Homunculus - The Devil's Apprentice

Bavaria, 1438. After a young girl is found in a tanner's vat, the small town of Aichach turns from fear to fury. The Church urges repentance; the crowd wants a culprit. Barber-surgeon and war veteran Simon Schenk wants only to protect his family and keep his shop open-but in a season of panic, silence becomes dangerous.

Following the evidence, Simon crosses guild interests, back-room piety, and the reach of a nobleman who acts above the law. In a world where medicine struggles against rumor, a careless word can ruin a life faster than any blade. What begins as the hunt for one killer becomes a fight against scapegoating and power.

Homunculus - The Devil's Apprentice is a lean, historically grounded thriller set in late-medieval Bavaria: tactile craft, real procedures, and the hard edges of civic justice. Originally published in German in 2013 (Homunculus - Das tote Mädchen vom Gerberhof), this English edition launches the Simon Schenk series for international readers.

Nominated for "Entdeckt! Der Amazon Autoren-Preis" (Amazon's German newcomers' award, 2014).

For fans of C. J. Sansom and Oliver Pötzsch: an unflinching look at how fear bends truth-and how costly it is to set it straight.