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Chas Riley #6
Nuit bleue
« Joe, qui vous a brisé les os ?
— La vie. »
Au Blaue Nacht, la procureure Chastity Riley écluse des bières et trouve le réconfort auprès de sa bande d’amis. Mise sur la touche après avoir fait condamner son supérieur, elle est désormais chargée de la protection des victimes. À l’hôpital l’attend un homme roué de coups, un Autrichien qui refuse de parler. C’est sans compter sur la force de persuasion de Chastity... prête à mettre les pieds dans le plat de la bonne société hambourgeoise.
Dans la lignée des romans d’une ville, Chastity Riley est Hambourg, ville-port et ville monde, ville punk-rock.
Simone Buchholz donne naissance à un personnage récurrent et à une famille, de ceux dont la vie nous est chère et que l’on prendrait bien pour amis. Concise et poétique, tour à tour drôle et piquante, son écriture emporte le lecteur.
Lauréate du Prix du Polar Allemand en 2019 pour Mexikoring, Simone Buchholz est traduite en Angleterre et en Italie. Elle vit à Sankt Pauli, le célèbre quartier de Hambourg.
— La vie. »
Au Blaue Nacht, la procureure Chastity Riley écluse des bières et trouve le réconfort auprès de sa bande d’amis. Mise sur la touche après avoir fait condamner son supérieur, elle est désormais chargée de la protection des victimes. À l’hôpital l’attend un homme roué de coups, un Autrichien qui refuse de parler. C’est sans compter sur la force de persuasion de Chastity... prête à mettre les pieds dans le plat de la bonne société hambourgeoise.
Dans la lignée des romans d’une ville, Chastity Riley est Hambourg, ville-port et ville monde, ville punk-rock.
Simone Buchholz donne naissance à un personnage récurrent et à une famille, de ceux dont la vie nous est chère et que l’on prendrait bien pour amis. Concise et poétique, tour à tour drôle et piquante, son écriture emporte le lecteur.
Lauréate du Prix du Polar Allemand en 2019 pour Mexikoring, Simone Buchholz est traduite en Angleterre et en Italie. Elle vit à Sankt Pauli, le célèbre quartier de Hambourg.
240 pages, Paperback
First published March 7, 2016
55 people are currently reading
315 people want to read
About the author
Simone Buchholz
29 books58 followersSimone Buchholz is a German author, best known for her crime fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews
February 26, 2018
"Blue Night" written by Simone Buchholz and excellently translated by Rachel Ward is my first foray into German Noir and I can unequivocally say it won't be my last!
This is apparently the first in the Chastity Riley series and is in my opinion the starting blocks for a fantastic and exciting series of intriguing stories set in Germany.
The career of Hamburg's most hard-bitten state prosecutor, Chastity Riley, has taken a nose dive, she has been transferred to the tedium of witness protection to prevent her making any more trouble. However, when she is assigned to the case of an anonymous man lying under police guard in hospital - almost every bone in his body broken, a finger cut off, and refusing to speak in anything other than riddles - Chastity's instinct for the big, exciting case kicks in. Using all her powers of intelligence she finds herself on the trail to Leipzig and a whole heap of lethal synthetic drugs. When she discovers that a friend and former colleague is trying to bring down Hamburg's Albanian mafia kingpin single-handedly, it looks like Chas Riley's dull life on witness protection really has been short-lived.
Riley is a bit of an enigma who drinks and smokes too much but I couldn't help liking and admiring her and her devoted loyalty to her friends and job. There's quite an eclectic mix of flawed characters in the story too that have been well created and are starting to develop nicely ready for the oncoming series.
A little bit of extra attention maybe required to get accustomed the unique narrative and dialogue and the switching of the time lines but is well worth the rewards. This is a very enjoyable read that packs a punch in quite a short space of reading time.
I understand that "Blue Night" is doing exceedingly well in its home country and understandably so, I suspect it will also be just as successful here in the U.K. too. It's a tremendously written and ingenious story with an intriguing and powerful prologue and an ending I truly loved.
I highly recommend that you discover for yourself this brilliant piece of German Noir and very talented author, I will without doubt be excitedly anticipating the next book with bated breath.
4 stars
This is apparently the first in the Chastity Riley series and is in my opinion the starting blocks for a fantastic and exciting series of intriguing stories set in Germany.
The career of Hamburg's most hard-bitten state prosecutor, Chastity Riley, has taken a nose dive, she has been transferred to the tedium of witness protection to prevent her making any more trouble. However, when she is assigned to the case of an anonymous man lying under police guard in hospital - almost every bone in his body broken, a finger cut off, and refusing to speak in anything other than riddles - Chastity's instinct for the big, exciting case kicks in. Using all her powers of intelligence she finds herself on the trail to Leipzig and a whole heap of lethal synthetic drugs. When she discovers that a friend and former colleague is trying to bring down Hamburg's Albanian mafia kingpin single-handedly, it looks like Chas Riley's dull life on witness protection really has been short-lived.
Riley is a bit of an enigma who drinks and smokes too much but I couldn't help liking and admiring her and her devoted loyalty to her friends and job. There's quite an eclectic mix of flawed characters in the story too that have been well created and are starting to develop nicely ready for the oncoming series.
A little bit of extra attention maybe required to get accustomed the unique narrative and dialogue and the switching of the time lines but is well worth the rewards. This is a very enjoyable read that packs a punch in quite a short space of reading time.
I understand that "Blue Night" is doing exceedingly well in its home country and understandably so, I suspect it will also be just as successful here in the U.K. too. It's a tremendously written and ingenious story with an intriguing and powerful prologue and an ending I truly loved.
I highly recommend that you discover for yourself this brilliant piece of German Noir and very talented author, I will without doubt be excitedly anticipating the next book with bated breath.
4 stars
October 9, 2018
Chastity Riley is a state prosecutor who no longer is trusted by her bosses. She convicted a superior for corruption and then off a gangster's crown jewels. They can't fire her, so they do the next best thing.
They transferred her to the Witness Protection department, where her job will be little more than baby-sitting.
But that was before she was charged with overseeing an anonymous man found with almost every bone in his body broken, a finger missing, and he refuses to speak to anyone. He is under police guard and Chastity senses something much more.
Does this man have something to do with the lethal synthetic drugs that have become prevalent on the streets? Is it something to do with her colleagues trying to bring down the Albanian Mafia? Or is Chastity trying to connect cases that have nothing to do with the man she is protecting?
Chastity does what Chastity does best ... jump in with both feet without thinking about her own safety. This time, the danger out there may be her downfall.
I confess it took me a while to get into the story. But as I kept reading, the pacing evened out. The suspense ratcheted up and riveting until the explosive ending. Simone Buchholz is a German crime fiction author and her translator, Rachel Ward, did an excellent job.
Chastity is an amazing character, well defined, especially when it comes to moral qualities, ethical standards, and principals. She's bright and determined and is fearless in her quest for justice. I look forward to seeing more of her adventures in the future.
Many thanks to the author / translator / Trafalgar Square Publishing / Netgalley for the digital copy of this unique German crime fiction. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
March 14, 2018
Blue Night – A Kick Ass Female Lead
Simone Buchholz is one of the most original crime writers, and she gives us a kick-ass female lead, who is fierce, stylish and gets the job done. This is an excellent introduction to German Noir, and a pleasant change not to be in either Berlin or Munich, but in the working class, port city of Hamburg.
Introducing Chastity Riley, state prosecutor, whose rising star is somewhat being hidden, due to convicting a superior and shooting the crown jewels off a gangster. So far from being the golden girl she is side lined to take of witness protection, where nothing can possibly go wrong. Even her new office is nothing more than a broom cupboard, when she can be bothered to go.
Sent to take care of a man in hospital who has had his middle finger removed and every other bone broken in his body, and he has no name. But little does she know that her man in the bed, dubbed Joe, will send her on a tour to Eastern Germany and open her eyes to crystal meth and its affects.
At the same time, we see the investigation and chase happen, we see a cast of characters around Riley, those who are close to her and those who play for the bad guys. So, we can get a better idea of who she is and what makes her tick, other than making arrests and drinking.
This is a fantastic introduction to German crime writing, which has been excellently translated by Rachel Ward, so we lose none of the dark atmosphere of the port city at its worst, and best. Blue Night is an atmospheric thriller, great setting, great plot, great dialogue and great characters.
Once you pick this book up you will not put it down, once finished you will want her next instalment and see what happens to Riley next.
Simone Buchholz is one of the most original crime writers, and she gives us a kick-ass female lead, who is fierce, stylish and gets the job done. This is an excellent introduction to German Noir, and a pleasant change not to be in either Berlin or Munich, but in the working class, port city of Hamburg.
Introducing Chastity Riley, state prosecutor, whose rising star is somewhat being hidden, due to convicting a superior and shooting the crown jewels off a gangster. So far from being the golden girl she is side lined to take of witness protection, where nothing can possibly go wrong. Even her new office is nothing more than a broom cupboard, when she can be bothered to go.
Sent to take care of a man in hospital who has had his middle finger removed and every other bone broken in his body, and he has no name. But little does she know that her man in the bed, dubbed Joe, will send her on a tour to Eastern Germany and open her eyes to crystal meth and its affects.
At the same time, we see the investigation and chase happen, we see a cast of characters around Riley, those who are close to her and those who play for the bad guys. So, we can get a better idea of who she is and what makes her tick, other than making arrests and drinking.
This is a fantastic introduction to German crime writing, which has been excellently translated by Rachel Ward, so we lose none of the dark atmosphere of the port city at its worst, and best. Blue Night is an atmospheric thriller, great setting, great plot, great dialogue and great characters.
Once you pick this book up you will not put it down, once finished you will want her next instalment and see what happens to Riley next.
September 3, 2018
Entertaining slice of German noir with an immensely likeable female protagonist in Chastity Riley, and a curiously satisfying ending.
Although I liked the narrator well enough, I am not sure audio was the best medium for this book, as there was a bit of skipping around between time, place and character which was occasionally a bit confusing. If I read more of this series, I think I'll go for print over audio.
Although I liked the narrator well enough, I am not sure audio was the best medium for this book, as there was a bit of skipping around between time, place and character which was occasionally a bit confusing. If I read more of this series, I think I'll go for print over audio.
