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Kommissariens löfte. Misstanken. Domaren och hans bödel
Friedrich Dürrenmatt hatte einfach zuviel kriminelle Energie. Das jedenfalls glaubte seine Frau, als der permanent klamme Schriftsteller ihr plötzlich 500 Franken präsentierte. Die konnte ihr Mann eigentlich nur gestohlen haben, mutmaßte Frau Dürrenmatt. Das war aber detektivisch falsch geschlossen. Denn Dürrenmatt hatte keineswegs zu viel kriminelle Energie, sondern glücklicherweise genau genügend kriminelle Phantasie. Und das Geld war der Vorschuss für seinen ersten Kriminalroman.
Den Krimiklassiker Der Richter und sein Henker um Kommissar Bärlach und seinen Widersacher Gastmann schrieb Dürrenmatt 1950 tatsächlich, um etwas daran zu verdienen. Seitdem gehört das Buch zur Schullektüre. Das Versprechen kennt man meistens nicht vom Lesen, sondern weil Gert Fröbe den bösen Kindermörder so faszinierend hilflos-grausam im Kinofilm spielte (und weil ja auch Heinz Rühmann ganz passabel war). Die politische -- und literarisch tatsächlich etwas schwächere -- Bärlach-Fortsetzung Der Verdacht indes, die sich mit der Nachkriegszeit und ihrer Nazi-Vergangenheit auseinander setzt, ist weitgehend unbekannt. Jetzt endlich gibt es die Drei Kriminalromane bei Dürrenmatts Hausverlag Diogenes in einer schönen Aufmachung -- und in überaus handlichem Format -- in einem Band. Und die präsentieren sich auch nach über 50 Jahren überraschend frisch.
Drei Kriminalromane ist ideal für alle, die wissen wollen, ob Der Richter und sein Henker immer noch so spannend wirkt wie bei der Schullektüre. Oder die erkennen wollen, dass Dürrenmatt seine Figuren eigentlich psychologisch viel besser gezeichnet hat als Rühmann sie spielt. --Stefan Kellerer
339 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1986
2 people are currently reading
116 people want to read
About the author
Friedrich Dürrenmatt
412 books1,033 followersFriedrich Dürrenmatt (1921 – 1990) was a Swiss author and dramatist.
Dürrenmatt was born in the Emmental (canton of Bern), the son of a Protestant pastor. His grandfather Ulrich Dürrenmatt was a conservative politician. The family moved to Bern in 1935. Dürrenmatt began to study philosophy and German language and literature at the University of Zurich in 1941, but moved to the University of Bern after one semester. In 1943 he decided to become an author and dramatist and dropped his academic career. In 1945-46, he wrote his first play, "It is written". On October 11 1946 he married actress Lotti Geissler. She died in 1983 and Dürrenmatt was married again to another actress, Charlotte Kerr, the following year.
He was a proponent of epic theater whose plays reflected the recent experiences of World War II. The politically active author gained fame largely due to his avant-garde dramas, philosophically deep crime novels, and often macabre satire. One of his leading sentences was: "A story is not finished, until it has taken the worst turn". Dürrenmatt was a member of the Gruppe Olten.
Dürrenmatt was born in the Emmental (canton of Bern), the son of a Protestant pastor. His grandfather Ulrich Dürrenmatt was a conservative politician. The family moved to Bern in 1935. Dürrenmatt began to study philosophy and German language and literature at the University of Zurich in 1941, but moved to the University of Bern after one semester. In 1943 he decided to become an author and dramatist and dropped his academic career. In 1945-46, he wrote his first play, "It is written". On October 11 1946 he married actress Lotti Geissler. She died in 1983 and Dürrenmatt was married again to another actress, Charlotte Kerr, the following year.
He was a proponent of epic theater whose plays reflected the recent experiences of World War II. The politically active author gained fame largely due to his avant-garde dramas, philosophically deep crime novels, and often macabre satire. One of his leading sentences was: "A story is not finished, until it has taken the worst turn". Dürrenmatt was a member of the Gruppe Olten.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 30, 2023
Most people don’t think of crime novels when they hear the name Dürrenmatt, he is better known for his serious plays. These are the best-known inspector Bärlach stories, written with Dürrenmatt’s usual deep insight into the human soul. Just brilliant.
