Arne Dessaul

For a while, I thought I could only write mysteries. That’s not true. In addition to eleven mysteries, I’ve now written a social novel (with a strong coming-of-age element), a dystopia, and a humorous time-travel novel (also with coming-of-age elements). Soon, I’ll be adding sophisticated romance novels to the mix. I’ve noticed, though, that thinking like a mystery writer helps me even when I’m working in other genres.

My settings include my old home—Wolfenbüttel and the Harz foothills—my new home—Bochum and the Ruhr region—as well as Berlin and, soon, Lake Constance. I firmly believe, however, that most stories work regardless of the setting.

So, and now comes all that “David Copperfield crap,” as Holden Caulfield calls it.

Arne Dessaul was born in Wolfenbüttel in 1964 and grew up in Winnigstedt (Wolfenbüttel district). In 1984, he graduated from high school in Wolfenbüttel. This was followed by service in the German Armed Forces and a business apprenticeship at the herbal liqueur manufacturer Jägermeister.

In 1989, Dessaul moved to Bochum to study communication science at Ruhr University. While in college, he began working as a journalist. Between 1992 and 2015, he wrote for various magazines and daily newspapers. Since 1994, he has also worked in the University Communications Department at Ruhr University, currently as a full-time online editor.

In the early 2010s, Arne Dessaul discovered his passion and talent for writing crime novels. Since then, he has devised a new case each year for his investigative team led by Lisa Bertram and Helmut Jordan. For the first five books, the setting was the tranquil town of Wolfenbüttel in the Harz foothills. Starting with his sixth crime novel, the story moves deep into western Germany to Bochum.

In 2016, Gmeiner-Verlag published Dessaul’s first crime novel, "Trittbrettmörder"; "Bauernjäger" followed in 2017 from the same publisher. In the years that followed, "50" (2018, Neobooks), “Tödlicher Halt” (2019, BoD), and “Verschluckt” (2020, BoD). In November 2021, his sixth crime novel, “Ihr letztes Stück,” was published by Maximum-Verlag. The sequel, titled “Sein letzter Witz,” was also published by Maximum-Verlag in 2022. This crime novel was nominated for best crime novel cover in the entire German-speaking world.

In February 2023, Arne Dessaul switched genres for the first time and made his debut in the dystopia/thriller category with “Die Neue Mauer” (The New Wall) from Redrum Books. In November 2023, his eighth crime novel, “Ihr letzter Flirt” (Her Last Flirt), was published by Maximum Krimi.

In 2024, Arne Dessaul even released three new books: In May, his fourth Bochum crime novel, *Ihr letztes Spiel*, was published, and in August came his next foray into a different genre—part social novel, part coming-of-age story, and a touch of crime fiction. The novel is titled *Ewige Schuld*. Finally, in November, the story continued with Mike Müller: His fifth case is titled “Ihr letzter Tanz.”

In 2025, Arne Dessaul took a creative break, only to return refreshed in 2026: In the summer, the sixth case for Mike Müller, “Sardische Scharade,” was published, and in November, the entertaining time-travel comedy “Noch mal 1983” was released. In the spring of 2027, things will get really romantic. The first volume of a series centered on “Das Café am Bodensee” is set to be released at the Leipzig Book Fair.