A murder mystery firmly set in HAMBURG

22nd March 2024

The Kitchen by Simone Buchholz, murder mystery firmly set in Hamburg. Translated by Rachel Ward.

The Kitchen is the seventh book in the Chastity Riley, public prosecutor, series set in Hamburg. It is very bit as good as the previous six. Simone Buchholz has a real talent for developing a mystery and surprising us with the ending. She lives in St Pauli in the centre of Hamburg, and has a clear affinity for the area. Hamburg comes through loud and clear in her writing.

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Chasity is a public prosecutor working closely with the Hamburg Police Department. She is a flawed individual with flawed friends – some of them in the Police Department, some of them not. One of her very best friends, Carla, suffers an horrendous rape, and the police do not investigate as thoroughly as they should. Around the same time body parts, neatly wrapped and secured in back plastic bags, begin to come to the surface in the Elbe. The parts are male, but otherwise the police can find no connection. The parts they discover are mainly limbs and bones, the rest of the bodies (the flesh and organs) do not appear. Then Chasity and the police have a breakthrough. They discover that the men have a history of abusing women and girls. Perhaps, thinks Chasity (bearing in mind what happened to Carla) their death is no bad thing…The world is a better place without them.

As she tracks down the killer, the trail gets very close to Chastity’s own personal life. If she identifies the perpetrator (as she will) what does she do?

The Kitchen is a frightening tale of what it is sometimes like to be a woman. There are dangers of being stalked or inappropriately approached on many an occasion. Do you involve the authorities (who may, or may not, take any action).

A very impressive book with a clear message. Simone has won many a prize for the Chasity Riley series (as Rachel has also won for the translations). They are very well deserved.

Tony for the TripFiction team

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