January 28, 2026
Die Lektüre der drei Kriminalromane von Friedrich Dürrenmatt – Der Richter und sein Henker, Das Versprechen und Der Verdacht —macht vor allem eines deutlich: Dürrenmatt schreibt keine Krimis, um Spannung zu erzeugen oder Rätsel zu lösen. Er nutzt das Genre als Denkform, als Versuchsanordnung zur Untersuchung von Schuld, Zufall, Moral und der Fragwürdigkeit von Gerechtigkeit in einer realen Welt. Diese Absicht ist konsequent – ihre literarische Umsetzung jedoch sehr unterschiedlich gelungen.
Am überzeugendsten ist Das Versprechen. Der Roman ist radikal anti-genrehaft, existenziell zugespitzt und stilistisch vergleichsweise karg. Die Figur Matthäi – ein Ermittler, der sich der Wahrheit verpflichtet fühlt, auch nachdem er aus dem System gefallen ist – wirkt modern, geradezu prophetisch. Hier zerbricht der klassische Kriminalroman an seiner eigenen Grundannahme: dass die Welt logisch, erzählbar und am Ende sinnvoll auflösbar sei. Wahrheit erweist sich als zerstörerisch, Zufall als mächtiger als jede Methode. Der Text ist konsequent, schmerzhaft und literarisch geschlossen. Er funktioniert auch jenseits des Krimigenres als existenzielle Parabel.
Der Richter und sein Henker wirkt im Vergleich dazu deutlich konstruiert. Zwar ist die Anlage der Figur Bärlach – pragmatisch, traditionsbewusst, ruhig, realistisch – interessant, doch die Handlung erzeugt kaum innere Notwendigkeit. Der Roman schlägt sichtbar Haken, um Spannung zu behaupten, ohne sie wirklich zu erzeugen. Entscheidender noch ist die stilistische Uneinheitlichkeit: Die Sprache schwankt zwischen nüchternem Alltagston, pathetischer Überhöhung und abgegriffener Bildhaftigkeit. Besonders in zentralen Dialogen – etwa zwischen Bärlach und Gastmann – wird die Künstlichkeit der Konstruktion spürbar. Figuren sprechen weniger miteinander als für den Autor. Der Text denkt klug, aber er klingt oft veraltet und unfrei.
Der Verdacht schließlich ist thematisch vielleicht der ambitionierteste, literarisch jedoch der problematischste der drei Romane. Die Idee des immobilen Kommissars, der vom Krankenbett aus ermittelt, ist stark und originell. Auch die thematische Nähe zu den Verbrechen der Nationalsozialisten, zur Kontinuität von Täterschaft und zur moralischen Leerstelle nach 1945 ist ernsthaft und notwendig. Doch der Roman kippt zunehmend in eine störende Thesenprosa. Figuren wie Gulliver sind nicht psychologisch gestaltet, sondern mythisch überhöht. Ihre Sprache ist überfrachtet mit abgenutzten Metaphern und pathetischer Symbolik. Dialoge dienen kaum der Situation, sondern der Vermittlung historisch-philosophischer Positionen. Die Sprache will erschüttern, zwingt Bedeutung auf – und wird dadurch schwer erträglich.
Insgesamt zeigt sich: Dürrenmatt ist ein ambitionierter Denker, aber für meinen Geschmack kein guter Romancier.
Die drei Romane sind intellektuell herausfordernd und gedanklich ernst zu nehmen. Literarisch jedoch überzeugt letztlich nur einer von ihnen wirklich.
Am überzeugendsten ist Das Versprechen. Der Roman ist radikal anti-genrehaft, existenziell zugespitzt und stilistisch vergleichsweise karg. Die Figur Matthäi – ein Ermittler, der sich der Wahrheit verpflichtet fühlt, auch nachdem er aus dem System gefallen ist – wirkt modern, geradezu prophetisch. Hier zerbricht der klassische Kriminalroman an seiner eigenen Grundannahme: dass die Welt logisch, erzählbar und am Ende sinnvoll auflösbar sei. Wahrheit erweist sich als zerstörerisch, Zufall als mächtiger als jede Methode. Der Text ist konsequent, schmerzhaft und literarisch geschlossen. Er funktioniert auch jenseits des Krimigenres als existenzielle Parabel.
