Beginning

Long after the Iron Curtain has crumbled, an invisible wall remains between the good citizens of Berlin and those who dwell in the city's dark underbelly. And one family-the Bentheims-straddles the line between good and evil.The family has graciously taken in Till Anschutz, a young orphan on the run, and he quickly befriends his new brother, twelve-year-old Max. Together, the boys explore the office where their cold, distant father, Xavier Bentheim, writes his novels. They discover a secret door, an underground lair, gruesome photographs, bizarre films, and horrifying scenes. Is this shadowy world the reason Xavier's behavior has taken a turn for the vicious-and will they ever be able to escape what they've seen?Berlin Police Inspector Konstantin Butz discovers the mutilated corpse of a woman; beside her lies a power drill freshly wrenched from her stomach. This latest in a series of related murders launches Butz on an obsessive search for the killer, but the key could lie hidden with his own girlfriend...Claire Bentheim.