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Chas Riley #3
Sharks
In Hamburg's troubled Wilhelmsburg district, Prosecutor Chastity Riley investigates a brutal double murder amid corruption and gentrification. Battling personal demons and powerful foes, she fights to expose a city's dark secrets.
____
In Wilhelmsburg, Hamburg's so-called 'problem area', an American couple is found brutally murdered in a derelict villa.
Prosecutor Chastity Riley is assigned the case, and quickly finds herself waist-deep in a murky tangle of city planners, shady investors and vanishing officials. The gentrification machine is rolling on, and someone is sending a very clear message.
As November fog settles over the city, Chastity is coughing up blood, her personal life is a slow-motion disaster, and her former colleague, Faller, won't stop interfering. But nothing's going to stop her from cutting through the lies – not even the sharks circling ever closer.
Dark, caustic and piercing, Sharks is a searing investigation into greed, power, and the price of resistance in a city devouring itself, from one of Germany's finest, most original crime writers.
______
____
In Wilhelmsburg, Hamburg's so-called 'problem area', an American couple is found brutally murdered in a derelict villa.
Prosecutor Chastity Riley is assigned the case, and quickly finds herself waist-deep in a murky tangle of city planners, shady investors and vanishing officials. The gentrification machine is rolling on, and someone is sending a very clear message.
As November fog settles over the city, Chastity is coughing up blood, her personal life is a slow-motion disaster, and her former colleague, Faller, won't stop interfering. But nothing's going to stop her from cutting through the lies – not even the sharks circling ever closer.
Dark, caustic and piercing, Sharks is a searing investigation into greed, power, and the price of resistance in a city devouring itself, from one of Germany's finest, most original crime writers.
______
176 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 2, 2011
About the author
Simone Buchholz
29 books61 followersSimone Buchholz is a German author, best known for her crime fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
November 21, 2017
Tolles Buch. Konnte man in einem Flow durchlesen. Schreibstil und Atmosphäre, wie immer, ganz ganz toll. Fallauflösung (auch wie immer) dürftig.
February 19, 2019
Not getting tired of this series at all.
Who knew that weather descriptions could be so poetic and more than that, spot on? It‘s like someone looked at my city with my eyes and managed to put words to my feelings.
Who knew that weather descriptions could be so poetic and more than that, spot on? It‘s like someone looked at my city with my eyes and managed to put words to my feelings.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Sharks is the third book in Simone Buchholz's Chastity Reloaded novels which give English-speaking readers the opportunity to discover the earlier exploits of the state prosecutor. It isn't necessary to have read any of the other books in either this or the original Chastity Riley series, but returning readers will enjoy being able to put more of Chas's convoluted life together.
Chas isn't the sort of person that naturally comes to mind when considering her job title, but her compulsive need to fully involve herself in her cases, even to the detriment of her health and well-being, and her associations with those who dabble on the wrong side of the law, perhaps mean she is exactly who should be investigating the dark underbelly of Hamburg's Sankt Pauli district. At the start of Sharks, she is called to the scene of a bloody double murder; an American couple resident in Germany have been brutally beaten before being shot. They were the last tenants in a run-down apartment building and although the evidence suggests they weren't pleasant people to know, Chas can't help but feel moved by their sad, desolate deaths. There's a rawness to Chastity Riley which prevails over her cynicism and self-destructive lifestyle. Her turbulent past as the daughter of a German mother and American father may have given her her unusual name but she also understands what it means to live on the edges of society, never quite belonging.
Sharks is less a linear crime novel than a series of effortlessly atmospheric vignettes which reveal as much about Chas and her disparate group of friends and colleagues as it does the reason why Walt and Lorraine Tucker met their untimely end. Chas, herself is clearly unwell but in spite of the offers of help from those around her, her inability to stop and rest sees her barely coping with the cough that regularly racks her body, let alone the new complications to her private life. While the investigation into the murdered couple question allows Simone Buchholz to explore the sort of social issues, which, although local, are actually universal, it's Chas's messy, yet sometimes strangely life-affirming interactions which really make this series for me. Her relationship with former criminal, Klastsche, the mutually supportive friendship with Carla, who needs to lean on Chas here, her close bond with her former boss, Faller and her ties to the Sankt Pauli district which has become more of a home than anywhere she has lived before, are all part of who she is, People care for Chas, even if she doesn't always take care of herself and the juxtaposition between her smoking, hard-drinking exterior and her more vulnerable inner self is fascinating.
As Chas and her colleagues begin to look into the background to the remorseless regeneration of the rundown Wilhelmsburg district, a new face at work confuses matters still further. It's a credit to Simone Buchholz's writing that she's able to convey the emotional complexities of Chas's own life and the grim frustrations of the case despite the no-words-wasted sparsity of the narrative and succinct plot. It would be remiss of me not to also praise Rachel Ward's fine translation which captures the distinctively cool wit and caustic insight of the prose perfectly.
