The passing of the Hungarian prime minister before he could realize his dream of a fascist state has little effect on crime reporter Zsigmond Gordon. Life—and death—go on in the bustling old city, and a late-night tip soon leads him to a crime scene where a young woman lies dead, a Jewish prayer book in her purse. Disturbed by the bizarre circumstances—the corpse of a beautiful, well-groomed, religious victim abandoned in one of Budapest`s seedier neighborhoods—Gordon is determined to unravel the mystery of her demise, especially after her shocking identity is revealed. The investigation will lead him deep into the city`s dark underbelly—a shadow world of pornographers, crime syndicates, and Communist cells—and to the highest echelons of power, where one of Hungary`s most influential executives plans to make an economic killing through his strong political ties to Germany`s leaders...if he can somehow keep secret the fact that he was, at one time, Jewish.

A gripping and evocative thriller, brimming with suspense and breathtaking political intrigue, Vilmos Kondor`s Budapest Noir is a richly atmospheric tale of murder and betrayal from a remarkable new voice in noir detective fiction.