The Dinner – Everyone at the Table is Good Friends. Or Are They?

  • A crime dinner escalates: thrilling, intense, and full of twists
  • Fascinating psychological suspense made in Germany


English sample translation and complete summary available

Old friends. New lies. And a murderous truth.


Jonathan and his fiancée Lotta gather their old friends for a reunion at a hidden restaurant in the countryside. Casting a shadow over the event, an empty seat commemorates Maria, who vanished five years ago. As a tribute to memory, they start a murder-mystery dinner, blurring the line between game and grim reality. Disturbing memories come to the surface and raise questions: Who is lying for their role, who is lying for themselves? As a storm brews outside, the game escalates. Is Maria still alive? Or is there a murderer at the table?


"Better than any true crime podcast: This thriller will keep you up all night." - harpersbazaar.de, Antonia Hartmann

"The profound locked-room thriller offers unexpected twists and turns right to the end" - fr.de, Sven Trautwein

"Great thriller fun in a small space." - emotion, Annalena Lüder

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Sample Translations
Rights sold to

French (Lattès/Le masque), Italian (Newton Compton Editori), Norwegian (Cappelen Damm)

  • Publisher: FISCHER Scherz
  • Release: 29.01.2025
  • ISBN: 978-3-651-02515-8
  • 464 Pages
  • Author: Emily Rudolf
The Dinner – Everyone at the Table is Good Friends. Or Are They?
Emily Rudolf The Dinner – Everyone at the Table is Good Friends. Or Are They?
Gaby Gerster 2023
© Gaby Gerster 2023
Emily Rudolf

Emily Rudolf is a SPIEGEL bestselling author and a leading voice in German psychological thrillers. In her thrillers, she explores how human emotions can escalate to deadly levels. With fascinating settings, sophisticated plots and psychologically balanced characters, she captivates German and international readers alike. Born in 1998, the author grew up near Leipzig, published her first books while studying and working, and then turned her passion into her profession. Emily Rudolf currently lives and writes in Nuremberg.