Sebastian Fitzek: age, books and Der Nachtzug

From veterinary school to a law degree

Sebastian Fitzek was born in Berlin on 13 October 1971 [5]. He began with veterinary medicine but stopped after about three months [3]. He then studied law, passed the first state examination and did not sit the second [3]. He later completed a doctorate in copyright law [3].

While still a student he took a traineeship at the radio station 104.6 RTL in 1996 [3]. Around 1999 he became editor-in-chief at Berliner Rundfunk [3].

Before he wrote, Fitzek wanted to be a rock star as a drummer. He says that plan failed, and he played in the cafeteria of the local hockey club instead [3]. He has also said that he never really intended to become an author [3].

Die Therapie and twenty years of writing

His first thriller, Die Therapie, was published in 2006 [7]. The idea came to him in an orthopedic waiting room in the early 2000s [3]. The author's site calls Therapy his psychological thriller debut [12]. Today the same site calls him Germany's best-selling thriller author [3].

An open-air anniversary show in Berlin

The official site dates the anniversary show to 7 August 2026 at the Waldbühne in Berlin, an open-air venue [11]. The show marks his 20th anniversary as a book author [12]. Fitzek says he wants to reach 20,000 people, and he traces the idea for his first psychological thriller back to the year 2000 [11]. A news site reported the show for 7 and 8 August [7]. The anniversary page counts over 160,000 guests at his Thriller Live Arena Tour, a separate event [12].

Der Nachtzug, a novel set on a train

The new novel Der Nachtzug became available on 21 October 2026 [2]. The publisher's release listing gives the same date, as a hardcover at 26.00 euros including VAT [1]. The story follows defence attorney Adrian Corvin on a train from Prague to Berlin. His wife Judith is murdered and his five-year-old son Emil is kidnapped. To find the boy, Corvin must defend a confessed killer, Blanka, during the journey [8].

Reading dates are already listed. In Innsbruck, Fitzek presents the book on 3 November 2026 at 19.30, at the Tyrolia bookshop, and that event is already sold out [6]. In Stuttgart he reads on 20 November 2026 from 19.30 at the Haus der Wirtschaft, with tickets at 25 to 30 euros and reductions available [9].

REM, written with Annika Strauss

REM is a horror thriller he wrote with Annika Strauss. The author's site describes the pair as a new bestselling duo, and dates the paperback and audiobook release to 19 March 2026 [4]. The cover carries the label "Der Spiegel #1 Bestseller" [4].

The idea is that dreams are recorded so they can be watched again after waking, and the page adds a price: the next sleep is fatal [4]. The story opens with four-year-old Alysee, whose father urges her to stay awake. She falls asleep, and he is murdered while she sleeps [4]. Years later she inherits something from him that could reveal the secret of his death [4]. The paperback runs to 320 pages, and the audiobook lasts 5 hours and 12 minutes [4].

Paperbacks and special editions

Candle Girl came out in paperback on 30 December 2025 [12]. A hardcover special edition of Therapy followed on 2 March 2026 [12], and Parent-teacher night came out in paperback on 1 July 2026 [12]. The site says the last one is written in the style of what it calls his No. 1 bestseller [12].

A thriller series on Prime Video

Sebastian Fitzek's Therapy is a six-episode psychological thriller based on his bestseller [10]. It follows Josy Larenz, who vanishes without a trace, and her father, the psychiatrist Viktor Larenz [10]. Two years later a mysterious woman forces Viktor to face his daughter's disappearance [10].

Stage and screen beyond the novels

A stage adaptation of his 2023 novel Die Einladung tours Germany in 2027, with the first performance on 11 May at the Deutsches Theater in Munich and the last on 6 June at the Jahrhunderthalle in Frankfurt [13]. The listing corrects an earlier version that said Fitzek would appear in person, so the stage shows do not feature him [13].

In 2026 he also took a guest role in the RTL soap Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten, filmed at the UFA studios in Potsdam-Babelsberg in May [14]. He called the experience exciting, a chance to switch sides for once [14].

Public roles beyond the page

Fitzek is an ambassador for the Federal Association The Premature Baby, for Weisser Ring and for the umbrella organisation of ALFA self-help groups [3].