Lübeck, Lent 1392. During work on a well, the half-decomposed body of a man is found. The victim's heart has been removed and stones put in its place.
Rungholt, the grumpy patrician, has really got other things to worry about: his ramshackle brewery is a real gold grave. Since the steward, Kerkring, promises to help him with building a new brewery, Rungholt allows himself be persuaded to look for the murderer. His friend and assistant, Captain Marek, joins him in the mission, as he had done eighteen months ago, when Rungholt successfully solved his first murder case. But Captain Marek has just fallen in love with the young surgeon Sinje, who also regularly gets involved in the investigations. The town is increasingly feeling the burden of a heat wave. Then emotions become charged during the Easter week, for there are more murders. But who is this perverse murderer who will stop at nothing and cuts out the hearts of his victims while they are still alive? And what is the plan behind the brutal bloody deeds?
When Rungholt discovers that it is no coincidence that the murders are committed during Lent, it almost makes his blood freeze in his veins: a crazy preacher of God is atoning for old sins – and the greatest sinner of all is Rungholt himself…

More information about the author and Rungholt, his medieval investigator, on http://www.rungholt-das-buch.de