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Home > News > Sebastian Fitzek 2025: “Der Nachbar” – Germany’s master of psychological thrillers returns

Sebastian Fitzek 2025: “Der Nachbar” – Germany’s master of psychological thrillers returns

Sebastian Fitzek, Germany’s top thriller author, returns in 2025 with his new novel “Der Nachbar”. All details on the plot, tour dates & bookstores.

A silent hallway. A soft knock. And no one believes her. In 2025, Germany’s bestselling author Sebastian Fitzek returns with Der Nachbar, his latest psychological thriller, published by Droemer Verlag.
With over 19 million books sold in 36 languages, Fitzek is Germany’s undisputed master of the psychological thriller – a storyteller who turns ordinary fear into literature. This report is based on information from Renewz, citing the author’s official website sebastianfitzek.de and the publisher Droemer and portal.

Who is Sebastian Fitzek

Born in Berlin in 1971, Sebastian Fitzek is Germany’s most successful thriller author and is often described as Europe’s answer to Stephen King. He studied law and earned a doctorate in copyright law before working in radio, where he learned how rhythm, sound, and emotion capture an audience.
His debut novel Die Therapie (The Therapy, 2006) made him a household name overnight.

Since then, titles such as Der Augensammler (The Eye Collector), Passagier 23, Das Paket (The Package) and Das Geschenk (The Gift) have topped bestseller lists and been adapted for film and audio.
Fitzek writes not about murder, but about the moment when a human being begins to break. His stories are psychological experiments about perception, fear, and guilt, written with cinematic precision.

What is “Der Nachbar” about

Sebastian Fitzek 2025: “Der Nachbar” – Germany’s master of psychological thrillers returns

At the center of Der Nachbar stands Sarah Wolff, a criminal defense attorney from Berlin suffering from monophobia – the fear of being alone. After a breakup, she moves into a new apartment with her daughter, hoping for a fresh start. But soon she hears footsteps at night, whispers through the wall, and breathing in the darkness. The landlord insists: “No one lives next door.” Fitzek transforms this seemingly harmless setup into a claustrophobic psychological nightmare. Like in The Package or The Therapy, the terror is not driven by violence but by doubt: Can Sarah trust her senses, or is she losing touch with reality? The novel turns everyday noises into symbols of isolation and fear – the modern loneliness hidden behind walls and screens.

Critical Reception and Context

Critics already call Der Nachbar “Fitzek at his most precise and disturbing”. Droemer describes it as “his most intense psychological thriller since The Gift.” Bookstores report record pre-orders weeks before release. Fitzek stands apart from other European writers because his horror is not supernatural – it’s internal, plausible, and emotionally real. Where Stephen King builds horror from imagination, Fitzek finds it in daily life: in apartments, families, and minds that slowly crack.

German Book Tour 2025 – Dates and Tickets

After publication, Fitzek will embark on a nationwide reading tour.
His events are more like stage shows – with music, lighting, and audience interaction.

DateCity / EventVenueAddressTicket price (€)
24 Oct 2025Krimifestival LüneburgAuditorium, Leuphana UniversityUniversitätsallee 1, 21335 Lüneburgfrom €39.90
06 Nov 2025Reading “Der Nachbar”Kurhaus Baden-BadenKaiserallee 1, 76530 Baden-Badenfrom €42.00
07 Nov 2025Reading “Der Nachbar”Kulturfabrik Kampnagel – Hall K6Jarrestr. 20, 22303 Hamburgfrom €41.00
14 Nov 2025Reading “Der Nachbar”Hall Omnisports Prince Henri Walferdange (Luxembourg)15 Rue des Nations Unies, 7270 Walferdangefrom €35.00
08 Aug 2026Anniversary Show “20 Years Sebastian Fitzek”Waldbühne BerlinGlockenturmstr. 1, 14053 Berlinfrom €49.00

Tickets & info: available via sebastianfitzek.de and Eventim.
Most dates are expected to sell out weeks in advance.

Where to Buy “Der Nachbar” in Germany

The book is available for pre-order now at major retailers:

RetailerFormatPriceAvailability
Thalia.deHardcover€25.00from Oct 2025
Hugendubel.dePrint / E-book€24.99 / €19.99includes sample chapter
Droemer.dePublisher edition€24.99official release
Amazon.deKindle / Hardcover€18.99 / €24.99Prime delivery
Osiander.deLocal bookshop pickup€24.99release week

Fitzek and King – Two Worlds, One Principle

Stephen King and Sebastian Fitzek write from different continents but share the same core: they both study human fear. King uses the supernatural to reveal the ordinary; Fitzek uses the ordinary to expose the horrifying. His fiction is not about ghosts – it is about our minds, our senses, our fragile need for control.

Der Nachbar confirms Sebastian Fitzek’s status as Germany’s most influential thriller author.
It’s a story about loneliness, perception and trust – told with precision and nerve.
His 2025 tour through Germany and his anniversary show in Berlin will transform literature into a live experience. If Stephen King is the architect of American nightmares, Sebastian Fitzek is the engineer of Europe’s psychological ones.

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