It should come as no surprise that the sharks of the title aren't found in derelict flats or seedy bars but in the offices and boardrooms of the wealthy and connected. Sharks acknowledges the corruption which often seems to go hand-in-hand with urban renewal and the displacement of long-term residents but doesn't offer any glib solutions or bland happy endings. The gritty black humour and stark pessimism serves the subject far better and this is stylish literary crime fiction at its most authentic. Very highly recommended.
Chas isn't the sort of person that naturally comes to mind when considering her job title, but her compulsive need to fully involve herself in her cases, even to the detriment of her health and well-being, and her associations with those who dabble on the wrong side of the law, perhaps mean she is exactly who should be investigating the dark underbelly of Hamburg's Sankt Pauli district. At the start of Sharks, she is called to the scene of a bloody double murder; an American couple resident in Germany have been brutally beaten before being shot. They were the last tenants in a run-down apartment building and although the evidence suggests they weren't pleasant people to know, Chas can't help but feel moved by their sad, desolate deaths. There's a rawness to Chastity Riley which prevails over her cynicism and self-destructive lifestyle. Her turbulent past as the daughter of a German mother and American father may have given her her unusual name but she also understands what it means to live on the edges of society, never quite belonging.
Sharks is less a linear crime novel than a series of effortlessly atmospheric vignettes which reveal as much about Chas and her disparate group of friends and colleagues as it does the reason why Walt and Lorraine Tucker met their untimely end. Chas, herself is clearly unwell but in spite of the offers of help from those around her, her inability to stop and rest sees her barely coping with the cough that regularly racks her body, let alone the new complications to her private life. While the investigation into the murdered couple question allows Simone Buchholz to explore the sort of social issues, which, although local, are actually universal, it's Chas's messy, yet sometimes strangely life-affirming interactions which really make this series for me. Her relationship with former criminal, Klastsche, the mutually supportive friendship with Carla, who needs to lean on Chas here, her close bond with her former boss, Faller and her ties to the Sankt Pauli district which has become more of a home than anywhere she has lived before, are all part of who she is, People care for Chas, even if she doesn't always take care of herself and the juxtaposition between her smoking, hard-drinking exterior and her more vulnerable inner self is fascinating.
As Chas and her colleagues begin to look into the background to the remorseless regeneration of the rundown Wilhelmsburg district, a new face at work confuses matters still further. It's a credit to Simone Buchholz's writing that she's able to convey the emotional complexities of Chas's own life and the grim frustrations of the case despite the no-words-wasted sparsity of the narrative and succinct plot. It would be remiss of me not to also praise Rachel Ward's fine translation which captures the distinctively cool wit and caustic insight of the prose perfectly.
It should come as no surprise that the sharks of the title aren't found in derelict flats or seedy bars but in the offices and boardrooms of the wealthy and connected. Sharks acknowledges the corruption which often seems to go hand-in-hand with urban renewal and the displacement of long-term residents but doesn't offer any glib solutions or bland happy endings. The gritty black humour and stark pessimism serves the subject far better and this is stylish literary crime fiction at its most authentic. Very highly recommended.
February 26, 2026
I love crime fiction, I adore a series and I am really very fond of translated literature. Simone Buchholz's Chastity Riley books are some of my favourites. Quirky, original and always compelling Sharks may just be one of her sharpest yet.
Set in Wilhelmsburg, Hamburg’s so-called ‘problem area’, the novel opens with the brutal murder of an American couple in a derelict villa. It’s a really unsettling beginning; all peeling paint, damp air and the trauma of violence. Prosecutor Chastity Riley is drawn into a case that reaches far beyond a single crime scene. Developers circle. Investors hover. Officials vanish. The gentrification machine grinds on, it seems to be unstoppable.
Chastity, of course, is the perfect guide through this murky plot. Smart-mouthed and sharp-eyed, she narrates in this author's trademark staccato style: short chapters, shorter sentences. Punchy. Wry. Often very funny. Underneath it all, though, there’s always heart.
In Sharks, she’s physically struggling. She's coughing, unwell, absolutely refusing to slow down. She smokes when she shouldn’t. Works when she ought to rest. Ignores advice from colleagues and friends. That stubborn streak is infuriating and entirely in character. Chastity doesn’t just prosecute cases; she lives in them. The corruption she uncovers; city planners in bed with investors, profit before people, communities carved up and sold off, really hits her hard. This isn’t just about solving a murder. It’s about who gets to own a city. Who gets pushed out. Who profits.
Her team are, as ever, a delight. Calabretta’s steady presence balances Chastity’s volatility, and the Faller has returned and is now inconveniently operating outside official structures, this adds friction and spark. There’s history there. And irritation. And perhaps something else.
What I really really love about this series is the way Simone Buchholz winds together personal and political. Chastity’s private life is never neat and tidy, and here it’s fraying at the edges. Yet those friendships, with football and late-night conversations give the novel warmth against the chill of November fog. Hamburg itself feels vivid: damp, tense, shifting beneath the pressure of money and ambition.
I have to mention the translation by Rachel Ward. As ever, it is superb. The author’s voice is distinctive, caustic, rhythmic, razor-edged, and the translation captures it perfectly. The humour is there. The melancholy is there.