December 13, 2022
The book reminded me of the first surrealist film I saw “Un Chien Andalou”, but then I concluded that the film depended (of course) of the constant flow of images in order to convey it’s message. I opted then to compare it to bongo poetry, short sentences and vague until the end.
This author writes in snapshots, not descriptive images that would last longer in our mind, but really crude snapshots of emotions. The dialogue is verbatim, she writes what two people would say including the ahh’s and the occasional oh. It is original but could have been done in 75 pages or less.
It is an okay read. I bought three books of the series and I regret it but will continue reading. The translation was also awful, if you read the books by Sebastian Fitzek the German to English translation was impeccable.
This author writes in snapshots, not descriptive images that would last longer in our mind, but really crude snapshots of emotions. The dialogue is verbatim, she writes what two people would say including the ahh’s and the occasional oh. It is original but could have been done in 75 pages or less.
It is an okay read. I bought three books of the series and I regret it but will continue reading. The translation was also awful, if you read the books by Sebastian Fitzek the German to English translation was impeccable.
January 28, 2019
Le copertine dei gialli tedeschi di Emons mi piacciono un sacco. L’ho già detto e questo è probabilmente alla base del fatto che ne ho comprati 4 o 5 tutti in una volta, di scrittori che non conoscevo e senza sapere a cosa sarei andata incontro.
Il romanzo, secondo me, ha un difetto, che non dipende da nessuno se non dall’editore. Ovvero: è il sesto della serie. Solo che l’editore ha tradotto solo il primo e il sesto di questa serie, finora in italiano. Così, nella prima parte del libro assistiamo al riassunto di quello che è successo tra il quinto (che però in italiano non posso leggere e, ahimè, col tedesco non ce la faccio in lingua) e il punto attuale della storia. Ergo: il lettore si annoia per un buon terzo della vicenda, completamente spaesato.
Poi la vicenda ingrana, ma è un po’ tardi. Peccato perché secondo me, le storie hanno del potenziale, soprattutto nei personaggi e nell’ambientazione: Amburgo è una cittadina deliziosa, che davvero vive del suo essere ‘porto’. Così, è un posto dove si ritrovano tanti outsider come i personaggi fissi, con le loro storie strampalate, con il passato che magari non è stato proprio pulito, col presente che di certo non è dei più brillanti, con nomi e cognomi che riflettono origini lontane. La protagonista, Chastity Riley, figlia di un soldato americano, procuratore un po’ degradato per aver pestato i piedi a qualcuno di importante in passato (ma non si capisce bene la vicenda per il motivo di cui prima) si trova invischiata in un traffico di droga che dagli ex Balcani passa per l’ex Cecoslovacchia arrivando nell’ex Germania Est (ci sono capitoli tra Lipsia e Dresda dove si conosce qualcosa dell’anima di queste due città per noi tanto turistiche) e finendo per minacciare di passare tramite il porto di Amburgo al mondo intero.
Il personaggio principale non è particolarmente simpatico, Amburgo a volte è un po’ troppo cartolina (donnine, birra e Sankt Pauli a gogo), la storia è un diesel. Ripeto: forse fosse stato messo cronologicamente a posto tutto nella pubblicazione, forse avrebbe fatto un altro effetto.
Il romanzo, secondo me, ha un difetto, che non dipende da nessuno se non dall’editore. Ovvero: è il sesto della serie. Solo che l’editore ha tradotto solo il primo e il sesto di questa serie, finora in italiano. Così, nella prima parte del libro assistiamo al riassunto di quello che è successo tra il quinto (che però in italiano non posso leggere e, ahimè, col tedesco non ce la faccio in lingua) e il punto attuale della storia. Ergo: il lettore si annoia per un buon terzo della vicenda, completamente spaesato.
Poi la vicenda ingrana, ma è un po’ tardi. Peccato perché secondo me, le storie hanno del potenziale, soprattutto nei personaggi e nell’ambientazione: Amburgo è una cittadina deliziosa, che davvero vive del suo essere ‘porto’. Così, è un posto dove si ritrovano tanti outsider come i personaggi fissi, con le loro storie strampalate, con il passato che magari non è stato proprio pulito, col presente che di certo non è dei più brillanti, con nomi e cognomi che riflettono origini lontane. La protagonista, Chastity Riley, figlia di un soldato americano, procuratore un po’ degradato per aver pestato i piedi a qualcuno di importante in passato (ma non si capisce bene la vicenda per il motivo di cui prima) si trova invischiata in un traffico di droga che dagli ex Balcani passa per l’ex Cecoslovacchia arrivando nell’ex Germania Est (ci sono capitoli tra Lipsia e Dresda dove si conosce qualcosa dell’anima di queste due città per noi tanto turistiche) e finendo per minacciare di passare tramite il porto di Amburgo al mondo intero.
Il personaggio principale non è particolarmente simpatico, Amburgo a volte è un po’ troppo cartolina (donnine, birra e Sankt Pauli a gogo), la storia è un diesel. Ripeto: forse fosse stato messo cronologicamente a posto tutto nella pubblicazione, forse avrebbe fatto un altro effetto.
February 28, 2018
I haven’t read much fiction translated from German before but I do have a fondness for Dutch crime thrillers so was very keen to try out Blue Night. And I’m so glad that I did. Although a short book in length, the author manages to fill it with some fabulous characters and a gripping hard boiled plot that had me whipping up a storm on my kindle as I flew through the pages.
Without a doubt it’s the personality of Chastity Riley that kept this book on point for me. When she gets demoted to “babysitting” witnesses we can see straight away that she will use her previous skills to dig deeper than she needs to. Her charge is a man lying severely in a hospital bed, badly beaten and missing his index finger so she uses her personality (plus lots of food and alcohol!) to find out more from him than he is prepared to give anyone else. And his story will lead her into a whole lot more trouble as she discovers a new synthetic drug flooding onto the streets.
Chastity was an intelligent and likeable protagonist who’s relationships with friends and colleagues proved to be fiercely loyal and protective. For me the highly social side of her dealings with them was a huge asset to setting vivid scenarios sand I loved the cafe/restaurant/bar culture which meant that everything was always discussed over quite a few drinks!
One thing I will say is that it took me quite some time to relax into the writing style here. To begin with I was confused about who was who and where all the (seemingly) random threads were heading. But suddenly something just clicked and it all fell into place for me and from that moment onwards, this became an unputdownable race towards its conclusion. And I actually went back over the first few short, sharp and intriguing chapters after I had finished and the second time I got straight away what the author was trying to do as she set up the intricate details of the friendships ahead.
This is a great start to the series and I must also say that Rachel Ward has done a fabulous job of the translation.
I actually listened to Simone Buchholz read from Blue Night at the recent Orenda Roadshow in Liverpool and her accent really made me love the book even more as it just seemed to bring Blue Night to life for me. I am thrilled to have discovered this series and am highly anticipating great things to come for both the author and her heroine Chastity Riley.
Without a doubt it’s the personality of Chastity Riley that kept this book on point for me. When she gets demoted to “babysitting” witnesses we can see straight away that she will use her previous skills to dig deeper than she needs to. Her charge is a man lying severely in a hospital bed, badly beaten and missing his index finger so she uses her personality (plus lots of food and alcohol!) to find out more from him than he is prepared to give anyone else. And his story will lead her into a whole lot more trouble as she discovers a new synthetic drug flooding onto the streets.
Chastity was an intelligent and likeable protagonist who’s relationships with friends and colleagues proved to be fiercely loyal and protective. For me the highly social side of her dealings with them was a huge asset to setting vivid scenarios sand I loved the cafe/restaurant/bar culture which meant that everything was always discussed over quite a few drinks!
One thing I will say is that it took me quite some time to relax into the writing style here. To begin with I was confused about who was who and where all the (seemingly) random threads were heading. But suddenly something just clicked and it all fell into place for me and from that moment onwards, this became an unputdownable race towards its conclusion. And I actually went back over the first few short, sharp and intriguing chapters after I had finished and the second time I got straight away what the author was trying to do as she set up the intricate details of the friendships ahead.
This is a great start to the series and I must also say that Rachel Ward has done a fabulous job of the translation.
I actually listened to Simone Buchholz read from Blue Night at the recent Orenda Roadshow in Liverpool and her accent really made me love the book even more as it just seemed to bring Blue Night to life for me. I am thrilled to have discovered this series and am highly anticipating great things to come for both the author and her heroine Chastity Riley.
February 19, 2018
Chastity Riley’s career as a state prosecutor has taken a bit of a tumble and she now finds herself working in the less glamorous department of witness protection. But when she’s assigned the case of an anonymous man who’s landed himself in hospital beaten half to death, things are starting to look up. Who is this man? Where did he come from? Soon, Chastity will find herself on the trail of a whole lot of drugs.
Blue Night is mostly set in the German city of Hamburg. With its massive port, it’s the perfect place to smuggle drugs into the country. The criminal side of the city is run by a person who’s seemingly untouchable but Chastity is determined to cause his downfall and right from the get-go you have faith in her ability to do just that as she’s one fierce woman and an absolutely fantastic character, who wormed her way into my heart from the minute I met her.
Having had a German grandmother, it’s probably no surprise that I grew up on the incredibly gritty, dark and serious Krimi shows and so obviously that’s what I was expecting from Blue Night. Colour me pleasantly surprised to find something entirely different. Yes, it’s gritty and yes, it’s dark but it’s also an incredibly refreshing take on the crime fiction genre with a fabulous cast of characters and a delicious sense of humour that won me over within the first few pages.
This is a relatively short book and the first part is a bit of a slow burner but it oozes atmosphere throughout. We’re also introduced to quite a few characters and this required a bit more concentration on my part to keep them all straight but once I got the hang of them, I had a hard time putting this book down. It’s easy to see why this book did so well in Simone Buchholz’s native Germany and I have no doubt that this seamless translation will make it a hit in English speaking territories as well. A brilliant start to a new series and I very much look forward to more!
Blue Night is mostly set in the German city of Hamburg. With its massive port, it’s the perfect place to smuggle drugs into the country. The criminal side of the city is run by a person who’s seemingly untouchable but Chastity is determined to cause his downfall and right from the get-go you have faith in her ability to do just that as she’s one fierce woman and an absolutely fantastic character, who wormed her way into my heart from the minute I met her.
Having had a German grandmother, it’s probably no surprise that I grew up on the incredibly gritty, dark and serious Krimi shows and so obviously that’s what I was expecting from Blue Night. Colour me pleasantly surprised to find something entirely different. Yes, it’s gritty and yes, it’s dark but it’s also an incredibly refreshing take on the crime fiction genre with a fabulous cast of characters and a delicious sense of humour that won me over within the first few pages.
This is a relatively short book and the first part is a bit of a slow burner but it oozes atmosphere throughout. We’re also introduced to quite a few characters and this required a bit more concentration on my part to keep them all straight but once I got the hang of them, I had a hard time putting this book down. It’s easy to see why this book did so well in Simone Buchholz’s native Germany and I have no doubt that this seamless translation will make it a hit in English speaking territories as well. A brilliant start to a new series and I very much look forward to more!
February 22, 2018
This is my first foray into German Noir and definitely not my last. Simone Buchholz has created a phenomenal female character, Chastity Riley – previously a high profile state prosecutor who has been demoted to a desk job in a cubbyhole and now basically babysits witnesses needing protection. She’s an intelligent, fierce, loyal, tough main character who loves a drink (or 10), smokes far too much and has a very dry sense of humour, which made me laugh out loud several times.
It does take a while to get use to the narrative and the constant switching between timelines and multiple characters, but once you do grasp it Blue Night is a fast paced, action crime thriller that just keeps you glued to each page.
This is a relatively short book at 276 and I found myself racing through each page eager to find out more about the mystery man Chastity has been assigned to, her relationships with her friends and colleagues and the story behind Chastity’s past.
Blue Night is a brilliant start to the series and I can’t wait to read more from this author.
It does take a while to get use to the narrative and the constant switching between timelines and multiple characters, but once you do grasp it Blue Night is a fast paced, action crime thriller that just keeps you glued to each page.
This is a relatively short book at 276 and I found myself racing through each page eager to find out more about the mystery man Chastity has been assigned to, her relationships with her friends and colleagues and the story behind Chastity’s past.
Blue Night is a brilliant start to the series and I can’t wait to read more from this author.
February 20, 2018
‘The hair stands up on the back of my neck and I get an age-old feeling in my belly. Like there’s a fight ahead. Like something’s really about to go off….’
Blue Night is the first book in the Chastity Riley series and is a number one bestseller in Germany by German writer Simone Buchholz. It is published by Orenda Books and excellently translated by Rachel Ward.
With a very unique style of writing, containing sharp and short sentences, Blue Night tells us the story of Chastity Riley. At less than 200 pages, it is a compact tale with a very tough edge.
After a recent demotion, Chastity is itching to get her hands into something again. Currently working in witness protection, Chastity is bored. Her one saving grace are her friends. A mix of various characters, Chastity’s friends inhabit all parts of life. Restaurant owners Rocco and Carla, owner of the Blue Night bar, and her lover, Klatsche, and fellow law enforcers Faller and Calabretta. These are all family to Chastity and their friendship is very important to her.
Chastity’s story is never fully fleshed out, with just tantalizing snippets occasionally revealed to the reader. She is someone who has suffered great pain and her life has become a endless circle of caffeine, cigarettes and copious levels of alcohol. There is an underlying anger in Chastity and this, combined with her lifestyle and her shadowy history, makes her quite an enigmatic individual.
Blue Night takes the reader into the darkness of the drugs culture in Hamburg and beyond. With a tip-off from a man she currently has under police security in the local hospital, Chastity soon finds herself involved in a case that opens her eyes to the underbelly of the drug world. Controlled locally by the Albanian Mafia, these people are dangerous. They have created a dual identity, where their wealth has brought them, and bought them, entry into the highest echelons of society. These are people you do not want to mess with. Chastity soon becomes aware that one of her friends is going rogue and is going to try to collapse the empire of these Albanians as a lone vigilante.
With the assistance of a source in Leipzig, Chastity is soon exposed to the hidden underground lives of the drug user.
‘They look terrible; they really are living corpses…No idea how old they are. Their faces are sunken. There are green ulcers on their hands, on their arms and on their necks….I can’t move and I can’t speak. I want; to scream. To cry. This is just wrong’
What she sees frightens her. It drives her determination to help put a stop to this squalid existence for these zombie-like creatures, these human beings now reduced to the depths of depravity, all for one man’s wealth and power.
Chastity Riley’s own life runs in parallel with this case and we get a deeper look into her relationship with her friends. She has a very close bond with all these people, with Simone Buchholz painting quite a vivid picture of the closeness of their friendship.
‘Rocco’s cooked for everyone….Rocco and Carla call it mixing the glue. Holding the family together. We do this every week. And every few weeks something is different. A different person needs a bit more glue than the rest’
Chastity Riley has been described by some as a modern day Philip Marlowe. She is tough. She is hard. She is mentally strong. But yet she has a very vulnerable side that is ‘almost hidden’ from the reader. The chapters are short and are infused with one-liners and monologues, making it a very fast book to read.
Blue Night is 100% German. Set in Germany and originally written in German, it introduces the reader to a style that many may not have been exposed to before.
Blue Night is noir. It is, I imagine, what would have been termed hard-boiled crime fiction, a style synonymous with 1920’s America, but with a very modern and German twist.
Who really is Chastity Riley? What made her who she is? I expect Simone Buchholz will reveal a few further secrets as the series continues….
Blue Night is the first book in the Chastity Riley series and is a number one bestseller in Germany by German writer Simone Buchholz. It is published by Orenda Books and excellently translated by Rachel Ward.
With a very unique style of writing, containing sharp and short sentences, Blue Night tells us the story of Chastity Riley. At less than 200 pages, it is a compact tale with a very tough edge.
After a recent demotion, Chastity is itching to get her hands into something again. Currently working in witness protection, Chastity is bored. Her one saving grace are her friends. A mix of various characters, Chastity’s friends inhabit all parts of life. Restaurant owners Rocco and Carla, owner of the Blue Night bar, and her lover, Klatsche, and fellow law enforcers Faller and Calabretta. These are all family to Chastity and their friendship is very important to her.
Chastity’s story is never fully fleshed out, with just tantalizing snippets occasionally revealed to the reader. She is someone who has suffered great pain and her life has become a endless circle of caffeine, cigarettes and copious levels of alcohol. There is an underlying anger in Chastity and this, combined with her lifestyle and her shadowy history, makes her quite an enigmatic individual.
Blue Night takes the reader into the darkness of the drugs culture in Hamburg and beyond. With a tip-off from a man she currently has under police security in the local hospital, Chastity soon finds herself involved in a case that opens her eyes to the underbelly of the drug world. Controlled locally by the Albanian Mafia, these people are dangerous. They have created a dual identity, where their wealth has brought them, and bought them, entry into the highest echelons of society. These are people you do not want to mess with. Chastity soon becomes aware that one of her friends is going rogue and is going to try to collapse the empire of these Albanians as a lone vigilante.
With the assistance of a source in Leipzig, Chastity is soon exposed to the hidden underground lives of the drug user.
‘They look terrible; they really are living corpses…No idea how old they are. Their faces are sunken. There are green ulcers on their hands, on their arms and on their necks….I can’t move and I can’t speak. I want; to scream. To cry. This is just wrong’
What she sees frightens her. It drives her determination to help put a stop to this squalid existence for these zombie-like creatures, these human beings now reduced to the depths of depravity, all for one man’s wealth and power.
Chastity Riley’s own life runs in parallel with this case and we get a deeper look into her relationship with her friends. She has a very close bond with all these people, with Simone Buchholz painting quite a vivid picture of the closeness of their friendship.
‘Rocco’s cooked for everyone….Rocco and Carla call it mixing the glue. Holding the family together. We do this every week. And every few weeks something is different. A different person needs a bit more glue than the rest’
Chastity Riley has been described by some as a modern day Philip Marlowe. She is tough. She is hard. She is mentally strong. But yet she has a very vulnerable side that is ‘almost hidden’ from the reader. The chapters are short and are infused with one-liners and monologues, making it a very fast book to read.
Blue Night is 100% German. Set in Germany and originally written in German, it introduces the reader to a style that many may not have been exposed to before.
Blue Night is noir. It is, I imagine, what would have been termed hard-boiled crime fiction, a style synonymous with 1920’s America, but with a very modern and German twist.
Who really is Chastity Riley? What made her who she is? I expect Simone Buchholz will reveal a few further secrets as the series continues….
March 9, 2018
Blue Night is the first in a new series from established German crime fiction author, Simone Buchholz and was published by Orenda Books in paperback on 28th February 2018.
If you don’t already know, I am a HUGE fan of German crime fiction. Huge. I seek it out whenever possible (or at least when the TBR isn’t too mountainous). German crime fiction and, strangely, Japanese crime fiction too. I don’t like to follow the herd with your Nordic Noir, oh no – not me (although I do love Nordic Noir as well!)! So when I heard one of my very favourite publishers was about to release a novel written by a German author and translated into English, I had to read it. Orenda Books and German crime fiction – it was like a dream come true for me!
So what did I think? I really enjoyed it. I loved our main protagonist, Chastity Riley. She’s obviously a bit of a tough nut having previously convicted her superior of corruption and blasted the dangly bits from a poor and unfortunate gangster. Having been demoted after her escapades to the Public Prosecutors Office and to the *yawn* role of Victim Protection, Chastity is starting to stagnate. Things start to look up however when she meets a mysterious man in a Hamburg hospital. Granted he’s had nearly every bone in his body broken, he’s missing a finger and he’s not much of a talker but Chastity is intrigued. After all, it’s her job to protect him. Using somewhat unsuitable bribes for a man so close to death, she manages to get the victim talking and before long Chastity is on the case, hunting down a supplier of deadly drugs to the Hamburg area and beyond.
There’s a real unease to this tale which I thoroughly enjoyed. A gritty, hard edge noir which appealed to my darker side. I also liked that Chastity was surrounded by a slightly flawed group of friends who all looked out for one another. Themes of friendship really ran quite deep for me in this novel, and I liked it! But then, Chastity is my kind of protagonist. She’s a lean, mean, crime-fighting machine. Knows her right from her wrong and will do absolutely everything she can to make sure the path to justice is taken. I’m really very excited about this series and look forward to reading more about Chastity Riley in the future.
