In the beginning there was a podcast. For children. “Caught!” deals with true crimes such as train robberies, art theft, blackmail and fraud. Since 2021, the three moderators Jonas, David and Emma have been regularly explaining in their true crime podcast how and at what times crimes began and how the police tracked down the perpetrators. Along the way, you'll learn how the art market works, how you can detect fakes, how fingerprints are unique and how different methods of criminal investigation have developed. It's about the ghost seer Anna Rothe, the pirate queen Zheng Yisao or the false tsar's daughter Anastasia. It's about grave robbing in ancient Egypt and a sophisticated fraudster who even sold the Eiffel Tower.
Five of these cases can now also be read in a comic non-fiction book: Case No. 1 revolves around the great mail train robbery of 1963 with a loot of 2.6 million British pounds. Autumn No. 2 concerned the whole world: after the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre in Paris in 1911, it remained missing for two years. Autumn No. 3 concerns the “Ghost of Berlin” that haunted the villa district of western Berlin in the spring of 1919. A brazen gang went to work there, committing burglaries on a very large scale. And the whole town wondered where she got such insider knowledge. Until police sergeant Albert Dettmann took charge of the matter. The last two cases deal with contemporary crooks: the painter and legendary art forger Wolfgang Beltracchi and the once dazzling internet star Kim Dotcom, who is said to have earned the equivalent of around 161 million euros from his website Megaupload.
Author Christine Haas conceptualized and wrote the five chapters of the comic non-fiction book, and the funny drawings come from illustrator Alexander von Knorre. The publisher had already selected the cases in collaboration with Leonine, which has the rights to the podcast.
Christine Haas was able to access the podcast material, but researched each case again. “That was the biggest challenge. “Because there was often contradictory information and I first had to find out what was true,” she reports. It's often about little things that are relevant to a comic. “With Beltracchi, for example, we wanted to know: Where did he buy the canvases?” Or the colors that made his forgeries recognized as such?” She also added new non-fiction content to the individual chapters. For example, about the insert about impostors and marriage swindlers today.
“How has the case changed investigative work?” is a recurring section that promotes startling insights. The case of the Mona Lisa, for example, led the police to change their order system. “Peruggia had left his fingerprints. They were even registered with the police, but could not be assigned because in 1911 the perpetrators were sorted by height in the files.”
The book thrives on the exciting subject matter, a lively look, imaginative drawings, and striking fun facts. Christine Haas came up with the structure of the individual chapters and made specific suggestions for the images to the illustrator. Two creative minds always create something surprising. Because Alexander von Knorre not only implemented the specifications congenially, but also added clever details – like Kim Dotcom's villain laugh. The author found this case particularly illuminating: “Kim Dotcom got away with it for so long because it was not clear who the operator of Megaupload was.” It was only when he produced the Megaupload song and sang along with the stars that he was convicted become. The song went viral and there was an arrest warrant for Kim Dotcom.”
Christine Haas' favorite chapter is “The Ghost of Berlin”. This is mainly due to the time in which the story takes place: after the First World War. The political and social situation in Germany had changed. Haas is a trained historian and stated: “During this time there were more female criminals than ever before.” This was a consequence of the war: the role of women had changed. While men fought on the battlefields, women had to take on more responsibilities at home. They became more confident. I found that exciting.”
As exciting as the whole book. “Caught – Time Travel into Crime” is interesting reading for a young audience, provides insights into history, art and society, and offers easy access through short chapters and a cheeky look. And – makes you want more. Either on the podcast: www.ervik-zeitreise.de/podcasts or on a new book. A sequel is planned for next fall.
DK
Christine Haas, Alexander von Knorre: Caught – Time travel into crime, Carlsen, 80 pages, 15 euros, ages 9 and up.