Der Richter und sein Henker wirkt im Vergleich dazu deutlich konstruiert. Zwar ist die Anlage der Figur Bärlach – pragmatisch, traditionsbewusst, ruhig, realistisch – interessant, doch die Handlung erzeugt kaum innere Notwendigkeit. Der Roman schlägt sichtbar Haken, um Spannung zu behaupten, ohne sie wirklich zu erzeugen. Entscheidender noch ist die stilistische Uneinheitlichkeit: Die Sprache schwankt zwischen nüchternem Alltagston, pathetischer Überhöhung und abgegriffener Bildhaftigkeit. Besonders in zentralen Dialogen – etwa zwischen Bärlach und Gastmann – wird die Künstlichkeit der Konstruktion spürbar. Figuren sprechen weniger miteinander als für den Autor. Der Text denkt klug, aber er klingt oft veraltet und unfrei.
Der Verdacht schließlich ist thematisch vielleicht der ambitionierteste, literarisch jedoch der problematischste der drei Romane. Die Idee des immobilen Kommissars, der vom Krankenbett aus ermittelt, ist stark und originell. Auch die thematische Nähe zu den Verbrechen der Nationalsozialisten, zur Kontinuität von Täterschaft und zur moralischen Leerstelle nach 1945 ist ernsthaft und notwendig. Doch der Roman kippt zunehmend in eine störende Thesenprosa. Figuren wie Gulliver sind nicht psychologisch gestaltet, sondern mythisch überhöht. Ihre Sprache ist überfrachtet mit abgenutzten Metaphern und pathetischer Symbolik. Dialoge dienen kaum der Situation, sondern der Vermittlung historisch-philosophischer Positionen. Die Sprache will erschüttern, zwingt Bedeutung auf – und wird dadurch schwer erträglich.
Insgesamt zeigt sich: Dürrenmatt ist ein ambitionierter Denker, aber für meinen Geschmack kein guter Romancier.
Die drei Romane sind intellektuell herausfordernd und gedanklich ernst zu nehmen. Literarisch jedoch überzeugt letztlich nur einer von ihnen wirklich.
December 8, 2020
An absolutely marvelous collection of three crime novellas: Der Richter und sein Henker (The Judge and his Executioner), Der Verdacht (The Hunch) and Das Versprechen (The Pledge). Technically speaking, they are detective stories but this plot structure is mostly used as a vehicle for the author’s rumination on humanity and crime and the nature of evildoers and, in the last case, the novella is even meant to subvert the crime genre as a whole and to critique it from the inside out for its neat and tidy plotting, for the inevitable triumph of good over evil, for the way its heroes (the detectives) are always portrayed as broken but successful geniuses.
I don’t read much crime fiction but I honestly can’t imagine better exponents of the genre. These short stories squeeze everything there is of interest and merit in the genre, wring out every last drop of relevance and transcend its boundaries. I can recommend them to anyone tired of the usual plots in the genre and interested in seeing how far it can go.
I wouldn’t necessarily recommend them to someone just looking for light diversion, a quick afternoon read or some such. They may be short but they are also devastating. Both the crimes themselves and the aspects of society and human nature the author showcases are absolutely brutal. His worldview definitely tends towards the cynical and it is validated not only within the stories but by many things going on in our world today.
I might return and post a spoilery review of the individual novellas, but for now I want to leave you with my highlights (as spoiler-free as possible):
- this is the first book I’ve read where someone terrorizes someone else by literally just sitting there and eating (and I mean normal food, not Hannibal Lecter style cooking). I have never read a more imposing and convincing show of power.
- a story written immediately in the aftermath of the Second World War where Nazis are unambiguously evil and Communists (though not Mother Russia) are the good guys? I had forgotten what I means to read fiction from outside the influence sphere of American Cold War propaganda.
- this is a separate highlight, because I just can’t believe someone said it so shortly after the war and so eloquently: there but for the grade of God go we (as people and as a nation) as atrocities are concerned. A lifetime later and most of humanity has not only not grasped this immediately obvious truth, but some of us are doing their level best to emulate past horrors.
- the author has traumatized me with the concept of truffles and the two words “red skirt”. They have burrowed into my brain and taken up residence right alongside the whole first episode of Chernobyl which is still giving me nightmares a year later and leaves me shaking the terror off myself.
- also: the perspectives on the treatment of women and sex crimes in the last novella are precisely as on point and timely as the whole of The Fall, which is comforting and infuriating at the same time because it highlights the willful blindness most people are operating under.
