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Amsterdam Quartet #2
Into the Night
A woman is pushed in front of a train by a man in police uniform. And a body is left on a rooftop, its hands scorched and head missing.
Another day in Amsterdam: Western Europe's murder capital.
The killer announces to the world that this is merely the beginning. The man tasked with stopping the bodycount is Inspector Jaap Rykel.
But as Jaap searches the beheaded body for clues as to its identity, what he finds makes his blood run cold. Why on earth are there pictures of himself - and his home - saved on the victim's phone...?
Another day in Amsterdam: Western Europe's murder capital.
The killer announces to the world that this is merely the beginning. The man tasked with stopping the bodycount is Inspector Jaap Rykel.
But as Jaap searches the beheaded body for clues as to its identity, what he finds makes his blood run cold. Why on earth are there pictures of himself - and his home - saved on the victim's phone...?
448 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2015
15 people are currently reading
213 people want to read
About the author
Jake Woodhouse
10 books36 followersJake Woodhouse has worked as a musician, winemaker and entrepreneur. He now lives in London with his wife and their young gundog. After the Silence is the first book in his Amsterdam Quartet.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
August 5, 2018
2.5 stars There was a little too much stereotyping: drugs, bent cops, annoying superiors and sex offences. And naming two big criminals after Dutch politicians, what's that about? So many illogical decisions just for effect. The story runs a bit thin because of it all.
June 13, 2018
In keeping with my New Years Resolution, I am reading a back copy that I've had since forever!
I understand this to be the 2nd book in the series, so after reading some reviews its likely that I am a bit out of footing with certain members in the cast.
It surely is a hard hitting fast moving plot though.
There are a lot of characters to keep up with so you need to concentrate with this book.
jaap rykel is leading a case for a missing killer. But within his searching he discovers a connection to him, then when another body hits, another connection to him.
The book kept my attention, but so many things I had to keep up with and so many characters I found myself getting a bit frustrated if at any time I had to put the book down.
But that's my fault I think, it just didn't keep me invested.
My thanks to Penguin UK - Michael Joseph via Net Galley for my copy.
March 19, 2015
“Into the Night,” is the second in the Amsterdam Quartet, which began with, “After the Silence.” Many of the characters which appeared in the first book also feature here, including Inspector Jaap Rykel, Inspector Tanya van der Mark and Inspector Kees Terpstra. After the events of the first book, we find Jaap Rykel and Tanya van der Mark having a relationship; although their attempts at happiness are complicated by Jaap’s discovery that he has a daughter by a previous relationship and Tanya’s inability to talk to anyone about the abuse she suffered from her foster father. Indeed, the beginning of this novel sees Jaap being berated by his former partner for not being able to give enough time to his daughter, while Tanya tries to pluck up the courage to confront the man who abused her.
Like the previous novel, this is a fast moving and hard hitting book. Jaap finds himself involved in a bizarre case, where two headless bodies are discovered. While he wonders what links the two men, he had not thought that the answer would be himself… Meanwhile, Tanya finds her leave cancelled, after a woman who seemingly committed suicide at a station turns out to have been murdered and Kees, struggling with debts and drug use, manages to lose a major witness in a forthcoming trial. Before long, the members of the murder squad realise that these incidents are all linked. Then, as it looks as though the police themselves are implicated, events spiral out of control and the three officers have to come together to try to stop the killing.
This is a good addition to the series, with the characters becoming better known to us and the hard hitting storylines move along really quickly. However, this is certainly not a book for those who object to difficult subjects or violent scenes, as this book has violence in abundance. If, however, you enjoy gritty crime novels, then this could be a series for you. Lastly, I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
Like the previous novel, this is a fast moving and hard hitting book. Jaap finds himself involved in a bizarre case, where two headless bodies are discovered. While he wonders what links the two men, he had not thought that the answer would be himself… Meanwhile, Tanya finds her leave cancelled, after a woman who seemingly committed suicide at a station turns out to have been murdered and Kees, struggling with debts and drug use, manages to lose a major witness in a forthcoming trial. Before long, the members of the murder squad realise that these incidents are all linked. Then, as it looks as though the police themselves are implicated, events spiral out of control and the three officers have to come together to try to stop the killing.
