Vražda pro štěstí - Detektivní příběh v čase první republiky – Zábrana Jan (2022)

A budding private detective, unemployed philosophy doctor Pivoňka, investigates a mysterious murder that occurred within literary circles. He searches alongside his beloved – he knows the world of fashionable literati, intellectuals, and even wealthy men and beautiful women, while she is familiar with Prague's underbelly and often uncovers what her academic friend could not decipher with her instincts. This thrilling and whimsical novel, infused with the atmosphere of the era, transports us to the dualistic world of the First Republic, where people use not only reason but also heart, knowing what to expect from others and from the world. The world is logical, predictable, and has a promising future. It is a world where murders happen only in the old way: out of passion and for money. What does it matter that it is an illusion – we would like to live there... When the most plausible solution collapses on the last pages, the hero must come to terms with an unexpected, bitter disappointment. Even so: The book, which reminds us of some of Čapek's stories, is pleasantly joyful and comforting!