Bestselling German novelist Alexandra Fröhlich was found shot dead following a violent attack aboard the houseboat where she lived.

The 58-year-old author of Skeletons in the Closet was discovered early Tuesday, April 22, on her long, cerise-colored houseboat moored along the Holzhafen bank of the Elbe River in Hamburg, according to The Guardian.

Officials confirmed that Fröhlich, a mother of three, was found by her son.

"After evaluating traces and evidence, the investigating authorities now believe that the woman died as a result of violence," a police spokesperson told local media. The case is currently being handled by Hamburg’s murder squad.

Authorities believe Fröhlich died sometime between midnight and 5:30 a.m., and have appealed for witnesses who may have seen any suspicious activity near the houseboat. However, no suspect has been publicly identified yet.

Fröhlich began her career as a journalist in Ukraine, where she founded a women’s magazine before becoming a freelance journalist.

In 2012, she launched her literary career with her bestselling debut novel, My Russian Mother-in-Law and Other Catastrophes, a west-east satire praised for its humor. She went on to publish other successful works, including Death Is a Certainty in 2016 and Skeletons in the Closet in 2019.

Both novels were released under the Penguin publishing house and appeared on the Spiegel Bestseller List.