Solstice - The Brightest Night. Your Darkest Hour

An atmospheric thriller set against the backdrop of the solstice celebration


In a small town in the Alps, the summer solstice is celebrated each year with fire images in the mountains and chains of flames along the ridges. This attracts tourists, former hippies, and esoterics, and even the fact that decades ago a person died in the fire doesn't deter anyone. However, the villagers still wonder if that death was truly an accident. Just before this year's summer solstice, an anonymous warning is received by the police: someone will burn again. On Midsummer's Day, in a race against time, police officer Hannah investigates the threat and uncovers a secluded farm, missing women, and a dark family secret.


"it's addictive. [...] a magnificent piece of writing with a high addiction factor." - magaScene, Georg Schröder

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  • Publisher: FISCHER Taschenbuch
  • Release: 27.08.2025
  • ISBN: 978-3-596-71173-4
  • 368 Pages
  • Authors: Ulrike GeroldWolfram Hänel
Buchcover von Solstice - The Brightest Night. Your Darkest Hour: Thriller
Ulrike Gerold Wolfram Hänel Solstice - The Brightest Night. Your Darkest Hour
Portrait von Ulrike Gerold
© Achim Uhlenhut
Ulrike Gerold

Ulrike Gerold and Wolfram Hänel, long involved in theatre before turning to writing, have published over 150 novels, stories, and picture books, translated into 35 languages. Their recent thrillers "Rauhnächte" and "Fastenzeit" were published by S. Fischer Verlage. The authors live and work together in Hanover and Berlin and are members of PEN Berlin.

Portrait von Wolfram Hänel
© Jochen Lübke
Wolfram Hänel

Ulrike Gerold and Wolfram Hänel, long involved in theatre before turning to writing, have published over 150 novels, stories, and picture books, translated into 35 languages. Their recent thrillers "Rauhnächte" and "Fastenzeit" were published by S. Fischer Verlage. The authors live and work together in Hanover and Berlin and are members of PEN Berlin.