A dead woman on a Baltic Sea beach, a crime from the past: Turid Müller’s crime novel *Unter dem Strand* traces the events surrounding the Cap Arcona disaster of 1945
A Baltic Sea mystery—and one of the stories right on our doorstep
Cay is a failed author with a life full of setbacks who scrapes by as a journalist. She travels to the Bay of Lübeck for an assignment. There, she is supposed to report on a disaster that occurred 80 years ago. But before she can begin her research, she discovers the body of a young woman who had been campaigning to honor the victims’ memory. As Cay tries to escape her own past, she encounters people who bear responsibility for the crimes of that time and were never held accountable.
The historical backdrop of Turid Müller’s crime novel *Unter dem Strand* is one of the greatest maritime disasters in history. On May 3, 1945, just a few days before the end of World War II, British fighter planes attacked the ships “Cap Arcona” and “Thielbek”—which were carrying concentration camp prisoners—in the Bay of Lübeck. About 7,000 people lost their lives.
A story that unfolded right on our doorstep and is still remembered today in the Klützer Winkel region. In the cemetery in Klütz stands a memorial to the victims of the “Cap Arcona.” Every year, a commemorative bike ride takes place from the Cap Arcona Memorial in Grevesmühlen to Groß Schwansee on the Baltic Sea coast. And just a few years ago, eyewitnesses were still able to recount what they had experienced and seen on the coast back then.
Turid Müller weaves a gripping crime story with the question of how we deal with our history today—and how much of the past is embedded in our present. It’s not just about memory, but also about the political reality of today. “We always said, ‘Nip it in the bud!’—But that’s long past. We’re already right in the middle of it,” the novel states.
Turid Müller is a psychologist, actress, and author. Her novel *Unter dem Strand* was published in 2026 by Piper Verlag.
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