The Ogre of Hannover Station: Fritz Haarmann

Viviane Janouin-Benanti

Oct 2024 · Criminal Novel Book 4 · 3E éditions

About this ebook

In Hannover, Germany in the early 1920s, there was a rumor that the River Leine was filled with the bodies of dead children. When the river was finally dredged, over 1,500 human bones were found in the foul-smelling sludge. All the flesh had been carefully removed from the bones. What had been done with it? Who had committed these horrific murders? And why hadn’t he been caught sooner?

Readers beware, this story is not for the faint of heart.

“270 missing children, do you realize that there have been 270 disappearances in one year!” barked Police Chief Retz, beside himself, addressing a room full of bewildered police officers. And the numbers kept growing and growing… A serial killer nicknamed the Ogre of Hannover was able to operate in the city, unchecked, for years.

Local businessman Fritz Haarmann, always so polite and well dressed, greeted everyone in his neighborhood with a smile. He was even on friendly terms with the chief of police. Such a nice man was above all suspicion. How could anyone imagine that he was the one abducting children, let alone that he was killing and dismembering them and dumping their bones in the river at night…? With an average of one murder per week over the span of years, his arrest couldn’t come too soon.

This chilling story has been impeccably researched and tactfully dramatized by Viviane Janouin-Benanti, the author of over twenty captivating historical true crime novels. In telling this story, Janouin-Benanti does not glorify the sordid details of this serial killer’s crimes. She tells us the facts and names his victims, sharing their tragic stories as well.

About the author

With a background in law, politics, and public health, Viviane Janouin-Benanti spent many years working with community outreach organizations in France. Her first two books are related to her work in that field. Today, Janouin-Benanti devotes her time exclusively to writing novels. Fascinated by true stories, her aim is to breathe life into her characters: real people who were the perpetrators and victims at the center of major criminal and historical cases. Her novels open the door for readers to peek into the personal lives of those involved in the crimes. These works of creative nonfiction revive a centuries-long French tradition of retelling the stories of criminal cases. Based on true facts, they portray the realities of France’s history, which was often tumultuous, vulnerable to regime changes, and rife with religious and social conflict. Viviane Janouin-Benanti dives deeply into her research to analyze the facts of each case, the motivations of key figures in the crimes, and other circumstances that may have contributed to the tragic events of each transgression. The human beings she describes are often very complex, and she does not try to simplify them. Through her study of court cases and the cultural contexts in which they occurred, she brings actual men and women back to life and tells their stories.