The consultation focused on a real phenomenon that is becoming increasingly important for Germany’s coastal regions: saltwater intrusion. When sea levels rise in coastal areas or groundwater is pumped more intensively, saline seawater can enter underground aquifers – a process that can endanger soils and drinking water resources.

Knowledge transfer through novels

‘For us as researchers, it is a wonderful opportunity when authors such as Daniele Palu base their research on genuine scientific facts,’ says Dr Helga Wiederhold, former head of groundwater research at LIAG and organiser of the international Salt Water Intrusion Meeting 2014 in Husum. ‘Saltwater intrusion is a process that takes place out of sight, but can have enormous impacts on agriculture and nature. The fact that this topic now features as an atmospheric backdrop in a gripping crime novel helps to raise awareness of the fragility of our coastal ecosystems.’

Professor Mike Müller-Petke, who now heads the Geophysical Exploration department and groundwater research at LIAG, adds: ‘We are working intensively to continuously improve geophysical methods for recording and evaluating such processes. At the research institute, we therefore developed the SAMOS saltwater monitoring system, which is permanently installed and provides reliable data and information for basic research in cooperation with water suppliers at several sites in Germany, for example with regard to highly dynamic beaches and coasts. We are also currently further developing systems and analysis software to enable simpler, more comprehensive and more cost-efficient measurements using drones.’

Authentic crime fiction for greater suspense

For author Daniele Palu, the exchange with the researchers at LIAG was also an important element in developing his new novel: ‘A good crime novel thrives on authenticity. The institute’s insights into the hidden dynamics of the coastal subsurface helped me create an atmosphere in which nature itself becomes an unpredictable actor.’

The novel is a work of fiction. For the sake of dramaturgy and suspense, scientific content is not reproduced in every detail exactly as it would be in reality. However, the consultation with LIAG helped to incorporate geoscientific aspects into the narrative in a sound and credible way.

Background information

About the novel

In Marconi und die schweigenden Lämmer, Munich detective Massimo Marconi investigates his third case on the North Sea coast. A dead estate agent, eccentric beach attendants and idiosyncratic sheep farmers demand all of Marconi’s skill – against the backdrop of a landscape that holds secrets of its own. The book is published by Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag and will be available in bookshops from 17 April. The author will also give several readings, including in Hamburg, Buxtehude, St Peter-Ording and the Altes Land region.

Contact

LIAG Institute for Applied Geophysics
Press and Public Relations
Greta Clasen
Tel.: +49 (0)511 643 2066
Email: greta.clasen@liag-institut.de

For review copy and interview requests concerning Daniele Palu:
Rowohlt Verlag GmbH
Press Department
Anne-Claire Kühne
Tel.: +49 (0)40 72 72 312
Email: anne-claire.kuehne@rowohlt.de

Bibliographic details: Daniele Palu, Marconi und die schweigenden Lämmer. Crime novel, original edition, 368 pages; €14.00 (DE) / €14.40 (AT); ISBN: 978-3-499-01851-0. Also available as an e-book. First day of sale: 17 April 2026.