-east satire'. In 2016 she published the crime novel Death is a Certainty, which was similarly successful, and in 2019 she followed this with Skeletons in the Closet. Both were published by Penguin. Her novels were characterised by a mix of humour, family tales and social topics.