This is a good addition to the series, with the characters becoming better known to us and the hard hitting storylines move along really quickly. However, this is certainly not a book for those who object to difficult subjects or violent scenes, as this book has violence in abundance. If, however, you enjoy gritty crime novels, then this could be a series for you. Lastly, I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
January 18, 2020
It was a messy book...too much going on,too many different plot lines and I didn’t care about any of the angst ridden characters.Avoid needing the police if visiting Amsterdam..they appear to be either coked up ,preoccupied with their own stuff or bored!......and,spoiler alert...who kills a baby in their books?..lazy and unnecessary.
August 4, 2018
The three severely psychologically damaged police officers who sustain incredible injuries and losses along the way seriously hampered my enjoyment of this book.
December 8, 2019
Into The Night follows three police officers who find themselves working together to solve the case of the Twitter Killer - someone responsible for beheading victims before leaking the photos online. However, it soon becomes very clear that these three characters have a lot more going on than the tough crime they have to solve.
Overall, Into The Night was several disappointing. To begin with, I thought this was because this was a sequel to a book I had not yet read. I thought that maybe because I was a little out of synch with the previous plot that maybe I was struggling to grasp the current one - however, looking back it all just seems like one big jumble of incohesive stories.
There were too many subplots for me, too much drama that led nowhere. Every character seemed to have a distinct backstory that was ripping them apart, but it also 100% stopped any of them from doing any police-detective work, removing this as a detective novel for me. Though the book read well in real-time, the over the top drama and constant rotation of subplots made it hard to follow at times.
All of the characters were extremely unlikeable. Again, this may be because I haven't read the first in the series and therefore missed some serious character growth, however - I felt nothing for any of the characters and grew bored of them quite quickly.
The one positive for Into The Night would probably be the ending. Not the 'shocking' and 'heartbreaking' twist that has seemed to win over other readers, but the epilogue. Being able to see how the events affected all of the characters, and how one character's life was going to change forever because of it - was quite interesting but not enough for me to delve deeper into the character's story.
This book was generic in too many ways, and not really a 'light-read' for me, as I struggled to enjoy it and keep turning the pages. 2.5 stars for sure.
Overall, Into The Night was several disappointing. To begin with, I thought this was because this was a sequel to a book I had not yet read. I thought that maybe because I was a little out of synch with the previous plot that maybe I was struggling to grasp the current one - however, looking back it all just seems like one big jumble of incohesive stories.
There were too many subplots for me, too much drama that led nowhere. Every character seemed to have a distinct backstory that was ripping them apart, but it also 100% stopped any of them from doing any police-detective work, removing this as a detective novel for me. Though the book read well in real-time, the over the top drama and constant rotation of subplots made it hard to follow at times.
All of the characters were extremely unlikeable. Again, this may be because I haven't read the first in the series and therefore missed some serious character growth, however - I felt nothing for any of the characters and grew bored of them quite quickly.
The one positive for Into The Night would probably be the ending. Not the 'shocking' and 'heartbreaking' twist that has seemed to win over other readers, but the epilogue. Being able to see how the events affected all of the characters, and how one character's life was going to change forever because of it - was quite interesting but not enough for me to delve deeper into the character's story.
This book was generic in too many ways, and not really a 'light-read' for me, as I struggled to enjoy it and keep turning the pages. 2.5 stars for sure.
January 26, 2019
Dramatischer Schluss
Ich habe mir mit diesem Hörbuch das ich innerhalb von 5 Tagen gehört hatte schwer getan. Es fehlt nicht an Action oder Spannung, davon gibt es mehr als genug. Ein Amsterdam Thriller so steht es auf dem Cover, jedoch ist vom Flair von Amsterdam nichts zu spüren. Zwar lebt Inspector Jaap Rykel auf einem Hausboot und es geht um Coffeeshops die mit illegalem Haschisch beliefert werden, aber das war schon alles.
