Lars Haider reads from "Ich mach' mein Ding"

Hammerstein's fourth case - scandalous goings-on at an elite school

HAMBURG NEWS sends reporter Lukas Hammerstein back to school. At the Elyseum, ambitious, helicopter-parenting types are almost as omnipresent as their teenage offspring. Lukas is to spend a month sitting in on classes - tests included - and report on the experience for the paper. He quickly finds himself sweating. The project draws plenty of attention, and that has consequences: Lukas receives tips that wealthy parents are buying better grades for their children through donations, in cases where no amount of tutoring has worked. Then the headmistress suddenly disappears. Lukas starts digging - and uncovers dark schemes inside this elite institution that shake far more than just the school world.

About the author
Lars Haider, born in Hamburg in 1969, has been editor-in-chief of the Hamburger Abendblatt since 2011. He previously worked for various newspapers and is regarded as one of Germany's foremost journalists on Olaf Scholz - his book about the chancellor became a Spiegel bestseller in 2022. That same year he published "Das Phänomen Markus Lanz - Auf jede Antwort eine Frage". Together with two friends, Haider co-hosts the wine podcast Vier Flaschen, released every two weeks, and keeps up a WhatsApp friendship with Udo Lindenberg. The first volume in his Lukas Hammerstein series, "Einer muss den Job ja machen", came out in 2023 with Hoffmann und Campe and was warmly received by readers and critics alike.