I don’t read much crime fiction but I honestly can’t imagine better exponents of the genre. These short stories squeeze everything there is of interest and merit in the genre, wring out every last drop of relevance and transcend its boundaries. I can recommend them to anyone tired of the usual plots in the genre and interested in seeing how far it can go.
I wouldn’t necessarily recommend them to someone just looking for light diversion, a quick afternoon read or some such. They may be short but they are also devastating. Both the crimes themselves and the aspects of society and human nature the author showcases are absolutely brutal. His worldview definitely tends towards the cynical and it is validated not only within the stories but by many things going on in our world today.
I might return and post a spoilery review of the individual novellas, but for now I want to leave you with my highlights (as spoiler-free as possible):
- this is the first book I’ve read where someone terrorizes someone else by literally just sitting there and eating (and I mean normal food, not Hannibal Lecter style cooking). I have never read a more imposing and convincing show of power.
- a story written immediately in the aftermath of the Second World War where Nazis are unambiguously evil and Communists (though not Mother Russia) are the good guys? I had forgotten what I means to read fiction from outside the influence sphere of American Cold War propaganda.
- this is a separate highlight, because I just can’t believe someone said it so shortly after the war and so eloquently: there but for the grade of God go we (as people and as a nation) as atrocities are concerned. A lifetime later and most of humanity has not only not grasped this immediately obvious truth, but some of us are doing their level best to emulate past horrors.
- the author has traumatized me with the concept of truffles and the two words “red skirt”. They have burrowed into my brain and taken up residence right alongside the whole first episode of Chernobyl which is still giving me nightmares a year later and leaves me shaking the terror off myself.
- also: the perspectives on the treatment of women and sex crimes in the last novella are precisely as on point and timely as the whole of The Fall, which is comforting and infuriating at the same time because it highlights the willful blindness most people are operating under.
July 8, 2025
Durchaus lesenswerte Kriminallitetatur. Natürlich kein Whodunnit / Mitratekrimi sondern deutlich Dialoglastiger mit mehr Tiefe. Zwischendurch etwas langatmig und leider kein Vegleich zu "Die Physiker". Das Versprechen hätte von mir nur 2 Sterne bekommen. Richter+Henker 3 und der Verdacht 4. insgesamt also 3 Sterne.
Read
August 17, 2024Will review them separately, and add some general remarks on my first impressions regarding Dürrenmatt here later
October 27, 2024
Der Richter und sein Henker ist his best work
December 28, 2025
Min bok hade bara historien ”Kommissariens löfte”. Mycket skickligt skriven och annorlunda historia.
May 2, 2009
Friedrich Durrenmatt is one of those authors German children are likely to encounter in school. And, indeed, I have had to read one of his plays, and watch TV adaptations (and listen to radio adaptations) of various of his works. This being in school, I hated it, of course.
I was wrong.
It's strange how I found myself wanting to read Durrenmatt again. The realisation that many of my own thoughts about plots and characters and stories were shaped by a writer whose work I only knew superficially convinced me to give him another shot.
Well, three shots, this being three books in one. Writing at a leisurely pace, using devices that are perhaps a little outdated, Durrenmatt has a distinctive way with language. His characters feel real, but in a slightly poetic way. When they speak, you listen. His detectives are wise but weak, foolhardy, and sometimes without scruples.
The first of the stories, Der Richter und sein Henker, is one I had seen a TV movie of. There is some clunky exposition (Durrenmatt may have a distinctive and enjoyable voice, and a twisted but delightfully sinister view of the world, but man, does he ever use outdated plot devices...). Basically, it is a story of an old detective who has to deal with a murder, and who seems to know more about who is the murderer than anyone else. The ending is beautifully twisted.
The second story, Der Verdacht, is about the same detective, now dying, who by pure coincidence hears of a suspicion that a famous doctor might be an escaped war criminal. And he won't let go of that suspicion until he knows the truth. Of the three books, this was the only one I had never read / watched / heard before. It is also probably the weakest one, featuring too many happy coincidences, and some distinctly uncomfortable to read scenes featuring a dwarf. (It feels very 1960s, having a sinister, monstrous, not actually human dwarf in a story).