Es werden innerhalb von kurzer Zeit zwei Menschen enthauptet. Jaaps Kollege Kees verliert einen Hauptzeugen der in einem Prozess aussagen sollen. Kollegin Tanya ermittelt in einem Todesfall einer Obdachlosen, die wie es scheint von einem Polizisten vor den Zug geworfen wurde.
Und dann ist da noch Saskia seine Ex, Mutter seiner Tochter Floortje auf die er aufpassen soll. Deshalb heißt es den Fall so schnell wie möglich abzuschließen.
Ein Thriller bei dem die Handlung jede Menge Action beinhaltet. Ständig wechseln die Tatorte und Personen. Jedoch kann man dabei ab und zu den Faden verlieren, zumindest mir ist es so ergangen. Es gibt auch einige, wenn auch nicht ganz schlüssige, Wendungen. Das fulminante Finale ist an Dramatik nicht zu überbieten.
Trotzdem kann ich dem Thriller nicht mehr als 3 Punkte vergeben. Viele Fragen blieben ungeklärt. Mag sein, dass dies an der gekürzten Hörbuchfassung liegt. Allerdings hatte ich immer das Gefühl etwas verpasst zu haben. Darum rate ich jedem nicht mit dem 2. Teil der Inspector Rykel Serie anzufangen sondern mit dem 1. Teil.
Was mir auch weniger gut gefallen hat, sind all die gleich klingenden Namen. Vielleicht liegt es nur an der Übersetzung, dies führt jedoch leicht zu Verwechslungen.
Hörprobe anhören unter:
https://hoerbuch-thriller.de/produkt/...
Ich habe mir mit diesem Hörbuch das ich innerhalb von 5 Tagen gehört hatte schwer getan. Es fehlt nicht an Action oder Spannung, davon gibt es mehr als genug. Ein Amsterdam Thriller so steht es auf dem Cover, jedoch ist vom Flair von Amsterdam nichts zu spüren. Zwar lebt Inspector Jaap Rykel auf einem Hausboot und es geht um Coffeeshops die mit illegalem Haschisch beliefert werden, aber das war schon alles.
Es werden innerhalb von kurzer Zeit zwei Menschen enthauptet. Jaaps Kollege Kees verliert einen Hauptzeugen der in einem Prozess aussagen sollen. Kollegin Tanya ermittelt in einem Todesfall einer Obdachlosen, die wie es scheint von einem Polizisten vor den Zug geworfen wurde.
Und dann ist da noch Saskia seine Ex, Mutter seiner Tochter Floortje auf die er aufpassen soll. Deshalb heißt es den Fall so schnell wie möglich abzuschließen.
Ein Thriller bei dem die Handlung jede Menge Action beinhaltet. Ständig wechseln die Tatorte und Personen. Jedoch kann man dabei ab und zu den Faden verlieren, zumindest mir ist es so ergangen. Es gibt auch einige, wenn auch nicht ganz schlüssige, Wendungen. Das fulminante Finale ist an Dramatik nicht zu überbieten.
Trotzdem kann ich dem Thriller nicht mehr als 3 Punkte vergeben. Viele Fragen blieben ungeklärt. Mag sein, dass dies an der gekürzten Hörbuchfassung liegt. Allerdings hatte ich immer das Gefühl etwas verpasst zu haben. Darum rate ich jedem nicht mit dem 2. Teil der Inspector Rykel Serie anzufangen sondern mit dem 1. Teil.
Was mir auch weniger gut gefallen hat, sind all die gleich klingenden Namen. Vielleicht liegt es nur an der Übersetzung, dies führt jedoch leicht zu Verwechslungen.
Hörprobe anhören unter:
https://hoerbuch-thriller.de/produkt/...
May 30, 2020
Omg! The second instalment of Inspector Jaap Rkyel, set in Amsterdam....utterly gripping read and I’m not giving anything away but the ending!!!....if you’ve not read these books and like Crime Fiction please buy them now!!