Although part of the Chastity Reloaded strand of the series, Sharks stands beautifully on its own.
I read it in a single, greedy sitting. It’s lean, fierce and utterly compelling, a crime novel that exposes the predators in sharp suits as clearly as any killer in the shadows.
Highly recommended. Long live Chastity Riley.
Set in Wilhelmsburg, Hamburg’s so-called ‘problem area’, the novel opens with the brutal murder of an American couple in a derelict villa. It’s a really unsettling beginning; all peeling paint, damp air and the trauma of violence. Prosecutor Chastity Riley is drawn into a case that reaches far beyond a single crime scene. Developers circle. Investors hover. Officials vanish. The gentrification machine grinds on, it seems to be unstoppable.
Chastity, of course, is the perfect guide through this murky plot. Smart-mouthed and sharp-eyed, she narrates in this author's trademark staccato style: short chapters, shorter sentences. Punchy. Wry. Often very funny. Underneath it all, though, there’s always heart.
In Sharks, she’s physically struggling. She's coughing, unwell, absolutely refusing to slow down. She smokes when she shouldn’t. Works when she ought to rest. Ignores advice from colleagues and friends. That stubborn streak is infuriating and entirely in character. Chastity doesn’t just prosecute cases; she lives in them. The corruption she uncovers; city planners in bed with investors, profit before people, communities carved up and sold off, really hits her hard. This isn’t just about solving a murder. It’s about who gets to own a city. Who gets pushed out. Who profits.
Her team are, as ever, a delight. Calabretta’s steady presence balances Chastity’s volatility, and the Faller has returned and is now inconveniently operating outside official structures, this adds friction and spark. There’s history there. And irritation. And perhaps something else.
What I really really love about this series is the way Simone Buchholz winds together personal and political. Chastity’s private life is never neat and tidy, and here it’s fraying at the edges. Yet those friendships, with football and late-night conversations give the novel warmth against the chill of November fog. Hamburg itself feels vivid: damp, tense, shifting beneath the pressure of money and ambition.
I have to mention the translation by Rachel Ward. As ever, it is superb. The author’s voice is distinctive, caustic, rhythmic, razor-edged, and the translation captures it perfectly. The humour is there. The melancholy is there.
Although part of the Chastity Reloaded strand of the series, Sharks stands beautifully on its own.
I read it in a single, greedy sitting. It’s lean, fierce and utterly compelling, a crime novel that exposes the predators in sharp suits as clearly as any killer in the shadows.
Highly recommended. Long live Chastity Riley.
January 3, 2026
I'm grateful to the publisher for sending me a copy of Sharks to consider for review.
Simone Buchholz's sequence of books about Chastity Riley, public prosecutor in Hamburg, is one of my favourite crime series. Starting with Blue Night and running through five stories up to River Clyde, we delve into Riley's troubled, deeply noir-tinged world. In the final book, we see her get some relief, perhaps.
But there is backstory! When Blue Night opens, Riley has already been through a lot, and Buchholz is now telling these stories which I think we previously published in German but are now being reworked, and then translated (again by the brilliant Rachel Ward).
Sharks is I think the third part of Buchholz's reworking of the earlier Chastity Riley books, described as "Chastity reloaded" (a phrase which I feel could constitute an... interesting... proposition in ontological terms, but let's not go down that rabbit hole). We can therefore see the setting, and the circle of friends and lovers, forming that constitute the background for the later books, beginning at Blue Night. So inSharks, we see the origin of the Blue Night café itself, which features as a central location in the stories. We also see a fracture in Riley's relationship with her lover Klatsche.
We also, of course, see Riley, public prosecutor in Hamburg, grappling with a crime, the brutal double murder of two Americans in a squalid, run-down apartment building, leading into a world of double dealing and corruption in a district subject to gentrification. It's a well thought out plot strand that demonstrates Buchholtz's familiarity with the pulse (as it were) of Hamburg. It also shows the start of her involvement with Inceman - perhaps the beginning of a Chastity spiralling out of control as we see in the later books.
A feature of these stories is that Chastity's world, and that of her colleagues in the police and the prosecutors' office, is a distinctly menacing, unfriendly place. Often the best friends, the warmest comradeship, is with the petty crooks of Sankt Pauli, the people with whom Riley will gladly drink a night away. The higher up the ranks of officialdom we go, the further into wealth and power, the worse people get and the more dangerous the journey. That's doubly true in Sharks, and Riley faces additional danger as our girl is suffering from a chest infection. She may even have to give up smoking, that's how bad it is!
As ever though this feeds into a tangible sense that Chastity's not taking care of herself and she certainly won't allow anyone else to take care of her, so she makes a point of only quitting for a day or two. After that there's the business of self-punishment to resume. The only respite she allows herself is when she's supporting her friends, as she does when Carla is in crisis - which paints more background to the development of the group, as do manoeuvres to establish the Blue Night café which we see in operation in the later books.