Finally, Der Verdacht, which has been turned into various movies (Es geschah am hellichten Tag with Heinz Ruehmann and Gert Froebe and The Pledge with Jack Nicholson), is quite possibly the darkest of the three offerings here. The subtitle is "Requiem for the (genre of) crime novel". It is the story, as told by a retiring police comissioner, of a brilliant detective, and a serial child killer. After making the promise to find justice - and swearing on his very soul - the detective is forced to pursue it on his own. The police force are satisfied that a suspect was guilty, but the detective has doubts. He may be a brilliant detective, but he is also merciless, without scruples, and very, very cold and calculating. He sets a trap - and for a trap, one needs bait. The movies are harrowing, indeed, Es geschah am hellichten Tag is very famous and has been remade at least once. Der Verdacht is more harrowing than the films. It may be a particularity of Swiss use of the German language, or it may be an outdated form, but the constant use of "das" in related to girls is eery. (Yes, it is "Das Maedchen", but not usually "Das Marie", or "Das Gritli" - having "das" accompany the name feels somewhat wrong to my ears. Then again, it'd sound normal for cutifications like "Gretchen", so I suppose Gritli is Swiss for the same). SPOILER ALERT! - The climax, which sees the police and prosecutors beat up the little girl, having used her as bait to a child killer, because they have run out of patience, is cold and brutal beyond anything I'd expected. END SPOILER.
I enjoyed reacuainting myself with Durrenmatt. Despite some outdated tools in his writerly toolchest, he is a brilliant writer, whose work is excitingly original, twisted, and whose tone / use of language is measured and beautiful. I'd recommend this book to anyone.
I was wrong.
It's strange how I found myself wanting to read Durrenmatt again. The realisation that many of my own thoughts about plots and characters and stories were shaped by a writer whose work I only knew superficially convinced me to give him another shot.
Well, three shots, this being three books in one. Writing at a leisurely pace, using devices that are perhaps a little outdated, Durrenmatt has a distinctive way with language. His characters feel real, but in a slightly poetic way. When they speak, you listen. His detectives are wise but weak, foolhardy, and sometimes without scruples.
The first of the stories, Der Richter und sein Henker, is one I had seen a TV movie of. There is some clunky exposition (Durrenmatt may have a distinctive and enjoyable voice, and a twisted but delightfully sinister view of the world, but man, does he ever use outdated plot devices...). Basically, it is a story of an old detective who has to deal with a murder, and who seems to know more about who is the murderer than anyone else. The ending is beautifully twisted.
The second story, Der Verdacht, is about the same detective, now dying, who by pure coincidence hears of a suspicion that a famous doctor might be an escaped war criminal. And he won't let go of that suspicion until he knows the truth. Of the three books, this was the only one I had never read / watched / heard before. It is also probably the weakest one, featuring too many happy coincidences, and some distinctly uncomfortable to read scenes featuring a dwarf. (It feels very 1960s, having a sinister, monstrous, not actually human dwarf in a story).
Finally, Der Verdacht, which has been turned into various movies (Es geschah am hellichten Tag with Heinz Ruehmann and Gert Froebe and The Pledge with Jack Nicholson), is quite possibly the darkest of the three offerings here. The subtitle is "Requiem for the (genre of) crime novel". It is the story, as told by a retiring police comissioner, of a brilliant detective, and a serial child killer. After making the promise to find justice - and swearing on his very soul - the detective is forced to pursue it on his own. The police force are satisfied that a suspect was guilty, but the detective has doubts. He may be a brilliant detective, but he is also merciless, without scruples, and very, very cold and calculating. He sets a trap - and for a trap, one needs bait. The movies are harrowing, indeed, Es geschah am hellichten Tag is very famous and has been remade at least once. Der Verdacht is more harrowing than the films. It may be a particularity of Swiss use of the German language, or it may be an outdated form, but the constant use of "das" in related to girls is eery. (Yes, it is "Das Maedchen", but not usually "Das Marie", or "Das Gritli" - having "das" accompany the name feels somewhat wrong to my ears. Then again, it'd sound normal for cutifications like "Gretchen", so I suppose Gritli is Swiss for the same). SPOILER ALERT! - The climax, which sees the police and prosecutors beat up the little girl, having used her as bait to a child killer, because they have run out of patience, is cold and brutal beyond anything I'd expected. END SPOILER.
I enjoyed reacuainting myself with Durrenmatt. Despite some outdated tools in his writerly toolchest, he is a brilliant writer, whose work is excitingly original, twisted, and whose tone / use of language is measured and beautiful. I'd recommend this book to anyone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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