One thing I will say (actually two things but bear with me!), this is a quicker than average read as there are only 276 pages in the paperback version. The perfect book for a snowy (or sunny if you’re reading this after the cold snap we had at the end of February/beginning of March!) weekend some may say. I initially had a couple of small issues with some of the formatting in this book which left me feeling a little confused at times. It was only a matter of getting used to the characters, their names, the timeframe and the way these short passages are presented to the reader though. By the end of the novel, it wasn’t an issue for me at all.
Would I recommend this book? I would. Particularly if you’ve ever fancied giving German noir a go – I think Blue Night would be the perfect place to start. Gripping, ominous and delightfully edgy. I can’t wait to meet up with Chastity Riley again soon. For a shorter than average novel, it really packs one heck of a punch!
Four out of five stars.
I chose to read and review an ARC of Blue Night. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.
If you don’t already know, I am a HUGE fan of German crime fiction. Huge. I seek it out whenever possible (or at least when the TBR isn’t too mountainous). German crime fiction and, strangely, Japanese crime fiction too. I don’t like to follow the herd with your Nordic Noir, oh no – not me (although I do love Nordic Noir as well!)! So when I heard one of my very favourite publishers was about to release a novel written by a German author and translated into English, I had to read it. Orenda Books and German crime fiction – it was like a dream come true for me!
So what did I think? I really enjoyed it. I loved our main protagonist, Chastity Riley. She’s obviously a bit of a tough nut having previously convicted her superior of corruption and blasted the dangly bits from a poor and unfortunate gangster. Having been demoted after her escapades to the Public Prosecutors Office and to the *yawn* role of Victim Protection, Chastity is starting to stagnate. Things start to look up however when she meets a mysterious man in a Hamburg hospital. Granted he’s had nearly every bone in his body broken, he’s missing a finger and he’s not much of a talker but Chastity is intrigued. After all, it’s her job to protect him. Using somewhat unsuitable bribes for a man so close to death, she manages to get the victim talking and before long Chastity is on the case, hunting down a supplier of deadly drugs to the Hamburg area and beyond.
There’s a real unease to this tale which I thoroughly enjoyed. A gritty, hard edge noir which appealed to my darker side. I also liked that Chastity was surrounded by a slightly flawed group of friends who all looked out for one another. Themes of friendship really ran quite deep for me in this novel, and I liked it! But then, Chastity is my kind of protagonist. She’s a lean, mean, crime-fighting machine. Knows her right from her wrong and will do absolutely everything she can to make sure the path to justice is taken. I’m really very excited about this series and look forward to reading more about Chastity Riley in the future.
One thing I will say (actually two things but bear with me!), this is a quicker than average read as there are only 276 pages in the paperback version. The perfect book for a snowy (or sunny if you’re reading this after the cold snap we had at the end of February/beginning of March!) weekend some may say. I initially had a couple of small issues with some of the formatting in this book which left me feeling a little confused at times. It was only a matter of getting used to the characters, their names, the timeframe and the way these short passages are presented to the reader though. By the end of the novel, it wasn’t an issue for me at all.
Would I recommend this book? I would. Particularly if you’ve ever fancied giving German noir a go – I think Blue Night would be the perfect place to start. Gripping, ominous and delightfully edgy. I can’t wait to meet up with Chastity Riley again soon. For a shorter than average novel, it really packs one heck of a punch!
Four out of five stars.
I chose to read and review an ARC of Blue Night. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.
February 19, 2019
Chastity Riley is a public prosecutor in Hamburg, recently promoted sideways because she managed to put her boss behind bars and, while trying to shoot a bad guy in the leg, rather catastrophically (for him) missed by a few inches. Now she's been put in charge of witness-protection issues in hopes this'll keep her quiet for a bit.
Of course, it doesn't. Even though the witness she's assigned to protect, a man hospitalized after a vicious beating and the forced amputation of his right index finger, does his best to maintain silence and anonymity, she manages to learn enough from him to travel to Leipzig, where she gets the lowdown on a massive scheme to smuggle huge amounts of crystal meth and the even deadlier krok into Western Europe via Hamburg. At the same time, her old mentor, Georg Faller, has let slip his plans to single-handedly take down the viciously psychopathic mobster whose latest scheme the crystal meth operation is. More problematic still for Chas, her most intimate circle of friends, including her boyfriend, are not entirely uninvolved in the crimes that are going down . . .
While reading Blue Night (the title comes from the name of the pub Chas's boyfriend runs) I was much confused in that it seemed to be set several books into a series -- clearly, although there was enough background information given, I was supposed to already know some of the characters -- and yet it was labeled as #1 in the cycle. I've since discovered that it's in fact #6; however, it's the first to be published in English translation, so presumably it'll be followed by the others in the wrong order. Why do anglophone publishers do these things?
That aside, I enjoyed Blue Night a very great deal. Chastity Riley is a great character -- her given name's a bit of a misnomer -- and the characters around her are superbly, if sparely, depicted as well: favorites are Faller, Chas's best friend Carla, and the Leipzig cop Chas meets and enlists into her ad hoc task force, Wieczorkowski. The narration has the feel of the best of Golden Age pulp/hardboiled, and the story rattles along at a great lick: there's never a dull moment. Rachel Ward's flowing translation captures all the wit and verve that I assume were there in the original.
There's also an unusual narrative device, one that I haven't come across before (and may feel compelled to steal). At the end of each chapter there's a series of short vignettes, ranging in length from a few words to a few paragraphs, written in the voices of different members of the cast and set before, during or after the main plot. These don't seem especially germane to the events of that plot, and at first I was puzzled by them. After a few chapters, though, I found myself looking forward to them and the shafts of illumination they throw on the various characters -- some of whom don't even participate in the main narrative except offstage.
Fingers crossed Orenda Books hurry up and publish the rest of Simone Buchholz's noirish Chas Riley series, because after this taster I'm thirsty for more. And fingers crossed, too, that they now start at #1 and work through in the correct sequence.
Of course, it doesn't. Even though the witness she's assigned to protect, a man hospitalized after a vicious beating and the forced amputation of his right index finger, does his best to maintain silence and anonymity, she manages to learn enough from him to travel to Leipzig, where she gets the lowdown on a massive scheme to smuggle huge amounts of crystal meth and the even deadlier krok into Western Europe via Hamburg. At the same time, her old mentor, Georg Faller, has let slip his plans to single-handedly take down the viciously psychopathic mobster whose latest scheme the crystal meth operation is. More problematic still for Chas, her most intimate circle of friends, including her boyfriend, are not entirely uninvolved in the crimes that are going down . . .
While reading Blue Night (the title comes from the name of the pub Chas's boyfriend runs) I was much confused in that it seemed to be set several books into a series -- clearly, although there was enough background information given, I was supposed to already know some of the characters -- and yet it was labeled as #1 in the cycle. I've since discovered that it's in fact #6; however, it's the first to be published in English translation, so presumably it'll be followed by the others in the wrong order. Why do anglophone publishers do these things?
That aside, I enjoyed Blue Night a very great deal. Chastity Riley is a great character -- her given name's a bit of a misnomer -- and the characters around her are superbly, if sparely, depicted as well: favorites are Faller, Chas's best friend Carla, and the Leipzig cop Chas meets and enlists into her ad hoc task force, Wieczorkowski. The narration has the feel of the best of Golden Age pulp/hardboiled, and the story rattles along at a great lick: there's never a dull moment. Rachel Ward's flowing translation captures all the wit and verve that I assume were there in the original.
There's also an unusual narrative device, one that I haven't come across before (and may feel compelled to steal). At the end of each chapter there's a series of short vignettes, ranging in length from a few words to a few paragraphs, written in the voices of different members of the cast and set before, during or after the main plot. These don't seem especially germane to the events of that plot, and at first I was puzzled by them. After a few chapters, though, I found myself looking forward to them and the shafts of illumination they throw on the various characters -- some of whom don't even participate in the main narrative except offstage.
Fingers crossed Orenda Books hurry up and publish the rest of Simone Buchholz's noirish Chas Riley series, because after this taster I'm thirsty for more. And fingers crossed, too, that they now start at #1 and work through in the correct sequence.
February 24, 2018
4.5 stars rounded up to 5!
I am speechless.
Chastity Riley, you are a mystery I intend in solving!
It's a blue kind of Thursday and a very special trip to Germany today on the blog!
Thank you to Anne Cater and Karen Sullivan for picking me up for the drive! This review is my thank you to them and the author.
I am speechless.
It doesn’t happen a lot. I’m as chatty as a Donna Noble on pub nights. But Blue Night stole every word in the dictionary and every picture in my imagination, mixed and stirred, and kicked off a series the best way possible.
The style is unique. I was surprised and at first unsure whether or not I enjoyed the past narration popping up between chapters in the present, but the more I read, the more eager I was to find out more about what had led our characters to their current situation.
I tend to prefer when a story focuses on few characters. Well, I got the opposite here! But it was for the best. I often go for protagonists I can relate to, even on a small level, but here, everyone seemed so far away, so foreign, and yet so fascinating that I had to discover their personal stories, their scars, their thoughts. I loved delving into unknown territories and let myself be won over by a colorful and mysterious cast! I forbid myself to say more as I believe one of the strengths of Blue Night is hidden in the characterization. Let’s say surprises, an open mind, beer, and my kind of fun were all au rendez-vous!
Chastity Riley, you are a mystery I intend in solving!
Germany. I admit I don’t know a thing about you except for Angela Merkel. And Oktoberfest, of course. Blue Night is a ticket for a night train through the country, when the lights only allows you to see shades and forces every one of your senses to recreate the scenery. I felt the places, I touched them, I saw them, I tasted them, I heard, I smelled them. The full experience. A train slowly making its way through the darkest place while giving you a hint of what you can get in full daylight. Simone Buchholz creates a routine-like atmosphere and then adds edges to widen the map, clear the fog, or on the contrary, reinforce it. All you have to do is let yourself be transported, (carry a gun), and relish in the sketchy corners of Hamburg along with Chastity Riley!
I am pretty sure this is one of my most vague review ever! Deal with it, get the book! The compelling atmosphere associated with the best flawed characters will make you crave for more.
February 28, 2018
BLUE NIGHT by Simone Buchholz is my first venture into German Noir and I have to say it most certainly will not be my last. Gripping, dark, raw, and intense, this story has got it all and presents it in a fresh and exciting new way which will get your heart racing.