Love this series! Think Rebus in Amsterdam!
10 Stars!
Love this series! Think Rebus in Amsterdam!
10 Stars!
March 9, 2016
Well, Amsterdam is the western capital of murder, something which perhaps would be appropriate to alert the Italian news programs, which seek to persuade the people they live in a slaughterhouse in order to keep them in front of the television screen and not around nitpickings politicians. But this is a review and not a political piece, and then we talk about the book. The plot is very complicated, and the characters have too many, far too many skeletons in the closet. As to say that if they had half of it it would be already many. Inspector Jaap is very unconventional, to the point that he was for a whyle a zen munk in Japan. This probably makes sense for those who have read the book before this, but since the storyis written to be a "stand alone", although with the same characters, the costant return of Jaap to that period of his life is a bit boring.
That said, and without prejudice to the industrial quantities of typos that I encountered in the text, once unraveled a bit the plot of the book, it runs off quite well, especially in the second half.
I thank Penguin UK and Netgalley for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Bene, Amsterdam è la capitale occidentale dell'omicidio, cosa della quale forse sarebbe il caso di avvisare i telegiornali italiani, i quali cercano di far credere al popolo bue di vivere in un mattatotio pur di tenerli davanti al teleschermo e non in giro a far le pulci ai politici. Ma questa è una recensione e non un pezzo politico, e quindi parliamo del libro. La trama è molto complicata, e i personaggi hanno troppi, davvero troppi scheletri nell'armadio. Diciamo che se ne avessero la metà già ne avrebbero molti. L'ispettore Jaap è un sacco alternativo, al punto da essere stato per un certo periodo un monaco zen in Giappone. Questo problabilmente ha senso per chi ha letto il libro che precede questo ma, essendo la storia scritta per essere uno "stand alone" anche se con gli stessi protagonisti, il continuo tornare di Jaap a quel periodo della sua vita è un po' noioso.
Detto questo, e fatta salva la quantità industriale di refusi che ho incontrato nel testo, una volta dipanata un po' la trama il libro scorre via piuttosto bene, soprattutto nella seconda parte.
Ringrazio Penguin UK e Netgalley per avermi fornito una copia gratuita in cambio di una recensione onesta.
That said, and without prejudice to the industrial quantities of typos that I encountered in the text, once unraveled a bit the plot of the book, it runs off quite well, especially in the second half.
I thank Penguin UK and Netgalley for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Bene, Amsterdam è la capitale occidentale dell'omicidio, cosa della quale forse sarebbe il caso di avvisare i telegiornali italiani, i quali cercano di far credere al popolo bue di vivere in un mattatotio pur di tenerli davanti al teleschermo e non in giro a far le pulci ai politici. Ma questa è una recensione e non un pezzo politico, e quindi parliamo del libro. La trama è molto complicata, e i personaggi hanno troppi, davvero troppi scheletri nell'armadio. Diciamo che se ne avessero la metà già ne avrebbero molti. L'ispettore Jaap è un sacco alternativo, al punto da essere stato per un certo periodo un monaco zen in Giappone. Questo problabilmente ha senso per chi ha letto il libro che precede questo ma, essendo la storia scritta per essere uno "stand alone" anche se con gli stessi protagonisti, il continuo tornare di Jaap a quel periodo della sua vita è un po' noioso.
Detto questo, e fatta salva la quantità industriale di refusi che ho incontrato nel testo, una volta dipanata un po' la trama il libro scorre via piuttosto bene, soprattutto nella seconda parte.
Ringrazio Penguin UK e Netgalley per avermi fornito una copia gratuita in cambio di una recensione onesta.
June 2, 2015
The book reads extremely well. It moves in almost real time, with all the action taking place in a few hectic days. The characters are well crafted with human flaws. However, the author seems to make them too flawed. They make choices that fail to reflect their humanity. And in the end, the tragedy seems unnecessary. Woodhouse could use a stronger sense of poetic justice.
April 6, 2015
Turning into a seriously excellent series, highly reccomended.
