Ušabti

It begins with something banal, a report of a stolen ladder. The man who files it is Vladimir Baumgarten, a retired heart surgeon who is said to have operated on Tito himself, a cunning old man who is terminally ill. He uses the theft as a pretext to secure an obedient listener for tales of his past and, above all, his morally questionable views of society. Robert Obrh, the investigator, seems just right for the job and gladly visits the doctor in his luxurious, museum-like flat, playing the humble pupil to an all-knowing professor who tolerates no objection. In his monologues Baumgarten draws parallels with ancient Egypt, where pharaohs ruled and slaves, the ushabti figures, served even after death, and defends an inevitable hierarchy of rich and poor. Obrh listens, though he disagrees, and eagerly absorbs hints that someone is after the old man's life.

AI-generated summary

About the book

Form

Novel

Length

220 pages in the original

Genres

Crime (assigned by AI)

Set in

Slovenia

First published

2025 by Goga

Author's age

48 when first published

ISBN

9789612775155 (original)