thriller
Fitzek double pack in autumn: The Master of Horror
Author Sebastian Fitzek has already published several books. His work “Therapy” will soon be available on Amazon Prime.
© Christian Charisius/dpa
Autumn is getting gloomy: thriller author Sebastian Fitzek ensures sleepless nights in book form and on the screen. What is his secret?
With psychological thrillers like “The Eye Collector”, “The Package” or “The Way Home” ends up Sebastian Fitzek has been reliably at number one on the bestseller lists for 17 years. His new novel “The Invitation” (October 25) is about a bloody class reunion in the mountains. One day after its release, the six-part mystery series “The Therapy,” which is based on Fitzek’s debut novel, premieres on Amazon Prime Video.
Anyone who reads a Fitzek can actually be sure that they won’t be able to put the book down so quickly. The relatively short chapters, which often end with an unpredictable cliffhanger, urge readers to continue reading. The main characters are complex. As a rule, they are never just good or just bad.
But some people may find one or two twists in the story to be a bit too adventurous, especially when it comes to the end. “I’m always grateful when someone tells me, ‘That’s unrealistic. There has never been a murder like this before. “Yes, fortunately,” replied Fitzek in an interview with dpa.
“You don’t go on a roller coaster to be thrown out, but rather to have this near-death experience. I would rather create this roller coaster ride in a thriller with fictional suffering than with an image of reality.”
Sebastian Fitzek was born in West Berlin in 1971. The hobby drummer studied law after graduating from high school, then switched to radio and became editor-in-chief and program director. He also developed his passion for writing.
Sebastian Fitzek: The first success
After more than a dozen rejections, “The Therapy” was published in 2006. “I’ve learned in retrospect that writing is a bit like swimming. You can theorize a lot and read books about it. But the first time you go into the pool or the sea, you most likely won’t be able to stay afloat.”
The refreshingly straightforward writing style of the newcomer from private radio is well received. A production company directly secures the film rights to the material. 17 years later the time has come. “I’m very satisfied with the series adaptation and happy. Because I never thought it would happen again at some point,” says the 52-year-old about the miniseries on Amazon Prime Video.
In it, Berlin psychiatrist Viktor Larenz (Stephan Kampwirth) discovers clues to her whereabouts two years after his daughter’s (Helena Zengel) disappearance. Reality and delusions soon become blurred and the audience doesn’t know where the journey is going until the end. In any case, the Berliner has mastered unpredictable scenes, often referred to in English as “WTF” moments (for “What the Fuck”).
“It is of course becoming more and more difficult to surprise readers. It has to be possible to guess the outcome. Otherwise, even the people who are surprised will reject the ending as unrealistic,” says Fitzek about the balancing act when writing Psychological thrillers.
The father of four is now the best-selling author in Germany and usually stages his readings like a Saturday evening show. Several books have already been made into films, such as “Passenger 23” and “The Child”. Critics consider Fitzek’s novels to be too violent and confusing, but their success with the general public speaks for itself. “The Invitation” is also likely to conquer the bestseller lists.
His new work
In his latest work, Fitzek fans will have to pay close attention as police analyst Marla Lindberg confronts the demons of her past at a school reunion. Because here too, nothing is as it initially seems.
Fitzek, something like the German Stephen King, now also writes children’s books and humorous novels. But one prejudice about the master of horror persists: “That I also have a problem in my private life. Some people are also afraid of me and are completely taken aback when they meet me.”