May 28, 2018
Too many sub plots and less of detection.
July 3, 2019
I expected another hard hitting plot with nasty characters and not much better cops! This certainly delivers on that count.
The storyline started off promising with some detective work on offer but yet again something happens personal and due to the continual flaws of the police officers it spiralled out of control. I questioned the decision making all the way and I don’t think it needed the devastating ending. I don’t even want to read number 3.
The storyline started off promising with some detective work on offer but yet again something happens personal and due to the continual flaws of the police officers it spiralled out of control. I questioned the decision making all the way and I don’t think it needed the devastating ending. I don’t even want to read number 3.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 30, 2020
" Utterly unputdownable ". Nah, man. It's not that big of a deal. The same plot with crooked cops, doing drugs and stuff, the same personal little thing that does on unpunished and all that. I'm not very impressed and this is my favourite genre, I should know. Too many plot lines and characters which at some point becomes useless to track. Not even the baby being killed impressed me. I feel that that was unnecessary. The baby and the mother? Pleeease, spare me the drama!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 5, 2019
Stunning
I read the first one doubtfully til a quarter of the way in, by which time I was totally hooked, so I bought and read the next two straight away. I’m waiting impatiently for the next book. To try and separate the characters into heroes and villains is not easy, the writing is sometimes harsh, sometimes lyrical but always totally compelling.
I read the first one doubtfully til a quarter of the way in, by which time I was totally hooked, so I bought and read the next two straight away. I’m waiting impatiently for the next book. To try and separate the characters into heroes and villains is not easy, the writing is sometimes harsh, sometimes lyrical but always totally compelling.
June 4, 2019
Serial lives up,
Gripping and enjoyable read with Jaap, Tanya and Kees working through the seedy side of Amsterdam with nasty characters from the Balkans doing evil things across a beautiful country. I enjoy the way Mr Winehouse draws everything to a conclusion.
Gripping and enjoyable read with Jaap, Tanya and Kees working through the seedy side of Amsterdam with nasty characters from the Balkans doing evil things across a beautiful country. I enjoy the way Mr Winehouse draws everything to a conclusion.
October 7, 2019
Like the first in the Amsterdam series, this second novel featuring Dutch cop Jaap Rykel is very readable. As yet, the author doesn’t have me as hooked as some of my other favourite crime writers, but I’m going to read the third novel in the series to see if that changes.
May 26, 2020
La storia poliziesca è interessante, intrecciando droga, omicidi efferati e criminali di guerra dell'ex Jugoslavia.
Il problema del libro, a mio avviso, sono i poliziotti: troppo carichi di problemi personali e idiosincrasie esagerate, disturbano un po' la trama.
Il problema del libro, a mio avviso, sono i poliziotti: troppo carichi di problemi personali e idiosincrasie esagerate, disturbano un po' la trama.
September 4, 2023
4.5 stars
Wow, fast paced, hold onto your hat. What a ride! High drama, lots of twists. This is the 2nd book in a series but I didn't read the first one. A brilliant, tense story. A true page turner, even to the final page. I am definitely going to read the next book.
Wow, fast paced, hold onto your hat. What a ride! High drama, lots of twists. This is the 2nd book in a series but I didn't read the first one. A brilliant, tense story. A true page turner, even to the final page. I am definitely going to read the next book.
October 25, 2018
I didn't realise it was possible for a crime thriller to be so utterly depressing.
October 20, 2020
It’s almost like someone has taken snippets from every action movie they ever seen and joined them all together as a book. It doesn’t work for me at all. Too much nonsense and loose ends.
December 3, 2021
A little slow but action throughout.
Read
November 11, 20222nd of Amsterdam inspector Rykel series. Very good
December 26, 2024
So many characters, threads and clues to keep track of, you’ll need a notebook to remember everything.
September 12, 2025
unrealistic high amount of deaths
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 22, 2025
This is the second book in the Amsterdam-based series,
as with the first , this book features non-stop action from the first page, with rare pauses, the frenetic pace being interrupted only by passages of grim introspection by the protagonists , the same key characters: Inspectors Rykel, Kees and Tanya van de Mark.
