Mike Finn’s Reviews > The Kitchen > Status Update

On the surface this is the story of a professional woman navigating her life in the lively but slightly disreputable part of Hamburg that she's given her heart to. This narrative is personal and intimate. Beneath the surface is an undertow of violent misogeny, fear, anger and a hunger for revenge. The subtle ways in which the undertow changes the main narrative are fascinating.

I like the way this series focuses on Chas Riley's life as a whole, of which, prosecuting criminals is only a part. Her friendships, her relationships with her colleagues, how she sees her city and how she sees herself form the majority of the story. The crimes, how they are investigated and the impact they have on the people involved are the tightly woven into the pattern of her life, colouring it and shaping it.