please note I will not be leaving a public review for this book as I have not paid for it.
leaving a 1-star as NG doesn't allow to move ahead without a star rating

This was a rather melancholy story. There were times when I thought about not finishing the book because it was depressing. I truly felt sorry for both Heinrich and Brigitte, more for Heinrich. But, that doesn't excuse murder. From outward appearances, they were a model couple, upstanding citizens of their community. Their marriage was not a happy one. Reading becomes a chore when there is page after page about two people in a dismal situation that they could change themselves, but don't. Heinrich is in prison for life for murdering his wife, but maintains his innocence.

Trigger warnings: murder, animal cruelty, domestic violence, cheating, slut shaming.

3.5 stars.

I've been staring at this cover on my library's Overdrive site for at least a year now, debating whether or not to read it. And I finally caved, given that I've been listening to true crime podcasts nonstop and was craving more true crime.

It's surprisingly short - less than 160 pages - and yet it seems much longer. The story unfolds in a very linear fashion - we start with the murder, then jump back and follow Scholl through the course of his life and his marriage to the events that led up to him murdering his wife, before following the court case and his ultimate imprisonment.

There were moments where I was like "Dude, WTF? What is wrong with you?!", but on the whole, it was a pretty decent read. It would have been 4 stars, but there were occasional moments of weirdness in the writing and I don't know whether they came from the author or the translator.

I went into this expecting a novel based on the cover. My disappointment at finding that this was a non-fiction title was short-lived as this book proved to be excellent and every bit as compelling as a novel!

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

In December 2011, a corpse was found in a forest in Ludwigsfelde, a small and peaceful town south of Berlin. The body was hidden between pine trees, covered with leaves. The victim was Brigitte Scholl, sixty-seven, cosmetician and wife of Ludwigsfelde’s former mayor Heinrich Scholl. There were rumours that Brigitte was raped and killed by a serial killer. While the police hunted for the murderer, parents kept their children indoors, and joggers avoided the forest. Three weeks later, the police arrested the victim’s husband.
The residents were shocked. Heinrich Scholl was well-respected in his community, regarded as the most successful mayor of East Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall. This charming man had it all: a successful career, influential friends and a marriage of almost fifty years. But behind closed doors, it was a very different story. Friends and family were staggered at the picture that emerged during the trial.
In 2012, Heinrich Scholl was pronounced guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison. To this day, he pleads not guilty. Journalist and author Anja Reich-Osang followed the trial and talked to family, friends and Heinrich Scholl himself. She tells a gripping story about marriage, sex and politics, where nothing is as it seems.

*2.5 stars*

This is a book that I can slice right down the middle as far as liking and disliking goes:

Like: the facts about the case, the background, the research. All of that was good. I did enjoy that side of the book.

Dislike: Victim blaming. Apparently she emasculated him and, from the author's tone throughout the book, this justified him killing her. There was a pretty clear bias toward Heinrich - so much so, I wondered if the author was related in some way. No woman deserves to be assaulted by anyone, let alone murdered by her husband. That wasn't cool.

I would have trouble recommending this book, based on the bias of the author. Which is a shame as her facts and research were pretty good.


Paul
ARH

Heiner Scholl is a man who supposedly killed his wife. Brigitte Scholl was an overbearing woman who talked down to her husband. This novel was interesting and boring at the same time. There were parts that I just couldn't stop reading, and then other parts that were so boring I didn't pick the book back up for days.

The facts of this novel were interesting, however delving so deeply into the politics that Heinrich held dearly was boring. I didn't care about any of the people in this case.

I could not get into this book for all the money in the world. I tried and tried multiple times to no avail. But I'm not giving up though! Will revisit after I give it some space.

Hi, sorry I wasn't able to fully download before it expired.

This wasn’t just a book about a murder—it was a cautionary tale about marriage. The Scholls are a textbook example of why communication and compromise are the lifeblood of relationships. When selfish people love selfishly, the core of the relationship deteriorates. The Scholl’s narrative is pieced together carefully from a plethora of accounts by acquaintances, friends, relatives, former lovers, and even Heinrich Scholl himself.

What I liked most about The Scholl Case is that opinions on the case are left open for readers to draw their own conclusions. Even though Heinrich Scholl was ultimately arrested for his wife’s murder, there is still a bit of mystery to the case. Heinrich insists that he’s innocent, and much of the evidence used against him was not the most solid.

At first it’s pretty easy to feel sorry for Heinrich and even see him as a victim in this case. Brigitte genuinely seemed like the worst kind of woman—domineering, self important, vain, insecure, and completely unloving toward her husband. Brigitte treated her husband like a child, this much was evident from all the interviews from both sides. I almost didn’t feel sorry for the victim in this case, and that’s pretty incredible.

The further I read into his life, however, the more it became apparent that many of Heinrich’s accomplishments and major life events may have been grossly exaggerated. The closer I got to the end of his story about his life, the more uncomfortable I felt at his insistence on being nothing but a selfless lover, a multi talented trailblazer, a victim to the cruel and overbearing women in his life. Heinrich portrays himself as this masculine, confident, and capable man that can woo beautiful women half his age and excel at every project he sets himself to, yet he is constantly pushed around by women. I got the feeling that his stories were an attempt to make up for the fact that he felt emasculated by his wife and his inability to stand up to her. He is just as arrogant as his wife.

This book was definitely an example of what I love about true crime as a genre. Not every crime has a clear villain (or victim for that matter), an “ah ha” moment followed by a hasty resolution. Murder is messy, just as relationships are messy. The story was sobering, and as I turned the last page I felt fortunate about my own marriage.

A thoroughly enjoyable read. Being a true story too, this account of Heinrich and Brigitte Scholl is an absorbing tale. A man who never felt loved as a child, Heinrich marries Brigitte because she 'needed' him. Theirs was not a conventional marriage - Brigitte wore the trousers and Heinrich did as he was told (although that aspect may ring true in many a household) The true mystery of this story lies in the case surrounding the trial in which Heinrich is charged with murdering his wife.
It's a fascinating story, showing the change in Germany both before and after the Berlin Wall. It depicts Heinrich Scholl's rise to fame in the town of Ludwigsfelde and how, as the mayor for almost 20 years, his fall from grace is just as monumental.

This was such an interesting story that was told well and as it unraveled, we learnt about the Scholls and the mysterious murder, very compelling

I enjoyed the writing and it gave a lot of detail. The story was just okay though.

This is a true story and was written in a intriguing way, which left me with questions. I did enjoy both the writing style and the story itself, but did find some things lacking. I don't feel that the backstory was brought into this book enough. I also don't think the evidence this book showed was enough for a convection, which made me wonder, being the man still claims innocence. I want a book that is unbiased in true crime, which I felt this was, but also wonder if it wanted you to believe the convicted is truly innocent.

A solid interesting write up of the murder case, which still left you wondering if the convicted person was guilty or not.

A very interesting book which read like a work of fiction in places, however for me it lost its way in the closing chapters, this could be a bit to do the translation however.