Rykel is in a relationship with Tanya but after the revelation that he is the father of Floortje, the daughter of his ex-wife Saskia, is emotionally torn.
Tanya is distracted by the discovery that her abusive foster-father is living locally.
Kees has been diagnosed with a potentially terminal illness, and has been unable to throw off his drug addiction
As if these personal trials were not enough, the three have major cases to deal with, including a string of headless corpses. As further decapitations come to light, the press are exerting pressure, and Rykel’s boss is, as usual, pressing for results without being helpful by way of resources. Tanya has the murder of a homeless woman to untangle, and Kees is given responsibility for guarding a vital witness in a war-crimes trial at the Hague.
There is always a sense of chaos and societal breakdown close to the surface, and where such tourist areas of the city get a mention – the red-light district, the drug-providing cafes, the canals, and so on, these explore the seamy underside which is ever present.
If you like your crime dark, claustrophobic and non-stop, this could be for you. As with all crime, the shadowy undercurrents hidden beneath an apparently accepting and liberal society can be all the more horrifying in contrast.
as with the first , this book features non-stop action from the first page, with rare pauses, the frenetic pace being interrupted only by passages of grim introspection by the protagonists , the same key characters: Inspectors Rykel, Kees and Tanya van de Mark.
Rykel is in a relationship with Tanya but after the revelation that he is the father of Floortje, the daughter of his ex-wife Saskia, is emotionally torn.
Tanya is distracted by the discovery that her abusive foster-father is living locally.
Kees has been diagnosed with a potentially terminal illness, and has been unable to throw off his drug addiction
As if these personal trials were not enough, the three have major cases to deal with, including a string of headless corpses. As further decapitations come to light, the press are exerting pressure, and Rykel’s boss is, as usual, pressing for results without being helpful by way of resources. Tanya has the murder of a homeless woman to untangle, and Kees is given responsibility for guarding a vital witness in a war-crimes trial at the Hague.
There is always a sense of chaos and societal breakdown close to the surface, and where such tourist areas of the city get a mention – the red-light district, the drug-providing cafes, the canals, and so on, these explore the seamy underside which is ever present.
If you like your crime dark, claustrophobic and non-stop, this could be for you. As with all crime, the shadowy undercurrents hidden beneath an apparently accepting and liberal society can be all the more horrifying in contrast.
August 7, 2015
The second instalment in British author Woodhouse's 'Amsterdam Quartet' is a very fine European police thriller, with a twisting plotline and intriguing cast of characters.
A headless body is found on an Amsterdam rooftop, hands blow-torched. Torture, or is the killer trying to slow down identification. Inspector Jaap Rykel then finds something even more chilling: his own image on the victim's phone. What's going on? Then the killer publicises another headless body. Meanwhile a homeless woman is pushed in front of a train, and some of Jaap's closest colleagues are dealing with personal strife. Troubles they're keeping from everyone, even Jaap.
Woodhouse crafts an enthralling tale, with a plotline that encompasses violent murder, war crimes tribunals, the drugs trade, kidnapping, and more. Although there are some brutal moments, it never feels gratuitous - Woodhouse defly treads the line between darkness and dirge. While the storyline is fascinating, perhaps the greatest accomplishment is Woodhouse's creation of a police squad that includes many of the clashes, tensions, and pressures you'd expect to see in crime drama, but still manages to feel fresh and not cliched.
Amsterdam cops Jaap, Tanya, Kees and Smit all seem like fully-formed people, not caricatures or moving pieces for the plot. Other, including Jaap's ex Saskia, a war crimes prosecutor, and drug squad cops and villains are also given moments to shine, and not just be wallpaper.
It's all plotted so smoothly that you don't see the author's hand. Overall this is a very fine thriller, with an absolute gut punch of an ending that leaves you wondering where Woodhouse will take Jaap and those close to him next. And keen to find out. Bring on book three.
