WW2 espionage thriller set in DOVER
A mystery and more set in Glasgow and Hamburg
11th September 2023
River Clyde by Simone Buchholz, a mystery and more set in Glasgow and Hamburg, Translated by Rachel Ward.
River Clyde is very different from the other books in Simone Buchholz’s Chastity Riley State Prosecutor thriller series. It is set in two locations, Hamburg and Glasgow. In Hamburg, Chastity’s police colleagues are investigating a major arson attack in the city, but they are all suffering from the fallout of an enforced leave of absence following the death of their friend, Chief Inspector Faller, in the previous book in the series, Hotel Cartagena.
Chasity, though, is not with them. She is visiting Glasgow. She received a letter from a lawyer saying she had inherited a property from a long lost aunt. Partly on a journey of self-discovery and partly on a journey of self-pity she heads off from Hamburg to Scotland to see what is on offer. In Glasgow she drinks far too much, is befriended by a couple of people, but is really pretty lost. She encounters a former lover of her aunt and heads out with him to Loch Lomond to inspect the property. Here, perhaps a little weirdly, she has conversations with the ghost of her aunt as she learns more about her and her relationships.
It is a very different side to Chastity when compared to what we have encountered in the previous books. And it makes for really interesting reading even if it is not a customary thriller. The River Clyde of the title is a character in the book, commenting on Chastity’s progression around the city. Eventually Chastity decides to stay in the city, but we are left unsure as to how long.
The next book in the series, The Acapulco, is in fact a prequel to the other adventures. So we don’t as yet know where Simone will take Chastity as we move forward. Will she stay in Glasgow or will she return to Hamburg?
A more than rewarding read but River Clyde is not perhaps for those anticipating a fast moving police thriller.
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