Death and the Devil is the new Frank Schatzing novel. His earlier work, The Swarm, was a Sci-Fi, high adventure thriller that was very popular in Germany. In Death and the Devil, Mr. Schatzing turns around and leads us back into the long ago past as he tries his hand at a murder mystery. The thrills are still present they just take a more familiar form.

It's 1260. The German city of Cologne is a trading center, a religious thoroughfare for the crusades, and its citizens are politically awakening and independent minded. Into this mix comes Jacob the Fox. A young man who, like many of the time, survives by petty thievery. One night, while stealing apples from the bishop's orchard, he witnesses the death of Gerhard Morart, the architect of the new Cologne Cathedral. Morart whispers his last words to Jacob and the chase is on. The devil of the title is the killer in pursuit of our simple thief. Jacob isn't alone. He turns to a young woman, Richmodis, her father and her uncle. The four of them try to stay one step ahead of the killer while unraveling the reason behind Gerhard's death. Schatzing, through Richmodis's learned uncle, enlightens the reader on leprosy, the crusades, Medieval grand politics, the state of religion and philosophy.

Anyone looking for a diversion like this, a book with a good feel for the complexities of the middle ages, will enjoy this novel. Schatzing has produced a good read. Look for better to come.