A headless body is found on an Amsterdam rooftop, hands blow-torched. Torture, or is the killer trying to slow down identification. Inspector Jaap Rykel then finds something even more chilling: his own image on the victim's phone. What's going on? Then the killer publicises another headless body. Meanwhile a homeless woman is pushed in front of a train, and some of Jaap's closest colleagues are dealing with personal strife. Troubles they're keeping from everyone, even Jaap.
Woodhouse crafts an enthralling tale, with a plotline that encompasses violent murder, war crimes tribunals, the drugs trade, kidnapping, and more. Although there are some brutal moments, it never feels gratuitous - Woodhouse defly treads the line between darkness and dirge. While the storyline is fascinating, perhaps the greatest accomplishment is Woodhouse's creation of a police squad that includes many of the clashes, tensions, and pressures you'd expect to see in crime drama, but still manages to feel fresh and not cliched.
Amsterdam cops Jaap, Tanya, Kees and Smit all seem like fully-formed people, not caricatures or moving pieces for the plot. Other, including Jaap's ex Saskia, a war crimes prosecutor, and drug squad cops and villains are also given moments to shine, and not just be wallpaper.
It's all plotted so smoothly that you don't see the author's hand. Overall this is a very fine thriller, with an absolute gut punch of an ending that leaves you wondering where Woodhouse will take Jaap and those close to him next. And keen to find out. Bring on book three.
September 4, 2016
Another great book! The second book in the Inspector Jaap Rykel - Amsterdam Quartet series by Jake Woodhouse. This time, Inspector Rykel is caught up in a murder investigation that gets extremely personal, and involves more than a couple of headless corpses. To make matters worse, he finds a picture of himself on the phone of one of the headless victims. Is he being targeted?
Like the first novel in the series, there are two or three different threads which really keeps the story moving. The use of short chapters allows for the story to move between the various threads without getting caught up in any one thread for too long, culminating into the climactic ending.
Unfortunately, this book took me way longer to read than I had anticipated. Not because it wasn't a great book, but, over the last few months, I moved to a new city; started a new job which takes me away from home more hours of the day (damn commute); bought a brand new house that requires landscaping, decorating, et al, which has taken up a huge chunk of my otherwise plentiful time to read. Plus, I do have to try and get some sleep in there too.
There are supposedly two more books planned in this series. A shame that the series is only billed as being a quartet. I have added the third book in the series, Before the Dawn, to my list of books to keep an eye out for, as it has yet to be released. Until then, onto my next book...
Like the first novel in the series, there are two or three different threads which really keeps the story moving. The use of short chapters allows for the story to move between the various threads without getting caught up in any one thread for too long, culminating into the climactic ending.
Unfortunately, this book took me way longer to read than I had anticipated. Not because it wasn't a great book, but, over the last few months, I moved to a new city; started a new job which takes me away from home more hours of the day (damn commute); bought a brand new house that requires landscaping, decorating, et al, which has taken up a huge chunk of my otherwise plentiful time to read. Plus, I do have to try and get some sleep in there too.
There are supposedly two more books planned in this series. A shame that the series is only billed as being a quartet. I have added the third book in the series, Before the Dawn, to my list of books to keep an eye out for, as it has yet to be released. Until then, onto my next book...
August 11, 2015
A headless body is found in Amsterdam, then another one. A woman falls in front of train at Central Station. A police detective is addicted to drugs and is supplying information to criminals. Cannabis farm raids are going wrong. What links all these crimes together is the forthcoming trial of a Bosnian war criminal.
This is a fast-moving thriller based in Amsterdam and re-acquainting the reader with a group of characters first appearing in Woodhouse's previous novel. I hadn't read that book but I had no problem getting up to speed as there is enough backstory to support. The plot is complex but very clever and there is a terrific twist at the end. Thoroughly enjoyable.
This is a fast-moving thriller based in Amsterdam and re-acquainting the reader with a group of characters first appearing in Woodhouse's previous novel. I hadn't read that book but I had no problem getting up to speed as there is enough backstory to support. The plot is complex but very clever and there is a terrific twist at the end. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews