Ferdinand von Schirach Books in Order

A criminal lawyer recounts violent cases whose circumstances unsettle easy judgments about guilt. From a doctor pushed beyond endurance to an apparently silent assassin, the stories examine how human motives complicate the relationship between wrongdoing and legal conviction.

Rookie lawyer Caspar Leinen defends a retired man who admits murdering an industrialist but refuses to explain why. A personal connection to the victim and a discovery reaching back to wartime Germany force Leinen to reconsider the case.

Controversial artist Sebastian von Eschburg is accused of murdering a young woman. As lawyer Konrad Biegler takes his case, the investigation’s unsettling turns challenge appearances, while Sebastian’s traumatic background and work complicate the boundary between truth and reality.

A nameless defence lawyer recounts twelve people’s encounters with crime and its consequences. Loneliness, resentment, desire, and professional ambition shape their choices, raising questions about how punishment should account for the lives behind the acts.

Ferdinand von Schirach combines autobiographical fragments, stories, and reflections to examine his family history and working life. Conversations with clients and cultural figures connect meditations on art and writing with the burdens of Germany’s past.

Drawing on a criminal defence lawyer’s experience, these stories follow people caught in violence, coercion, and complicity. Their cases challenge clear distinctions between innocence and guilt, revealing how courtroom outcomes can leave essential human truths unresolved.