Told in taut chapters, Sharks is classic noir, a book with an atmosphere so strong that one almost inhales, rather than reads, this story of late nights, insomnia, coffee, and cigarettes - a world that seems nocturnal even when the watery sun is in the sky. Buchholz layers on the mean streets, the meaner people, the need to release through drink and sex. But the book also provides some relief in the small joys of friendship - Riley supporting Carla for example, or making time to watch her favourite (failing) football team.
It's less about the crime (though that is a satisfying mystery, taking us to some grim places physically and morally) than the little group of friends weathering the storm, trying to make something worthwhile and to endure.
Another lovely novel, one that contributes to the achievement this evolving series is. Chastity's always great to be around, and I really enjoyed this.
As ever Rachel Ward's translation is atmospheric, fun and nimble. The partnership of Buchholz and Ward as delivers a sharp, bracing story with language that seems laconic and plain at first sight but where deep and treacherous subcurrents run.
Strongly recommended.
Simone Buchholz's sequence of books about Chastity Riley, public prosecutor in Hamburg, is one of my favourite crime series. Starting with Blue Night and running through five stories up to River Clyde, we delve into Riley's troubled, deeply noir-tinged world. In the final book, we see her get some relief, perhaps.
But there is backstory! When Blue Night opens, Riley has already been through a lot, and Buchholz is now telling these stories which I think we previously published in German but are now being reworked, and then translated (again by the brilliant Rachel Ward).
Sharks is I think the third part of Buchholz's reworking of the earlier Chastity Riley books, described as "Chastity reloaded" (a phrase which I feel could constitute an... interesting... proposition in ontological terms, but let's not go down that rabbit hole). We can therefore see the setting, and the circle of friends and lovers, forming that constitute the background for the later books, beginning at Blue Night. So inSharks, we see the origin of the Blue Night café itself, which features as a central location in the stories. We also see a fracture in Riley's relationship with her lover Klatsche.
We also, of course, see Riley, public prosecutor in Hamburg, grappling with a crime, the brutal double murder of two Americans in a squalid, run-down apartment building, leading into a world of double dealing and corruption in a district subject to gentrification. It's a well thought out plot strand that demonstrates Buchholtz's familiarity with the pulse (as it were) of Hamburg. It also shows the start of her involvement with Inceman - perhaps the beginning of a Chastity spiralling out of control as we see in the later books.
A feature of these stories is that Chastity's world, and that of her colleagues in the police and the prosecutors' office, is a distinctly menacing, unfriendly place. Often the best friends, the warmest comradeship, is with the petty crooks of Sankt Pauli, the people with whom Riley will gladly drink a night away. The higher up the ranks of officialdom we go, the further into wealth and power, the worse people get and the more dangerous the journey. That's doubly true in Sharks, and Riley faces additional danger as our girl is suffering from a chest infection. She may even have to give up smoking, that's how bad it is!
As ever though this feeds into a tangible sense that Chastity's not taking care of herself and she certainly won't allow anyone else to take care of her, so she makes a point of only quitting for a day or two. After that there's the business of self-punishment to resume. The only respite she allows herself is when she's supporting her friends, as she does when Carla is in crisis - which paints more background to the development of the group, as do manoeuvres to establish the Blue Night café which we see in operation in the later books.
Told in taut chapters, Sharks is classic noir, a book with an atmosphere so strong that one almost inhales, rather than reads, this story of late nights, insomnia, coffee, and cigarettes - a world that seems nocturnal even when the watery sun is in the sky. Buchholz layers on the mean streets, the meaner people, the need to release through drink and sex. But the book also provides some relief in the small joys of friendship - Riley supporting Carla for example, or making time to watch her favourite (failing) football team.
It's less about the crime (though that is a satisfying mystery, taking us to some grim places physically and morally) than the little group of friends weathering the storm, trying to make something worthwhile and to endure.
Another lovely novel, one that contributes to the achievement this evolving series is. Chastity's always great to be around, and I really enjoyed this.
As ever Rachel Ward's translation is atmospheric, fun and nimble. The partnership of Buchholz and Ward as delivers a sharp, bracing story with language that seems laconic and plain at first sight but where deep and treacherous subcurrents run.
Strongly recommended.
March 7, 2026
Sharks opens as public prosecutor Chastity Riley enters a crime scene, amid coughing fits enough to expel a lung which prompt nagging from her colleagues to visit a doctor. No chance, Riley would far rather self-medicate with cigarettes, alcohol and work. She's more bothered about the dead American couple found in a flat in an otherwise almost totally derelict house.
Former colleague Faller, now a private investigator, is hired by the couple's niece to make inquiries into their deaths, which doesn't make Riley too happy - but he does turn out to be useful to the police case too, as the investigation grows to include a property firm keen to redevelop such buildings as a wave of gentrification sweeps Hamburg.
As the investigation continues in fits and starts, we get a better look at Riley, and the sometimes blurry lines between work and personal life. There's football and beer, a trip to the opera and vodka tonics, a rather hilarious approach to team building, plus a picture of her as a fiercely loyal friend.
