Friedrich Ani Die Erfindung des Abschieds Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, 1998. 431pp. ISBN 3-453-14296-9 A boy on the run, two homicidal cemetery workers, a wayward policeman nicknamed 'The Seer' on account of the mystical perceptions he brings to his work - these and a literally cliff-hanging climax are only the main ingredients of this truly outstanding book. Categorised as a thriller, it is that and a great deal more, for as well as tension, pace, and believable, well-rounded characters, it harbours elements of real tragedy. The story begins when nine-year-old Raphael Vogel disappears from his home, following the death of his much-loved grandfather, his only ally against a brutal father and a mother too intimidated by her husband to stand up for him. Media pressures build up on the police, still operating in the shadow of a previous kidnapping which ended in horrific failure. Raphael is found, returned to his parents, but escapes again, leaving a note to say that he is going to join his grandfather - that is, it is feared, to kill himself. He has, in fact, taken refuge once more in the cemetery where his grandfather has now been laid to rest. A violent dispute, sparked off by his presence, breaks out between the two workmen, one of whom kills the other, and Raphael moves on. The place he chooses, and where he believes he will 'find' his grandfather, is one that neither of them had ever seen, except as a feature in the grandfather's model railway lay-out. There is a bridge over a lake, red cliffs and a lighthouse. The setting is Heligoland. The depiction of the personnel of the Missing Persons squad in Munich, their working methods and professional relationships, echoes Prime Suspect and even Hill Street Blues, but the character of Tabor Süden, 'The Seer', always unruly and at one point suspended for physically assaulting Raphael's bullying father, is totally original. German critics have hailed this book as outstanding in its field. 'Brilliant: this novel places Friedrich Ani in the top league of thriller writers' (Hans Peter Eggenberger).