Chastity Riley is a tough state prosecutor who finds herself relegated to protecting witnesses after she took down a superior who was corrupt. Spending her time babysitting is not what she wants from her career but when she must guard an anonymous man who has been severely beaten, Chastity knows that there is so much more here than meets the eye. As she digs deeper she is pulled into the drugs world that is more dangerous than she can imagine. And on top of that, her motley crew of friends seems to be falling apart at the seams with one trying to take down an Albanian kingpin all by themselves. It looks like Chastity just cannot stay out of trouble ...
The narration is different to what I have read before but this added to the story for me and I really enjoyed this fresh approach. Chastity and her colleagues and friends are all strong, tough, and flawed which makes them relatable, likeable most of the time, and makes the overall plot even more realistic.
BLUE NIGHT by Simone Buchholz is well-paced and I read it cover to cover in a couple of hours. I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this translation but I loved it and will be first in line to buy the next book from Simone Buchholz.
*I voluntarily reviewed this book from the blog tour organiser
Chastity Riley is a tough state prosecutor who finds herself relegated to protecting witnesses after she took down a superior who was corrupt. Spending her time babysitting is not what she wants from her career but when she must guard an anonymous man who has been severely beaten, Chastity knows that there is so much more here than meets the eye. As she digs deeper she is pulled into the drugs world that is more dangerous than she can imagine. And on top of that, her motley crew of friends seems to be falling apart at the seams with one trying to take down an Albanian kingpin all by themselves. It looks like Chastity just cannot stay out of trouble ...
The narration is different to what I have read before but this added to the story for me and I really enjoyed this fresh approach. Chastity and her colleagues and friends are all strong, tough, and flawed which makes them relatable, likeable most of the time, and makes the overall plot even more realistic.
BLUE NIGHT by Simone Buchholz is well-paced and I read it cover to cover in a couple of hours. I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this translation but I loved it and will be first in line to buy the next book from Simone Buchholz.
*I voluntarily reviewed this book from the blog tour organiser
March 7, 2018
With thanks to the publisher for the copy received.
Chastity Riley has to rebuild her career after convicting her superior officer of corruption. She is frustrated and bored, working in the equivalent of an office cupboard and feeling invisible. But then she is given the task of trying to get a man to talk about why he was attacked. And he doesn’t want to make it easy for her. It is only when she starts to break down the barriers she realises how bad the situation could be. And just what is available on the streets.
The case that she does end up investigating is grim. It doesn’t glamorise anything. It is hard-hitting and terrifying and I hope I never have to see what she witnesses during parts of this novel. Both Chastity and people she works with see the worst sights of humanity and cope. I don’t know she does it.
The novel also focuses on her friendships. She is loyal to her friends, some she has known for years, and some are colleagues. Despite the difficulties caused by her job she recognises that some of them need help. There are a few of these friends I would love to know more about. With some of the personal aspects of the novel I felt that there was missing back story but I could still follow it easily enough.
I really liked Chastity,she has plenty of compassion, and is loyal, funny and down to earth. And she has some of the best observations on life that I have read in fiction.
A very successful series that is well established in Germany, I have no doubt that it will do just as well in other countries.
Chastity Riley has to rebuild her career after convicting her superior officer of corruption. She is frustrated and bored, working in the equivalent of an office cupboard and feeling invisible. But then she is given the task of trying to get a man to talk about why he was attacked. And he doesn’t want to make it easy for her. It is only when she starts to break down the barriers she realises how bad the situation could be. And just what is available on the streets.
The case that she does end up investigating is grim. It doesn’t glamorise anything. It is hard-hitting and terrifying and I hope I never have to see what she witnesses during parts of this novel. Both Chastity and people she works with see the worst sights of humanity and cope. I don’t know she does it.
The novel also focuses on her friendships. She is loyal to her friends, some she has known for years, and some are colleagues. Despite the difficulties caused by her job she recognises that some of them need help. There are a few of these friends I would love to know more about. With some of the personal aspects of the novel I felt that there was missing back story but I could still follow it easily enough.
I really liked Chastity,she has plenty of compassion, and is loyal, funny and down to earth. And she has some of the best observations on life that I have read in fiction.
A very successful series that is well established in Germany, I have no doubt that it will do just as well in other countries.
February 7, 2019
Chastity Riley, Hamburg’s state prosecutor, has found herself demoted to witness protection due to some recent trouble she’s stirred up. Shooting off the crown jewels of a gangster and convicting your superior of corruption aren’t exactly acts that are going to gain you friends. Riley has recently been assigned to look after an anonymous man who’s landed in the hospital after being beaten and having his finger cut off. Who is this mystery man? Why would anyone want to do this to him? Riley can’t get these questions out of her mind and thanks to her determination she’s able to gain a few hints her charge.
Riley soon finds herself on the trail of a synthetic drug, which is making its way into neighboring towns and killing off large numbers of addicts. In addition to tracking down the drugs, Riley soon discovers that her former coworker is determined to bring down Hamburg’s version of a mafia kingpin, known as the Albanian. Her coworker, Faller, is determined to do this on his own and refuses to care about the danger or listen to reason. Riley’s boring punishment is about to take a turn for the intense!
BLUE NIGHT is a twisty, fast-paced ride into Hamburg’s criminal underworld. Through the eyes of state prosecutor, Chas Riley, the reader gets to experience first hand the discovery of a drug smuggling operation and tag along on the ride to take it down. I believe this is my first time reading a work of translated German crime fiction and I found the experience of getting to know Hamburg quite entertaining! Riley was the perfect, wit-filled narrator to take me on my journey. She truly didn’t hold back on her opinions of her work situation or the actions of those closest to her.
Buchholz fills the pages of BLUE NIGHT with a plethora of characters. Off the bat I thought I would never figure out who was who and how they were all connected. Then I got through the first chapter and discovered that Buchholz had prepared for my fear and included a section at the end of each chapter that glimpsed back in time with several characters. These passages, albeit quite brief, allowed me to connect with the characters outside of the main storyline. The flashbacks also helped to bring me up to speed on how the drug and mafia situations that the story focuses on came to be of importance. I found myself looking forward to these sections in hopes to gain more insight into the characters.
With a storyline that has the potential to be viewed as gritty, Buchholz makes sure to balance the dark with a light, humorous undertone throughout the book. Riley in particular is not afraid to point out the irony or absurdity in her life or the situations she finds herself in. In addition to her blunt take on life, Riley is a no nonsense, take charge, and get shit done woman! In under 200 pages, Buchholz fills the pages of this book with a story that will make you want to keep reading. While things launch as a slow-burn, be prepared for the fun ride that lies ahead!
Riley soon finds herself on the trail of a synthetic drug, which is making its way into neighboring towns and killing off large numbers of addicts. In addition to tracking down the drugs, Riley soon discovers that her former coworker is determined to bring down Hamburg’s version of a mafia kingpin, known as the Albanian. Her coworker, Faller, is determined to do this on his own and refuses to care about the danger or listen to reason. Riley’s boring punishment is about to take a turn for the intense!
BLUE NIGHT is a twisty, fast-paced ride into Hamburg’s criminal underworld. Through the eyes of state prosecutor, Chas Riley, the reader gets to experience first hand the discovery of a drug smuggling operation and tag along on the ride to take it down. I believe this is my first time reading a work of translated German crime fiction and I found the experience of getting to know Hamburg quite entertaining! Riley was the perfect, wit-filled narrator to take me on my journey. She truly didn’t hold back on her opinions of her work situation or the actions of those closest to her.
Buchholz fills the pages of BLUE NIGHT with a plethora of characters. Off the bat I thought I would never figure out who was who and how they were all connected. Then I got through the first chapter and discovered that Buchholz had prepared for my fear and included a section at the end of each chapter that glimpsed back in time with several characters. These passages, albeit quite brief, allowed me to connect with the characters outside of the main storyline. The flashbacks also helped to bring me up to speed on how the drug and mafia situations that the story focuses on came to be of importance. I found myself looking forward to these sections in hopes to gain more insight into the characters.
With a storyline that has the potential to be viewed as gritty, Buchholz makes sure to balance the dark with a light, humorous undertone throughout the book. Riley in particular is not afraid to point out the irony or absurdity in her life or the situations she finds herself in. In addition to her blunt take on life, Riley is a no nonsense, take charge, and get shit done woman! In under 200 pages, Buchholz fills the pages of this book with a story that will make you want to keep reading. While things launch as a slow-burn, be prepared for the fun ride that lies ahead!
August 18, 2019
Bit weird how this is (according to Goodreads) the SIXTH novel in this series, yet the FIRST to be published in English. It stands alone pretty well, though, and I'm very interested to read more from Simone Buchholz.
February 26, 2018
Set in Hamburg, Germany. A man is found brutally beaten and it is the job of Chastity Riley to find out the details of this mysterious man. He is not willing to give much about himself, he is Joe and has said he underestimated his attackers. To get more information from him, Riley will have to gain his trust and do her own digging to discover more.
This is a gritty German Noir read, told from the perspective of Riley, we are led through her daily routines, meet her friends and colleagues. In between her chapters are diary like entries of other characters, these range from maybe a sentence to several paragraphs in length. At first this caught me unawares, but as the story progress they make sense and give the links and insights that you would not have got from Riley alone. They are the personal snippets from the lives all given at a similar time in the past. I also noticed while reading this book, there is a lot of time drinking, it did make me wonder how some of these people function.
The pacing, well took me a few chapters while I got used to the names and places, the characters and their relationships to each other, but then I sped through it, one sitting in front of the fire on a cold February evening...it was bliss.
The plot weaves its way around the criminal drug trade, a notorious gang lord and the importation of a new deadly and viscous drug. It also has great insights into the past of the characters, how they came to be in Hamburg and why.
Overall a book I rally enjoyed, read in one sitting back this up. Some interesting characters and good plot. This is a book I would definitely recommend to readers of gritty, hard-hitting crime with its feet rooted in German Noir. A great read.
This is a gritty German Noir read, told from the perspective of Riley, we are led through her daily routines, meet her friends and colleagues. In between her chapters are diary like entries of other characters, these range from maybe a sentence to several paragraphs in length. At first this caught me unawares, but as the story progress they make sense and give the links and insights that you would not have got from Riley alone. They are the personal snippets from the lives all given at a similar time in the past. I also noticed while reading this book, there is a lot of time drinking, it did make me wonder how some of these people function.
The pacing, well took me a few chapters while I got used to the names and places, the characters and their relationships to each other, but then I sped through it, one sitting in front of the fire on a cold February evening...it was bliss.
