The Scholl Case: The Deadly End of a Marriage

While there is no shortage of true crime books about marriage and murder in small towns, German reporter Reich-Osang brings us a remarkable and engrossing tale. In late 2011 in the small East German town of Ludwigsfelde, Brigitte Scholl, wife of the town's former mayor, was found murdered in the woods. Equally shocking to the community was that her husband, Heinrich Scholl, was arrested. Instead of a story filled with lurid details of a crime or a play-by-play of the court case, listeners are presented with the chronicle of a loveless relationship between two deeply flawed people—a domineering socialite and her submissive politician husband. Amid this tale of microaggressions, infidelity, and scandal, Reich-Osang skillfully contextualizes the world of East German politics before and after reunification. Australian voice actress Edwina Wren makes for the perfect narrator. While a reader might feel lost in the flurry of German names and places, Wren does a first-rate job of articulating each one. At five hours, this book keeps a brisk pace, while Wren's narration helps the reader absorb every detail.