Meanwhile, witnesses are winkled out, information built up - and Riley finds out the hard way that doing a little solo investigating isn't always a smart idea. Then suddenly Riley's boss insists the case is closed.
Too many people will not face the justice system for various crimes. However, we are left with the knowledge that things are not going well for them after the young man Faller chats with in the closing pages has done his job...
The autumn fog endlessly swathing the city throughout the novel echoes the swirling tension felt throughout the story as the case feels to Riley like the mist: impossible to grasp firmly, and made up of chilling tentacles that spread far and wide.
Sharks is, like the rest of the series, a short novel with a crisp, sharp writing style that veers close to hard-boiled, yet still has space for emotional depth and dark humour (hat tip to translator Rachel Ward), and is definitely worth your time.
Former colleague Faller, now a private investigator, is hired by the couple's niece to make inquiries into their deaths, which doesn't make Riley too happy - but he does turn out to be useful to the police case too, as the investigation grows to include a property firm keen to redevelop such buildings as a wave of gentrification sweeps Hamburg.
As the investigation continues in fits and starts, we get a better look at Riley, and the sometimes blurry lines between work and personal life. There's football and beer, a trip to the opera and vodka tonics, a rather hilarious approach to team building, plus a picture of her as a fiercely loyal friend.
Meanwhile, witnesses are winkled out, information built up - and Riley finds out the hard way that doing a little solo investigating isn't always a smart idea. Then suddenly Riley's boss insists the case is closed.
Too many people will not face the justice system for various crimes. However, we are left with the knowledge that things are not going well for them after the young man Faller chats with in the closing pages has done his job...
The autumn fog endlessly swathing the city throughout the novel echoes the swirling tension felt throughout the story as the case feels to Riley like the mist: impossible to grasp firmly, and made up of chilling tentacles that spread far and wide.
Sharks is, like the rest of the series, a short novel with a crisp, sharp writing style that veers close to hard-boiled, yet still has space for emotional depth and dark humour (hat tip to translator Rachel Ward), and is definitely worth your time.
March 4, 2026
Chastity Riley returns in Sharks, the latest offering from prizewinning author Simone Buchholz. This is the sixth novel Buchholz has written about the volatile public prosecutor from Hamburg. It works well as a stand-alone, and once the reader has got to know Chastity they may wish to explore the rest of this addictive series.
In a rough area of Hamburg an elderly American couple are murdered in a derelict apartment block. Although they were unappealing characters, the sadness of their social isolation touches Chastity’s heart. In spite of suffering from a racking cough she throws herself into tracking down the Tuckers’ killer.
The complexity of the case grows when Chastity challenges the powerful personalities intent on gentrifying unloved Wilhelmsburg. She refuses to back down in the face of opposition from devious city officials and invisible investors. Ever willing to push the barrier between keeping the rules and becoming a full-blown maverick, Chastity pursues her prey with every weapon in her impressive armoury.
Chastity is surrounded by loyal friends and colleagues. Her lover Klatsche, best friend Karla and Karla’s partner Rocco form a protective inner circle. At work she has the reassuring support of Calabretta, who does his best to protect her from herself. Former colleague Faller, has retired from the police force and reinvented himself as a private detective, but remains very much on the scene.
Buchholz writes beautifully. She even makes dull urban weather sound exciting. Also, alongside the violence, drama and conflict there is plenty of dark humour. Thanks to Rachel Ward’s excellent translation the witty narrative flows smoothly.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Orenda Books and Random Things Tours for giving me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
In a rough area of Hamburg an elderly American couple are murdered in a derelict apartment block. Although they were unappealing characters, the sadness of their social isolation touches Chastity’s heart. In spite of suffering from a racking cough she throws herself into tracking down the Tuckers’ killer.
The complexity of the case grows when Chastity challenges the powerful personalities intent on gentrifying unloved Wilhelmsburg. She refuses to back down in the face of opposition from devious city officials and invisible investors. Ever willing to push the barrier between keeping the rules and becoming a full-blown maverick, Chastity pursues her prey with every weapon in her impressive armoury.
Chastity is surrounded by loyal friends and colleagues. Her lover Klatsche, best friend Karla and Karla’s partner Rocco form a protective inner circle. At work she has the reassuring support of Calabretta, who does his best to protect her from herself. Former colleague Faller, has retired from the police force and reinvented himself as a private detective, but remains very much on the scene.
Buchholz writes beautifully. She even makes dull urban weather sound exciting. Also, alongside the violence, drama and conflict there is plenty of dark humour. Thanks to Rachel Ward’s excellent translation the witty narrative flows smoothly.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Orenda Books and Random Things Tours for giving me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
June 5, 2026
A tale of corruption and murder in HAMBURG
The very welcome return of Prosecutor Chastity Riley in another crime thriller set in Hamburg. Chasity has a bad cough – sounds more like consumption to me (possibly as irritating to her as it is to us…) but that does not stop her investigating the murder of a middle aged American couple in an apartment in a less than desirable part of the city. The apartment block is essentially half low rent, low quality apartments and half a squat. No one seems to quite know why the Americans lived there – apart from the obvious reason that they were very low on cash. The ownership of the block is somewhat murky, but rumour circulates that the block is owned by a company that deliberately runs down buildings to sell them on for development when they are empty. Could the couple’s murder have been part of a plan to see the building empty? The area in question, Wilhelmsburg (just south of the Elbe), is prime land for gentrification.
