Panenky – Laipsker Alexis (2026)

When a police car chasing con artists in the Provencal countryside reaches an abandoned, half-ruined chapel with a surprisingly new lock, the intense smell surrounding the building suggests that a horrific crime has taken place there. Inside, investigators find six mutilated corpses in various stages of decomposition. The brutal case is assigned to respected Inspector Venturi, known as Cowboy, giving him a chance to redeem himself after a conflict with the General Inspectorate, which has begun disciplinary proceedings against him. Venturi requests a psychologist to assist with the investigation, and the role goes to Olivia Montalvert, a young and talented criminologist nicknamed Minty. Despite the seasoned policeman’s initial distrust of the newly graduated young woman, the two become a well-coordinated team. Their combination of police experience and female intuition proves essential, because the killer is psychologically disturbed. The condition of the bodies, which the murderer has completely shaved and dressed in clothes, suggests that he plays with his victims like dolls. He will continue killing until the investigators stop him. The book is in Czech.