Elisa Hoven's Second Eva Herbergen Novel 'Feine Risse' Explores Legal and Personal Abysses

Elisa Hoven, a judge at the Saxon Constitutional Court and professor of criminal law at Leipzig University, releases her second novel featuring defense attorney Eva Herbergen, titled 'Feine Risse' (Fine Cracks). The book interweaves high-profile criminal cases with contemporary references, including an actress who kills a colleague on set due to a weapon loaded with live rounds instead of blanks, and a journalist who traveled to Afghanistan months before a terrorist attack in Dortmund and had contact with the IS group linked to the attack. The overarching plot involves the discovery of a skeleton walled up in the freshly sold childhood home of Herbergen's husband Peter, prompting Herbergen to investigate behind her partner's back. The novel continues the moral dilemmas from Hoven's bestselling debut 'Dunkle Momente' (Dark Moments), where Herbergen contemplates surrendering her law license. 'Feine Risse' was selected for the list of best books in June 2026.