Vera Buck - No Fear, Darling | Braunschweig Crime Festival 2026

Vera Buck reads from her novel No Fear, Darling as part of the Braunschweig Crime Festival 2026. Moderated by Antje Deistler.

Lea lives in the luxury gated community Sancta Familia in Florida: a safe home, a beloved daughter, a caring husband - and millions of followers who celebrate her glittering life online. Only her sister Paula doubts the flawless facade. When Lea suddenly stops giving any sign of life, Paula travels from Germany to Florida - and finds no trace of her. Lea's husband claims she is on a retreat. But the deeper Paula penetrates into the community, the more cracks appear: strict rules demand unconditional obedience, and women who resist vanish.

Vera Buck, born in North Rhine-Westphalia, studied journalism, European literature, and screenwriting in Europe and Hawaii. Today she lives in Switzerland.

Antje Deistler is a cultural journalist, literary critic, and crime fiction expert; she worked for WDR, Deutschlandfunk, and other public broadcasters. For GIZ and Deutsche Welle-Akademie, she led international media projects and trained journalists in Romania, South Africa, Kenya, and Uganda. Today she heads Literaturbüro Ruhr in Gladbeck and moderates readings and public events throughout Europe - in German and English.