Mysterious Deaths Among Cologne’s Gay Men

In Peter Pachel’s crime novel Bittersweet Memories, an old circle of gay friends from Cologne’s early days is pulled back into the past that shaped them. Mysterious deaths point back to a time of upheaval and the hard-won freedom they fought for together.

Many years have passed when the group reunites at Cologne’s Westfriedhof cemetery. The occasion is the funeral of Träne, a former member. His alleged suicide leaves the friends stunned and raises questions for which no one has an answer at first.

Shortly thereafter, another member of the clique dies. Fear grows, investigations long since closed are reopened, and the worry about more victims brings the once-close friends back together again. Has someone set their sights on them after all these years? And what connects the two deaths?

A Look Back at a Time When People in Cologne Came Together

Detective Chief Inspector Carmen Kaulmann pursues leads in every direction. Individual members of the circle also come under police scrutiny. For the Cologne policewoman, the case becomes a particular challenge. With a great deal of empathy, she tries to gain access to the closed group and understand their shared past.

Early clues lead into refugee communities and into the far-right scene. Soon the detectives believe they are close to the perpetrator. But when another friend disappears, the case takes an unexpected turn. Suppressed memories return, and what has long been forgotten suddenly takes on new meaning.

The crime novel looks back on a time of upheaval when people in Cologne came together to live freely and on their own terms. At the same time Bittersweet Memories (Amazon affiliate link) tells of friendship, loss, and the traces that shared experiences leave behind even after decades.

Peter Pachel blends the crime narrative with a tribute to Cologne, and especially to Ehrenfeld. Born in 1957 in Siegburg, the author grew up in the Rhineland and studied environmental engineering at the Cologne University of Applied Sciences. He spent many years in sales for an international company. Since 1986 he has lived in Cologne–Ehrenfeld. He became known, among other things, for his “Aegean Mysteries” series. (dd/pm)