Murder, Easter Knives, and a Mother's Dark Secret in New Crime Novel
This case hits Inspector Sifkovits particularly hard—his own mother, Erika Deutinger (known as Baba), has come under suspicion of murder. First, because her eierkratz knife was allegedly found lodged in the victim's throat. And second, because she stubbornly refuses to explain why she was in Wörterberg at the time of the crime—the very place where the body of a shady financial investor was discovered.
Wait—eierkratz? Despite a popular YouTube video on the subject, the term may not be familiar to everyone. Eierkratzen is a Slavic Easter tradition practiced by the Burgenland Croats in Stinatz, in southern Burgenland. "It has a very long history," explains Thomas Stipsits. "In my grandmother's family, it's been passed down for generations. The women make their own eierkratz knives from sharpened old razor blades." He tried it himself as a boy. "But I ruined a lot of eggs—it's really difficult." At least the eierspeis (scrambled eggs) turned out better, he adds with a laugh. Back then, bowls of the egg mixture were taken to the village inn.
Eggs Everywhere
The saying "After Christmas comes Easter" wasn't just an empty phrase in Stipsits' grandmother's household. "For her, eierkratz season started on St. Stephen's Day," he recalls. "And by Easter Sunday, in the final rush, you couldn't see the kitchen or living room anymore—everything was covered in eggs." They had to be ready, because last-minute customers would still come with egg requests.
This bustling energy of the real-life grandmother is now immortalized in the latest Stinatz crime novel. Even the money hidden in the freezer has a true story behind it. Stipsits shares: "When we were once burglarized—I was still with Kathi Straßer at the time—an inspector gave us this tip: 'What burglar would think to check a box of peas in the freezer?'" After this Stinatz crime story, probably every criminal will. The detective series Columbo, from which Stipsits borrows elements in his books, has reportedly inspired real-life criminals too.
Roy Black Lends a Hand
Music also plays a role in solving the case. Stipsits hints: "Let's just say Roy Black helps crack it—he always does, in my experience. When all else fails, there's still Roy Black."
This time, the song is "Ein bisschen Zärtlichkeit" (A Little Tenderness). The schlager classic always reminds him of his Styrian Geli-Oma (Grandma Geli), who once gave him a Roy Black cassette for Christmas. "I never expected Roy Black to become such a recurring theme in the Stinatz crime novels," the actor admits. "Though I insisted from the start that a song had to be included. Back then, director Daniel Prochaska didn't much care, but now, I think he's actually grown fond of it."
