Abstract

This creative writing thesis is a mystery novella set in Berlin after the fall of the Berlin Wall. As a "genre work," it relies heavily on setting and attempts to capture the Zeitgeist . The heroine, Rachel Hoffman, is a journalist who branches out into freelance detective work. In the grand tradition of fictional sleuths, she is a smart-talking, wise cracking type. She shares, however, the tendency of many a late 20 th century detective prone to confessing personal foibles and weaknesses. The plot revolves around the hit and run death of Dorothy, a Filipino woman in East Berlin. Like many current popular mysteries, the story deals with societal preoccupations and social issues, in this case anti-foreigner violence in Germany. Despite the sometimes-weighty subject matter, humour is an important ingredient in the story's telling. The goal was to create a compelling and entertaining mystery.