The plot weaves its way around the criminal drug trade, a notorious gang lord and the importation of a new deadly and viscous drug. It also has great insights into the past of the characters, how they came to be in Hamburg and why.
Overall a book I rally enjoyed, read in one sitting back this up. Some interesting characters and good plot. This is a book I would definitely recommend to readers of gritty, hard-hitting crime with its feet rooted in German Noir. A great read.
March 1, 2018
Blue Night by Simone Buchholz marks the start in a cracking new series featuring Chastity Riley, Hamburg’s state prosecutor. Recently demoted to the witness protection department following her whistle-blowing on a colleague, Chas is feeling unfulfilled in her new role. However, things are about to change when an unknown man who is unwilling to talk arrives at the local hospital following a severe beating in which almost all of his bones are broken and a finger has been taken from one of his hands, and Chas is tasked to look after him.
The prologue hit me like a sucker-punch, as Buchholz’s description of someone taking a beating is poetic in its prose for such an horrific event. The short sentences work really well in delivering the brutality of the attack while simultaneously mesmerising you. The rest of Blue Night continued to be written in a way that is so unlike most of the books I have recently read. I have to admit that it took me a while to settle into its rhythm as Buchholz has a really unique way of writing and each chapter contains flashbacks from various characters in the book. Initially I wasn’t sure what I made of it, but as the book progressed and I became accustomed to the style and structure I began to really enjoy it. I ended up really liking the way Buccholz has structured the book as she adds different characters to the back stories in each chapter enabling you to view things from different perspectives. The way she knits it all together towards the end is brilliant.
I would describe the first half as slow-burning while we get to know Chastity, her friends and colleagues and as she attempts to build up a trusting relationship with the man she has been charged to look after. The second half of the novel, for me, had more pace and its grittiness really drew me in. The subject matter that Buchholz deals with is seamy, sordid and the observations she makes are depressingly spot on making it realistic. The ending … wow!
I really warmed to Chastity Riley and the rest of the characters in the book. Buchholz has effectively given just enough about each character to make you want to find out more about them and I look forward to the next book in the series.
Blue Night is a really unique read and I grew to love the structure and style. Beautifully written and seamlessly translated, Buchholz offers something refreshingly different to what’s on the market currently and I urge you to check it out.
The prologue hit me like a sucker-punch, as Buchholz’s description of someone taking a beating is poetic in its prose for such an horrific event. The short sentences work really well in delivering the brutality of the attack while simultaneously mesmerising you. The rest of Blue Night continued to be written in a way that is so unlike most of the books I have recently read. I have to admit that it took me a while to settle into its rhythm as Buchholz has a really unique way of writing and each chapter contains flashbacks from various characters in the book. Initially I wasn’t sure what I made of it, but as the book progressed and I became accustomed to the style and structure I began to really enjoy it. I ended up really liking the way Buccholz has structured the book as she adds different characters to the back stories in each chapter enabling you to view things from different perspectives. The way she knits it all together towards the end is brilliant.
I would describe the first half as slow-burning while we get to know Chastity, her friends and colleagues and as she attempts to build up a trusting relationship with the man she has been charged to look after. The second half of the novel, for me, had more pace and its grittiness really drew me in. The subject matter that Buchholz deals with is seamy, sordid and the observations she makes are depressingly spot on making it realistic. The ending … wow!
I really warmed to Chastity Riley and the rest of the characters in the book. Buchholz has effectively given just enough about each character to make you want to find out more about them and I look forward to the next book in the series.
Blue Night is a really unique read and I grew to love the structure and style. Beautifully written and seamlessly translated, Buchholz offers something refreshingly different to what’s on the market currently and I urge you to check it out.
February 18, 2018
I would like to thank the writer Simon Bucholz, publisher Orenda Books and blog tour organiser for the ARC of Blue Night in return for an honest review.
When I first started Blue Night I wasn’t convinced it was a book I was going to enjoy! By the end I was enthralled, addicted and had found a new favourite author.
The story and writing slowly seep into your soul, to the extent that I found it almost impossible to put it down! If my boss hadn’t insisted I actually do some work I would not have done so.
I needed to know what happened and seemed to be in a constant state of anxiety about the fate of my favourite characters. It’s the sign of a great thriller, that you are carried along by what feels like an unstopple force and Blue Night had that affect on me.
It’s a first class piece of story telling, with believable characters and based in a gritty reality. It takes the reader into the violent world of drug dealing and trafficking, but keeps strong characterisation at it’s heart, which to me as a reader is vital.
The novel is full of dark themes, but is at all times thrilling and unnerving.
When I first started Blue Night I wasn’t convinced it was a book I was going to enjoy! By the end I was enthralled, addicted and had found a new favourite author.
The story and writing slowly seep into your soul, to the extent that I found it almost impossible to put it down! If my boss hadn’t insisted I actually do some work I would not have done so.
I needed to know what happened and seemed to be in a constant state of anxiety about the fate of my favourite characters. It’s the sign of a great thriller, that you are carried along by what feels like an unstopple force and Blue Night had that affect on me.
It’s a first class piece of story telling, with believable characters and based in a gritty reality. It takes the reader into the violent world of drug dealing and trafficking, but keeps strong characterisation at it’s heart, which to me as a reader is vital.
The novel is full of dark themes, but is at all times thrilling and unnerving.
February 10, 2018
Wow, I finished the book last night and one thought came to mind: what a great crime fiction.
Set in the gritty German city of Hamburg, the story followed our protagonist Chasity Riley, who was assigned a new task in the Police force where her main job was to protect the witnesses and victims of crime. The story started with her being assigned to protect a man who was beaten so severely and left alone on the street. The more she found out about this man, the more secrets about the biggest crime organisation in Germany unfolded.
What I loved most about this book is the fact that even though the story is mainly told from Chastity’s point of view, the book has also included the viewpoints of Chastity’s circle of friends. In addition, what made it so engaging was that with all these viewpoints, past and present are also intertwined. It gives you such a clear understanding of how these characters come to be the people they are today, and their stories and relationships also play a huge role in Chastity’s life and her career. This is such a refreshing way of narrating a story and I find it so endearing.
In addition, this story is so atmospheric, and it has done an excellent job of portraying the gritty, raw, seedy hedonism of Hamburg at that time. I can smell the salty and foul air, I can see the dirty streets and feel the absolute pleasure-seeking energy in this city.
I finished the book in one sitting and I enjoyed it immensely!
Thank you so much Anne and Orenda Books for sending me an advance copy of Blue Night and including me in this fabulous blog tour.
Set in the gritty German city of Hamburg, the story followed our protagonist Chasity Riley, who was assigned a new task in the Police force where her main job was to protect the witnesses and victims of crime. The story started with her being assigned to protect a man who was beaten so severely and left alone on the street. The more she found out about this man, the more secrets about the biggest crime organisation in Germany unfolded.
What I loved most about this book is the fact that even though the story is mainly told from Chastity’s point of view, the book has also included the viewpoints of Chastity’s circle of friends. In addition, what made it so engaging was that with all these viewpoints, past and present are also intertwined. It gives you such a clear understanding of how these characters come to be the people they are today, and their stories and relationships also play a huge role in Chastity’s life and her career. This is such a refreshing way of narrating a story and I find it so endearing.
In addition, this story is so atmospheric, and it has done an excellent job of portraying the gritty, raw, seedy hedonism of Hamburg at that time. I can smell the salty and foul air, I can see the dirty streets and feel the absolute pleasure-seeking energy in this city.
I finished the book in one sitting and I enjoyed it immensely!
Thank you so much Anne and Orenda Books for sending me an advance copy of Blue Night and including me in this fabulous blog tour.
February 17, 2018
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I thought that this book was fantastic!! Everything about the book worked for me – the characters were brilliant, the pace was spot on and the plot was gripping, thrilling and completely addictive!!
I love crime fiction and as soon as I read the blurb for his book I knew I needed to read it and would definitely enjoy it and I wasn’t wrong – this will definitely be up there with my top reads of the year as it will take some beating! Really, really looking forward to this new crime series – if this first book is anything to go by it will be brilliant!! Loved it!!
No hesitation in giving this book 5stars – grab your copy now!!!
I thought that this book was fantastic!! Everything about the book worked for me – the characters were brilliant, the pace was spot on and the plot was gripping, thrilling and completely addictive!!
I love crime fiction and as soon as I read the blurb for his book I knew I needed to read it and would definitely enjoy it and I wasn’t wrong – this will definitely be up there with my top reads of the year as it will take some beating! Really, really looking forward to this new crime series – if this first book is anything to go by it will be brilliant!! Loved it!!
No hesitation in giving this book 5stars – grab your copy now!!!
February 2, 2018
I have to admit that I found Blue Night quite hard to get into but I kept going and soon got into the story of Chastity Riley, a prosecutor who is demoted to an office that consists of a desk in a cupboard and the role that nobody wants to do. However it is a role that she happens to be quite good at, managing to get through to a man who has been beaten so badly that his body is broken, he won’t talk to anyone but she chips away and he starts to open up to her.
Chastity finds herself drawn into a case that is nowhere near as dull as she’d expected it to be, and perhaps she can win favours and get back into the meatier jobs that she misses. I loved Chastity’s relationship with the other characters, she has a way of relating to people and although she appears to be very tough and capable, there’s a soft side to her that she sometimes lets others see.
This is the first book that I have read that has been translated from German into English and I have to admit that I’m not sure that it works as well as books that I have read from Iceland/Norway etc. Something didn’t quite flow with the words and I suspect that my dyslexic brain made it harder for me to put the story together and so reading the book took a lot of concentration.
But don’t let that put you off, it’s a fun story that kept me guessing and thinking. Chastity Riley is definitely a great new character that I’m sure will soon have many fans.
Chastity finds herself drawn into a case that is nowhere near as dull as she’d expected it to be, and perhaps she can win favours and get back into the meatier jobs that she misses. I loved Chastity’s relationship with the other characters, she has a way of relating to people and although she appears to be very tough and capable, there’s a soft side to her that she sometimes lets others see.
This is the first book that I have read that has been translated from German into English and I have to admit that I’m not sure that it works as well as books that I have read from Iceland/Norway etc. Something didn’t quite flow with the words and I suspect that my dyslexic brain made it harder for me to put the story together and so reading the book took a lot of concentration.