Chastity works with her usual police team and with her ex boss, now a private detective hired by the couple’s daughter, to try and determine what has happened. The trail leads them to Copenhagen and Malmö. But the higher ups in the Hamburg police and the City Planning Department seem to want everything closed down pretty quickly and without much fuss. Chastity suspects, and sets out to prove, that corruption is involved.
Sharks is a worthy continuation of Simone Buckholz’s series of Hamburg crime books featuring Chastity. The city, with all its tawdriness and seediness – as well as its splendour, comes through very clearly.
The very welcome return of Prosecutor Chastity Riley in another crime thriller set in Hamburg. Chasity has a bad cough – sounds more like consumption to me (possibly as irritating to her as it is to us…) but that does not stop her investigating the murder of a middle aged American couple in an apartment in a less than desirable part of the city. The apartment block is essentially half low rent, low quality apartments and half a squat. No one seems to quite know why the Americans lived there – apart from the obvious reason that they were very low on cash. The ownership of the block is somewhat murky, but rumour circulates that the block is owned by a company that deliberately runs down buildings to sell them on for development when they are empty. Could the couple’s murder have been part of a plan to see the building empty? The area in question, Wilhelmsburg (just south of the Elbe), is prime land for gentrification.
Chastity works with her usual police team and with her ex boss, now a private detective hired by the couple’s daughter, to try and determine what has happened. The trail leads them to Copenhagen and Malmö. But the higher ups in the Hamburg police and the City Planning Department seem to want everything closed down pretty quickly and without much fuss. Chastity suspects, and sets out to prove, that corruption is involved.
Sharks is a worthy continuation of Simone Buckholz’s series of Hamburg crime books featuring Chastity. The city, with all its tawdriness and seediness – as well as its splendour, comes through very clearly.
January 11, 2026
Sharks is the latest addition to the Chastity Reloaded series of books set in the world of Hamburg Public Prosecutor, Chastity Riley. I really enjoy these books and getting to know Chastity in those early days that come to inform, and direct, the books we already know and love. At the heart of this book is the investigation into the brutal killing of an American couple, but that is only a backdrop to what is otherwise a complex story of friendship, urban gentrification and potential corruption.
This series really is a wonder. More literary and lyrical in tone than necessarily hard nosed noir, yet it is still gritty and dark and, for a public official charged with upholding the law, Chastity walks a very fine line between right and wrong. She is equally at home with the police charged with solving the crimes, and the slightly less reputable elements of the Hamburg community who she calls her friends.
This is actually a really fascinating book when trying to understand the context of Chastity's life when we first met her in Blue Night. In many respects it feels that this is amore a relationship drama that just happens to be set in the world of police, prosecutors and murder investigations, and much of the story is given over to the interactions between Chastity and her lover, Klatsche, her best friend, Karla, and her partner, Rocco, as well as the wider circle of friends in retired police officer, Faller, and her current police colleague, Calabretta. It is an eclectic cast of characters, but one I have come to know and love, and seeing the origins of the Blue Night Cafe, the way in which Chastity goes out on a limb for those she loves, and the introduction of a character who will have great sway over Chastity's future, Inceman, all just added to the draw of the story.
I will admit I have a huge smile on my face when the latter first appears on the page, and a fear that my kindle may malfunction, the electricity between the two characters enough to cause a short circuit. But it feels like the book marks the start of a change in Chastity. A kind of nod to her self destructive mode which is too often engaged, and throughout the book we bear witness to her lack of self care, with a lingering cough and heavy chest infection, if not early stage pneumonia, that she chooses to ignore. It has echoes of the Chastity we see in the future, and while all of her usual sardonic observation is still there, as is her determination to get to the bottom of the murders, after a fashion, it is more of the Chastity I recall from the later books, rather than the start of this reloaded series who seems to inhabit these pages.
The murder itself is an intriguing one which, despite being set a few years back, still resonates today. Faller is caught up in it despite his no longer being a Detective by virtue of having been hired as a Private Investigator to get to the bottom of this property linked mystery. There is much misdirection, a hint of corruption and of not necessarily above board city planning as the city Chastity knows and loves slowly gives way to more modern development. Getting to the heart of the case proves problematic, and I love how the author leads us readers down many paths here. When the truth lands, I can honestly say I didn't see it coming, and I appreciated it all the more for that fact. It's perhaps not as important and the human factor in this whole story, but an interesting insight into how the author's home city has changed and how so call progress waits for no crime.
Another fascinating and entertaining addition to the Chastity Riley series with a huge amount of backstory I loved but never knew I needed. Fans of the series will lap it up.
