The King of Astray

The legendary Prague café U Nováků in Vodičkova Street used to be not only a renowned centre for billiards fans, but also for lovers of the royal game. It is between them that a thrilling story unfolds, with murder at the end. Seasoned detective Bodlák unravels a complex case involving small-time crooks, defrauders, a marriage swindler and a vengeful woman. Which one is the killer? One of the best chess players in Czechoslovak history wrote three detective stories from the chess environment in 1977. It was not until 1989 that they were published in book form in Germany, where he has lived since the mid-1980s. The first edition in Czech appeared on the shelves in 2021. The audio version of the first short story The King in Trouble was published in 2024.