But don’t let that put you off, it’s a fun story that kept me guessing and thinking. Chastity Riley is definitely a great new character that I’m sure will soon have many fans.
February 2, 2018
am going to start by saying how I liked it had a little map before the story, an extra little touch. Then, WOW! What an opening to a story, Simone sure knows how to grab the readers attention within the first two pages. I also loved how the main character was a woman (Ms Riley).
I liked the way Simone has written this story, very well written but even better is how all the characters got to have their own little part at the end of each chapter as a little conclusion of their own, their own views and problems. Made it perfect!
The ending well… What a fast paced, explosive ending that was. A well deserved four stars from me. An easy to devour, brilliant story. I highly recommend! This story has been translated by Rachel Ward and I think she did a superb job of it too.
I liked the way Simone has written this story, very well written but even better is how all the characters got to have their own little part at the end of each chapter as a little conclusion of their own, their own views and problems. Made it perfect!
The ending well… What a fast paced, explosive ending that was. A well deserved four stars from me. An easy to devour, brilliant story. I highly recommend! This story has been translated by Rachel Ward and I think she did a superb job of it too.
March 3, 2021
Une belle virée hambourgeoise et une clique attachante, que l'on aura plaisir à retrouver ailleurs ! À lire !
July 17, 2021
'Blue Night' is the sixth book in a popular series of German crime novels about Hamburg-based State Prosecutor Chastity Riley and the first book in the series to be translated into English. I was immersed in it and fascinated by it from the first page, partly because it wasn't at all what the publisher's summary had led me to expect. It described Chastity Riley as 'Hamburg’s most hard-bitten state prosecutor' and said she was currently out of favour for having blown the whistle on her corrupt boss and described Simone Buchholz's writing as having 'all the hard-boiled poetry and acerbic wit of the best noir'. So, I'd expected to meet a hard-driving lawyer, pushing her way back to prominence while monologuing Chandleresque descriptions of the Hamburg demimonde she hunts in. In other words, American noir in a much older city and with a German accent.
Chastity Riley and Simone Buchholz's writing both turned out to be something quite different.
Most noir writing I've read works by having a central character who moves through but is not really part of a sleazy, occasionally dangerous demimonde, sharing their jaundiced sometimes wise-cracking, sometimes fatalistic take on on the inhabitants as if he was taking you on a behind the scenes tour of a zoo while going on a quest to find the solution to a mystery. There's something voyeuristic about it. The central character has more in common with the 'respectable' people who exploit the citizens of the demimonde than he does with the people who live there.
The thing I liked most about 'Blue Night' was that Chastity Riley is part of the demimonde. She has built long-term friendships with a very diverse group of people: an ex-thief, an immigrant couple who run a café that is becoming a restaurant and a retired policeman with a personal vendetta against one of the leading figures in organised crime. She lives in the heart of the Kleis and is part of the community. She spends a lot of time smoking and drinking and hanging out with her friends and drinking and smoking and drinking some more.
'Blue Night' isn't about solving a puzzle, nor is it about Chastity re-starting her career, although both of these things happen, it's a total immersion in her world.
The storytelling is remarkable. it's a non-linear character-rather-than-plot-focused narrative. It focuses not just on one character but on a mature ensemble cast with a rich shared history. Simone Buchholz uses a simple but very effective device to show how their relationships have evolved and how the experience and expectations overlap and sometimes conflict. She intersperses the main 2016 narrative with thin slices of history going back to 1982 and moving forward two or five years at a time. In each slice, we get a paragraph or two from the point of view of one of the ensemble cast. Each slice changes or deepens our understanding of the 2016 narrative.
Playing against the normal noir conventions, 'Blue Night' is written with a quiet gentle humour that fights against and sometimes emphasises the sadness and disappointment that characterises so much of the lives of the core cast.
All of this is wrapped around an intriguing mystery set against a grimly realistic picture of the sleazy side of Hamburg and the long reach of organised crime. Even here, the storytelling is original. As a result of her whistleblowing in a previous book, Chastity has been 'exiled' to an administrative sinecure that keeps her as a State Prosecutor but with 'special duties'. One of those duties brings her to the hospital bed of a man who has been severely beaten and has had his right index finger removed. Chastity know nothing about him except that he was wearing a good suit, has an Austrian accent and refuses to give his name or answer any questions about himself.
I was fascinated by the oblique way in which Chastity interrogated the man and started to win his trust. The whole plot depends on what she finds out about him and his attackers and she approaches the problem in a way that fits with her character: she brings him beer, takes him outside to smoke, asks him non-threatening questions and works with her network of professional and personal colleagues to find out more. The resolution was both surprising and satisfying.
Two other things made 'Blue Night' a memorable read: how nuance the translation was and how well the narrator's style fitted with the text. Sometimes, with translated text, I get the sense that I'm looking at the action with a pane of glass between me and it. I know what's going on but I'm always aware that I'm not touching the original. Rachel Ward's translation was so good that I quickly forgot that anything was being translated at all. I could hear all the people in my head and they felt real. Of course, this was helped by Gabrielle Baker's narration and particularly by her choice of regional English accents
i'm a fan now and will be coming back for the three other books in the series that are available in English.
February 13, 2018
If Blue Night was a film it would be black and white and ideally star the likes of Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney and Ava Gardner. The characters may be vodka rather than whisky sodden and the action takes place in Hamburg rather than America but with its intricate plot, cynical heroes (and anti-heroes) and acerbic dialogue, it oozes the effortless style of Film Noir. A fairly short book with no word wasted, it's a real testament to Simone Buchholz's writing that neither plot nor characterisation is sacrificed and in fact, the sparsity of language lends itself perfectly to both.
Although the first Chas Riley book to be published in English (and credit must be given here for Rachel Ward's superb translation), it's not the first book to star the world-weary state prosecutor. I don't know whether it's a feature of all the books in the series but I really enjoyed the author's clever use of diary-like entries interspersed between the chapters. While most of the book is narrated by Chastity, these individual excerpts are written from the point of view of all the characters. Told in chronological order, the first date from 1982 and eventually they catch up with the current day. These little fragments of extra information serve two purposes; they give us some useful back story about how the characters met without having to wade through pages of exposition, and they provide some insights we wouldn't have had from Riley's perspective alone.
I adored the characters in Blue Night, particularly Chastity Riley and her disparate group of friends. They are hard drinking, heavy smoking, damaged individuals who have somehow found one another despite their differences and have become family to one another, not without their problems but fiercely loyal and supportive. They may be all slightly broken, some more than others, they argue and keep secrets but I think Bogart would approve of this beautiful friendship.
The plot revolves around 'Joe' an unidentified man who is brought into hospital after being brutally beaten up. Chas is now working in Witness Protection after running into trouble as a state prosecutor and is assigned to his case. She manages to gain his trust which leads her into an investigation into organised crime, drug running and corruption. The story is complex and twisted, this was never going to be a straightforward crime is committed then solved book and indeed what we are given is something much bleaker. This is the dirty side of crime where justice is delivered as much by bullet as in a court and the unluckiest victims are those who end up dying as addicts on the streets.
With its hard-hitting and plentiful action, Simone Buchholz has created a contemporary thriller with all the coolness of classic Noir. Blue Night is dark pessimistic and gritty; exuding atmosphere, the story enveloped me like wisps of cigarette smoke. I loved it and can't wait to read more of this exciting series.
Although the first Chas Riley book to be published in English (and credit must be given here for Rachel Ward's superb translation), it's not the first book to star the world-weary state prosecutor. I don't know whether it's a feature of all the books in the series but I really enjoyed the author's clever use of diary-like entries interspersed between the chapters. While most of the book is narrated by Chastity, these individual excerpts are written from the point of view of all the characters. Told in chronological order, the first date from 1982 and eventually they catch up with the current day. These little fragments of extra information serve two purposes; they give us some useful back story about how the characters met without having to wade through pages of exposition, and they provide some insights we wouldn't have had from Riley's perspective alone.
I adored the characters in Blue Night, particularly Chastity Riley and her disparate group of friends. They are hard drinking, heavy smoking, damaged individuals who have somehow found one another despite their differences and have become family to one another, not without their problems but fiercely loyal and supportive. They may be all slightly broken, some more than others, they argue and keep secrets but I think Bogart would approve of this beautiful friendship.
The plot revolves around 'Joe' an unidentified man who is brought into hospital after being brutally beaten up. Chas is now working in Witness Protection after running into trouble as a state prosecutor and is assigned to his case. She manages to gain his trust which leads her into an investigation into organised crime, drug running and corruption. The story is complex and twisted, this was never going to be a straightforward crime is committed then solved book and indeed what we are given is something much bleaker. This is the dirty side of crime where justice is delivered as much by bullet as in a court and the unluckiest victims are those who end up dying as addicts on the streets.
With its hard-hitting and plentiful action, Simone Buchholz has created a contemporary thriller with all the coolness of classic Noir. Blue Night is dark pessimistic and gritty; exuding atmosphere, the story enveloped me like wisps of cigarette smoke. I loved it and can't wait to read more of this exciting series.
March 12, 2020
When you first jump in to this novel, you can be forgiven for thinking it is the second or third book in a series and go off hunting for books one and two so you can catch up on the back story. But you won’t find them, certainly not in an English translation anyway, so you must just get to grips with the nature of the narrative construct that the author has used, disjointed and non-linear, jumping back and forth in time, bobbing between different characters’ viewpoints and using a mixture of straight forward narrative, snippets of memories and random thoughts. It is a very unique approach, and one that takes a little getting used to but, once you get in to the rhythm of the writing, it is pacy and gripping, but also poetic and lyrical and strangely effecting, given the genre.
So, we meet Chastity Riley, a state prosecutor for the city of Hamburg, following some kind of fall from grace which we discover more details about as the book unfolds but never really discover the whole story. She has been consigned to what basically amounts to babysitting a victim of a crime as her recovers in hospital, waiting for him to divulge evidence that made lead to them catching the perpetrator. Inevitably things turn out to be more complicated than anticipated and the simple assault opens onto a world of drug running and gang warfare.
