Crime Festival 1

At the 18th Crime Festival, four authors will read from their 2026 releases. Katharina Eigner presents "Nothing Fades Forever," a Salzburg crime novel that blends the rural idyll of the Pinzgau region with the urban glamour of the festival city—behind both facades, dark secrets lurk.

Tatjana Kruse introduces "First to Read, Last to Die," a tale of a bookseller who solves suspicious deaths with wit and intelligence after the police overlook them. Kristof Magnusson reads from "The Journey to the End of the Story," in which a double agent in Kazakhstan plans his final risky maneuver, accompanied by a poet in search of the adventure of his life.

Hannes Stein, a journalist from New York, presents "The Messiah Conspiracy," a spy novel about archives, power, and the dangers of texts. Following the readings, the authors will discuss their works with Ines Schütz, Bernhard Flieher, and Lily and Tomas Friedmann.