, ▁however , ▁was ▁a ▁critic ▁of ▁that ▁genre ▁of ▁literature , ▁and ▁thus ▁he ▁set ▁out ▁to ▁write ▁Das ▁Vers pre chen ▁as ▁an ▁expression ▁of ▁that ▁criticism . ▁Although ▁it ▁has ▁been ▁absent ▁from ▁some ▁subsequent ▁ed itions ▁of ▁the ▁nov ella , ▁the ▁title ▁of ▁the ▁original ▁edition ▁included ▁the ▁telling ▁sub title ▁Re qu iem ▁for ▁the ▁Det ect ive ▁Nov el ▁( G erman : ▁Re qu iem ▁auf ▁den ▁K riminal rom an ). ▁ ▁Plot ▁summary ▁ ▁Main ▁story ▁D ür ren m att ▁uses ▁a ▁first - person ▁narr ative ▁to ▁insert ▁himself ▁into ▁a ▁frame ▁story ▁as ▁a ▁writer ▁of ▁detect ive ▁fiction . ▁However , ▁the ▁primary ▁narr ator ▁is ▁actually ▁a ▁character ▁named ▁Dr . ▁H ., ▁a ▁retired ▁police ▁chief ▁who ▁takes ▁on ▁the ▁role ▁of ▁explaining ▁to ▁D ür ren m att ' s ▁first - person ▁character ▁the ▁fla ws ▁of ▁the ▁detect ive ▁literature ▁genre . ▁To ▁do ▁so , ▁Dr . ▁H . ▁rel ates ▁the ▁story ▁of ▁one ▁of ▁his ▁former ▁inspect ors , ▁Matth ä i , ▁who ▁on ▁his ▁last ▁day ▁with ▁the ▁department , ▁found ▁himself ▁called ▁into ▁an ▁investigation ▁of ▁child ▁murder . ▁A ▁suspect ▁soon ▁conf essed ▁to ▁the ▁crime , ▁but ▁knowing ▁that ▁the ▁conf ession ▁came ▁only ▁after ▁the ▁man ▁was ▁brow be aten ▁in ▁a ▁rel ent less , ▁ 2 0 - hour ▁inter rog ation , ▁Matth ä i ' s ▁keen ▁police ▁instinct s ▁told