The crime investigation is fascinating and brilliantly portrayed but fairly straight forward and the less interesting part of the book for me. What really stood out and made this a really startling and noteworthy read was the character of Chastity herself and the people with whom she surrounds herself. She is a flawed and complicated person with some kind of darkness driving her that is compelling but never fully uncovered in this book. She is obviously tormented, has unwise attachments and is someone we long to know better but know we have barely scratched the surface of what there is to understand about her in this book. The author reveals some of her innermost thoughts, while keeping so much still concealed and making us care for her deeply, whilst maintaining her hard veneer, all at the same time. It is some of the most skilful writing I have read in a long time. You get the feeling that the reason we can’t fully understand what drives Chastity is that she isn’t quite sure herself.
On top of the fascinating characterisation, I was really drawn to the dark and gritty portrayal of the Hamburg underworld, a setting I have not read about before. Despite the fact that the author is describing some of the seediest and least attractive parts of the city and its inhabitants, there is still a sense of life and affection and kinship here, perhaps more so than Chastity now feels with some of her law enforcement colleagues. The book blurs the lines between good and bad, wrong and right and light and dark in an intriguing way.
This is a book that takes you places you’ve probably never been before, and leaves as many questions as it answers, but with a deep affinity for Chastity and an urge to discover more about her, to help her figure out her life whilst she herself perhaps doesn’t feel the drive to do so. It is a relationship different to any I think I have had with a fictional character before.
I just have to mention the translation of this book, which is seamless and impressive. All of the nuance and sensation of the book has been maintained, the poetry and lyricism of what is, in places, sparse language. Not an easy feat, I wouldn’t have thought, especially to leave the reader without any inkling that they are reading a piece of translated fiction.
Delightful, in a deeply noir-ish way.
So, we meet Chastity Riley, a state prosecutor for the city of Hamburg, following some kind of fall from grace which we discover more details about as the book unfolds but never really discover the whole story. She has been consigned to what basically amounts to babysitting a victim of a crime as her recovers in hospital, waiting for him to divulge evidence that made lead to them catching the perpetrator. Inevitably things turn out to be more complicated than anticipated and the simple assault opens onto a world of drug running and gang warfare.
The crime investigation is fascinating and brilliantly portrayed but fairly straight forward and the less interesting part of the book for me. What really stood out and made this a really startling and noteworthy read was the character of Chastity herself and the people with whom she surrounds herself. She is a flawed and complicated person with some kind of darkness driving her that is compelling but never fully uncovered in this book. She is obviously tormented, has unwise attachments and is someone we long to know better but know we have barely scratched the surface of what there is to understand about her in this book. The author reveals some of her innermost thoughts, while keeping so much still concealed and making us care for her deeply, whilst maintaining her hard veneer, all at the same time. It is some of the most skilful writing I have read in a long time. You get the feeling that the reason we can’t fully understand what drives Chastity is that she isn’t quite sure herself.
On top of the fascinating characterisation, I was really drawn to the dark and gritty portrayal of the Hamburg underworld, a setting I have not read about before. Despite the fact that the author is describing some of the seediest and least attractive parts of the city and its inhabitants, there is still a sense of life and affection and kinship here, perhaps more so than Chastity now feels with some of her law enforcement colleagues. The book blurs the lines between good and bad, wrong and right and light and dark in an intriguing way.
This is a book that takes you places you’ve probably never been before, and leaves as many questions as it answers, but with a deep affinity for Chastity and an urge to discover more about her, to help her figure out her life whilst she herself perhaps doesn’t feel the drive to do so. It is a relationship different to any I think I have had with a fictional character before.
I just have to mention the translation of this book, which is seamless and impressive. All of the nuance and sensation of the book has been maintained, the poetry and lyricism of what is, in places, sparse language. Not an easy feat, I wouldn’t have thought, especially to leave the reader without any inkling that they are reading a piece of translated fiction.
Delightful, in a deeply noir-ish way.
March 1, 2018
Drugs thriller set in HAMBURG (noir with a whole new slant)
The career of Chastity Riley, a state prosecutor in Hamburg, is going nowhere. She has had one of her bosses convicted for corruption and wounded a gangster by unnecessarily shooting and wounding him. She is ‘rewarded’ by being transferred to witness protection – a kind of non job. A middle-aged Austrian man is badly beaten up and hospitalised – Chastity is sent to sit by his bed and encourage him to talk (which he is somewhat reluctant to do). The presumption is that this he is the victim of an underworld vendetta.
In parallel a story of drug running and murder develops. Crack cocaine is rife in Hamburg and an upstart gang is challenging the long time (and now seen as respectable) Albanian godfather, Gjergj Malaj, for distribution rights, It is a violent world that brings in the drug from Eastern Europe and uses Hamburg as a centre for onward delivery to the West. Disloyalty is not rewarded.
Chastity’s victim begins to talk. And he talks of Malaj and drug wars. The two stories begin to come together. Chastity makes a trip to Leipzig to meet a drugs officer. Together they travel on into the Czech Republic – from where both crack cocaine and a deadly new synthetic drug are sourced. A thrilling climax back in Hamburg is set up.
Blue Night is a very well constructed and very well written thriller. But, to my mind, one of the features of the book is not the story itself… It is the friendship between Chastity and her weird and wonderful set of misfits – some police and law enforcement, some not. They all look out for each other. The Blue Night of the title is a bar just off the Reeperbahn owner by her boyfriend, Klatsche. He is an ex-burglar who specialised in picking locks. It is the centre point for them to get together… and drink, and talk. There is Georg Faller, a friend and former colleague, intent on waging a one man war to bring down Malaj, Vito Calebretta, another policeman – mourning the loss of the love of his life, and Carla, a Portuguese with a café – and a boyfriend called Rocco who is the chef. They are an eclectic, but very believable, bunch. The other star is Hamburg itself. The dirty, sordid – and yet beautiful – city comes through loud and clear. Ideal TripFiction material.
Blue Night was top of the German crime bestsellers list for several months – and it is easy to understand why. It is both exciting and moving – noir with a whole new slant.
The career of Chastity Riley, a state prosecutor in Hamburg, is going nowhere. She has had one of her bosses convicted for corruption and wounded a gangster by unnecessarily shooting and wounding him. She is ‘rewarded’ by being transferred to witness protection – a kind of non job. A middle-aged Austrian man is badly beaten up and hospitalised – Chastity is sent to sit by his bed and encourage him to talk (which he is somewhat reluctant to do). The presumption is that this he is the victim of an underworld vendetta.
In parallel a story of drug running and murder develops. Crack cocaine is rife in Hamburg and an upstart gang is challenging the long time (and now seen as respectable) Albanian godfather, Gjergj Malaj, for distribution rights, It is a violent world that brings in the drug from Eastern Europe and uses Hamburg as a centre for onward delivery to the West. Disloyalty is not rewarded.
Chastity’s victim begins to talk. And he talks of Malaj and drug wars. The two stories begin to come together. Chastity makes a trip to Leipzig to meet a drugs officer. Together they travel on into the Czech Republic – from where both crack cocaine and a deadly new synthetic drug are sourced. A thrilling climax back in Hamburg is set up.
Blue Night is a very well constructed and very well written thriller. But, to my mind, one of the features of the book is not the story itself… It is the friendship between Chastity and her weird and wonderful set of misfits – some police and law enforcement, some not. They all look out for each other. The Blue Night of the title is a bar just off the Reeperbahn owner by her boyfriend, Klatsche. He is an ex-burglar who specialised in picking locks. It is the centre point for them to get together… and drink, and talk. There is Georg Faller, a friend and former colleague, intent on waging a one man war to bring down Malaj, Vito Calebretta, another policeman – mourning the loss of the love of his life, and Carla, a Portuguese with a café – and a boyfriend called Rocco who is the chef. They are an eclectic, but very believable, bunch. The other star is Hamburg itself. The dirty, sordid – and yet beautiful – city comes through loud and clear. Ideal TripFiction material.
Blue Night was top of the German crime bestsellers list for several months – and it is easy to understand why. It is both exciting and moving – noir with a whole new slant.
February 4, 2018
Blue Night is doing tremendously well in Buchholz's native Germany, whereby it won the Crime Cologne Award and was runner-up for the German Crime Fiction Prize, and was number one on the KrimiZEIT Best of Crime List for months. Thankfully, due to the seamless translation by Rachel Ward, it has now been brought to the English speaking market.
Buchholz opens Blue Night with a powerful prologue that holds no punches and sets the tone for the rest of the book. Initially, I did find Blue Night difficult to get into due to the narrative style of short, snappy sentences but once I got used to these, I was immersed into Chasity Riley's world. This is a very clever and slick book, taking its reader into the mafia underworld - bringing German Noir to a new audience.
Chastity Riley was a high profile state prosecutor however has been effectively demoted to a desk job within witness protection. Chastity is assigned to a mystery man under police guard in hospital following an attack which has left him with almost every bone in his body broken and without one of his fingers. The man enjoys talking in riddles however Chastity uses all her persuasion skills to find out a bit more about him which turns a tedious job into an exciting challenge.
I found that Blue Night was a book of two halves, the first half is a slow burn whereby Buchholz is building up the story, the mystery around the man in hospital and Chasity starting to build the man's trust. The second half then ramps up this pace to a fabulous ending. The pacing and the unfolding of the story within the first half of the book made it very difficult to put down however during the second half of the book I found I couldn't read it fast enough!!
A brilliant taste of German Noir which I hope is received as well in the UK as it has in Germany.
Buchholz opens Blue Night with a powerful prologue that holds no punches and sets the tone for the rest of the book. Initially, I did find Blue Night difficult to get into due to the narrative style of short, snappy sentences but once I got used to these, I was immersed into Chasity Riley's world. This is a very clever and slick book, taking its reader into the mafia underworld - bringing German Noir to a new audience.
Chastity Riley was a high profile state prosecutor however has been effectively demoted to a desk job within witness protection. Chastity is assigned to a mystery man under police guard in hospital following an attack which has left him with almost every bone in his body broken and without one of his fingers. The man enjoys talking in riddles however Chastity uses all her persuasion skills to find out a bit more about him which turns a tedious job into an exciting challenge.
I found that Blue Night was a book of two halves, the first half is a slow burn whereby Buchholz is building up the story, the mystery around the man in hospital and Chasity starting to build the man's trust. The second half then ramps up this pace to a fabulous ending. The pacing and the unfolding of the story within the first half of the book made it very difficult to put down however during the second half of the book I found I couldn't read it fast enough!!
A brilliant taste of German Noir which I hope is received as well in the UK as it has in Germany.
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