This series really is a wonder. More literary and lyrical in tone than necessarily hard nosed noir, yet it is still gritty and dark and, for a public official charged with upholding the law, Chastity walks a very fine line between right and wrong. She is equally at home with the police charged with solving the crimes, and the slightly less reputable elements of the Hamburg community who she calls her friends.
This is actually a really fascinating book when trying to understand the context of Chastity's life when we first met her in Blue Night. In many respects it feels that this is amore a relationship drama that just happens to be set in the world of police, prosecutors and murder investigations, and much of the story is given over to the interactions between Chastity and her lover, Klatsche, her best friend, Karla, and her partner, Rocco, as well as the wider circle of friends in retired police officer, Faller, and her current police colleague, Calabretta. It is an eclectic cast of characters, but one I have come to know and love, and seeing the origins of the Blue Night Cafe, the way in which Chastity goes out on a limb for those she loves, and the introduction of a character who will have great sway over Chastity's future, Inceman, all just added to the draw of the story.
I will admit I have a huge smile on my face when the latter first appears on the page, and a fear that my kindle may malfunction, the electricity between the two characters enough to cause a short circuit. But it feels like the book marks the start of a change in Chastity. A kind of nod to her self destructive mode which is too often engaged, and throughout the book we bear witness to her lack of self care, with a lingering cough and heavy chest infection, if not early stage pneumonia, that she chooses to ignore. It has echoes of the Chastity we see in the future, and while all of her usual sardonic observation is still there, as is her determination to get to the bottom of the murders, after a fashion, it is more of the Chastity I recall from the later books, rather than the start of this reloaded series who seems to inhabit these pages.
The murder itself is an intriguing one which, despite being set a few years back, still resonates today. Faller is caught up in it despite his no longer being a Detective by virtue of having been hired as a Private Investigator to get to the bottom of this property linked mystery. There is much misdirection, a hint of corruption and of not necessarily above board city planning as the city Chastity knows and loves slowly gives way to more modern development. Getting to the heart of the case proves problematic, and I love how the author leads us readers down many paths here. When the truth lands, I can honestly say I didn't see it coming, and I appreciated it all the more for that fact. It's perhaps not as important and the human factor in this whole story, but an interesting insight into how the author's home city has changed and how so call progress waits for no crime.
Another fascinating and entertaining addition to the Chastity Riley series with a huge amount of backstory I loved but never knew I needed. Fans of the series will lap it up.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I have loved all the Chastity Riley books. She’s a different type of investigator. She doesn’t care what anyone thinks, she wants nobody to look after her, she’s determined to do whatever it takes when she feels something needs to be done.
Saying that these books are quite noir dark. So she is too. And yet, there’s a vein of dark humour running through these books. Chastity has this thing about her that she’s traditionally like men were in books. She has this detachment from her own life.
I flew through this book in a day as I couldn’t put it down. This is one of those series that I have read obsessively because she’s different and the situations she and her crime fighting friends are put in are different. I wanted to know just who killed the elderly couple and why.
I love the translation by Rachel Ward. It stops the darkness of the story from becoming a dark fest as it keeps a little light and humour going in the background.
With thanks to Anne Cater, Orenda Books and the author for the advanced reading copy of this book.
Saying that these books are quite noir dark. So she is too. And yet, there’s a vein of dark humour running through these books. Chastity has this thing about her that she’s traditionally like men were in books. She has this detachment from her own life.
I flew through this book in a day as I couldn’t put it down. This is one of those series that I have read obsessively because she’s different and the situations she and her crime fighting friends are put in are different. I wanted to know just who killed the elderly couple and why.
I love the translation by Rachel Ward. It stops the darkness of the story from becoming a dark fest as it keeps a little light and humour going in the background.
With thanks to Anne Cater, Orenda Books and the author for the advanced reading copy of this book.
Read
February 19, 2026Sharks the latest by Buchholz translated into English by Rachel Ward, is published the 26th of February by Orenda Books, who published other Buchholz translations I had the opportunity to present on my blog. This is the third book featuring the public prosecutor Chastity Riley, but can be easily read as a stand alone (although the other two are heartly recommended). It is a relatively short book, but well written and with detailed information about those places in Hamburg that you need to be an insider to know them, particularly the bars and clubs in the Reeperbahn (´gloomy pubs, grey streets´).
Riley, who is dangerously ill, coughing blood, over exhausted and dealing with relationship crisis, is tasked with the investigation of the murder of an estranged ex-GI family - described as ´hard core conservatives´) living in a compound hunted by greedy real estate ´sharks´. Her very diverse team (´We´re all a pile of glorious bastards. And I like us´) is fast, they are completing each other very well, enjoying the exercise of having to solve the riddle.
Sharks is not necessarily a highly eventful novel, but well written and admirably translated, with a very clear plot. The characters of the book are by far the most interesting, including Riley whose inner dialogues doubling her conversations are very entertaining.
