Alleys at Midnight

Entertaining summer crime thriller with a twist of archaeology and plenty of secrets, some romantic, some not

A local vagrant is found dead in woods on the banks of the Divoká Orlice river, with a valuable medieval ducat in his pocket. The police investigation is headed by Chief Inspector Lenka Nová, known to the reader from the novel No Good News, who has settled in a small town after leaving regional CID. Clues bring her to a nearby campsite, where a group of archaeology students is staying on a field trip. The number of suspects with a potential motive is growing, while the investigation is complicated by romantic entanglements and intricate ties of family and friendship. In the background of all this is the legendary Potštejn castle treasure. Has it truly been found? And how might it be connected with the recent murder?

Although Michal Sýkora’s latest crime novel is without the much-loved Marie Výrová and in a new milieu, otherwise it has all the usual ingredients: a charismatic heroine, an original plot, a thrilling investigation, gentle humour, and a host of colourful, entertaining characters in an attractive setting.

"Michal Sýkora is a fine, entertaining writer who forces nothing on the reader. He has turned the “pocket metropolis” of Olomouc, the local university and a police superintendent who listens to Dylan into icons in their own right. His success with readers and the creators of TV series is well deserved."

Martin Stöhr, editor

‘At the end of No Good News, I left Lenka Nová in a perilous situation. Having grown fond of this heroine, however, I wanted to give her a happy ending, at least in the next book. I’ve always been fascinated by the legend of the Potštejn treasure, and I love the country around the Divoká Orlice river. Potštejn Castle, archaeological excavation, treasure, a likeable heroine, the romance of alleys at midnight – I have woven all these into my novel,’ says the author about his book.