Clearly, the next time will be visiting Hamburg will see the city with completely different eyes. Sharks seems to have been cut a short sequency from the everyday life in the Wilhelmsburg borrough that ends at the author´s will. But we, the readers, may be curious to come back soon, hence the excitement of waiting for the next installment in the series.
Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Riley, who is dangerously ill, coughing blood, over exhausted and dealing with relationship crisis, is tasked with the investigation of the murder of an estranged ex-GI family - described as ´hard core conservatives´) living in a compound hunted by greedy real estate ´sharks´. Her very diverse team (´We´re all a pile of glorious bastards. And I like us´) is fast, they are completing each other very well, enjoying the exercise of having to solve the riddle.
Sharks is not necessarily a highly eventful novel, but well written and admirably translated, with a very clear plot. The characters of the book are by far the most interesting, including Riley whose inner dialogues doubling her conversations are very entertaining.
Clearly, the next time will be visiting Hamburg will see the city with completely different eyes. Sharks seems to have been cut a short sequency from the everyday life in the Wilhelmsburg borrough that ends at the author´s will. But we, the readers, may be curious to come back soon, hence the excitement of waiting for the next installment in the series.
Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
February 16, 2026
3rd in the Chastity Riley reloaded series, #europeannoir but so much more.
Riley is the state prosecutor working alongside Hamburg detectives, looking into the brutal deaths of a husband and wife.
But it’s so much less than that… in that, it’s not so much the crime or its investigation, but the state of mind of Chas, her friends, her life.
It’s short, shocking, & sparse, nothing spared, nothing wasted, and so full of meaning. Love this series.
Riley is the state prosecutor working alongside Hamburg detectives, looking into the brutal deaths of a husband and wife.
But it’s so much less than that… in that, it’s not so much the crime or its investigation, but the state of mind of Chas, her friends, her life.
It’s short, shocking, & sparse, nothing spared, nothing wasted, and so full of meaning. Love this series.
Read
February 25, 2026This intriguing German thriller features complex and captivating characters. Prosecutor Chastity Riley, dangerously ill and coughing constantly, is exhausted yet stubbornly smokes. She quickly becomes embroiled in a murky world of shady investors and city planners.
This is the third book in the series and my first read. While it doesn’t provide a recap, you can easily follow the story’s progression from the first two novels.
The novel raises thought-provoking questions about gentrification, power, corruption and numerous cover-ups.
I thoroughly enjoyed this short story and eagerly anticipated revisiting the beginning.
If you enjoy German or international crime thrillers, particularly with delightful character banter, this book is a must-read.
This is the third book in the series and my first read. While it doesn’t provide a recap, you can easily follow the story’s progression from the first two novels.
The novel raises thought-provoking questions about gentrification, power, corruption and numerous cover-ups.
I thoroughly enjoyed this short story and eagerly anticipated revisiting the beginning.
If you enjoy German or international crime thrillers, particularly with delightful character banter, this book is a must-read.
May 8, 2019
Sätze ohne Schnörkel, gerade raus erzählt und super zu lesen!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
An interesting thriller from Germany with a fascinating complicated lead character that perhaps was going a little too fast to really settle me into the mystery but I enjoyed the ride
Full review https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
Full review https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
February 28, 2023
Kodderschnauziger Ton und am Ende fällt alles etwas zu leicht dahin, wo es nun eben liegen muss. Man liest mehr für die Atmosphäre und die Charaktere als dass der Plot einen überzeugt.
December 8, 2011
Die ersten beiden Teile der Serie um die Staatsanwältin Chas Riley habe ich sehr gemocht. Die Figur ist unkonventionell, die Beschreibungen von Hamburg ganz prima, und die Fälle waren bisher immer spannend. Deshalb habe ich mir auch gleich Schwedenbitter besorgt - und wurde leider enttäuscht.
Ich weiß gar nicht mehr, ob das bei den anderen Teilen auch so war, aber diesmal ist mir die Art zu schreiben sehr auf den Geist gegangen. Immer wenn es um Personen geht, lese ich "der sowieso", "die sowieso" - ohne ging es gar nicht mehr. Und das Ende des Romans war so abrupt und unabgeschlossen, das ich fassungslos nach den nächsten Seiten im Buch gesucht habe. Schade. Hoffentlich wird der nächste Teil der Serie wieder besser :-)
Ich weiß gar nicht mehr, ob das bei den anderen Teilen auch so war, aber diesmal ist mir die Art zu schreiben sehr auf den Geist gegangen. Immer wenn es um Personen geht, lese ich "der sowieso", "die sowieso" - ohne ging es gar nicht mehr. Und das Ende des Romans war so abrupt und unabgeschlossen, das ich fassungslos nach den nächsten Seiten im Buch gesucht habe. Schade. Hoffentlich wird der nächste Teil der Serie wieder besser :-)
February 13, 2013
Herrlich! Alle anderen Bücher dieser Reihe müssen her. Sofort!
July 11, 2016
Ach, sie schreibt einfach so schön. Was aber von den dreien die ich bisher gelesehn habe der Schwächste. Kann gar nicht so genau sagen warum.
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