I’m thrilled to welcome you today to my stop on the blog tour for emotive thriller River Clyde, fifth book in the Chastity Riley series by Simone Buchholz, with translation by Rachel Ward. Thank you to Anne Cater and Orenda Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this wonderful book.
About the book:
Mired in grief after tragic recent events, State prosecutor Chastity Riley escapes to Scotland, lured to the birthplace of her great-great- grandfather by a mysterious letter suggesting she has inherited a house. In Glasgow, she meets Tom, the ex-lover of Chastity’s great aunt, who holds the keys to her own family secrets – painful stories of unexpected cruelty and loss that she’s never dared to confront.
In Hamburg, Stepanovic and Calabretta investigate a major arson attack, while a group of property investors kicks off an explosion of violence that threatens everyone.
As events in these two countries collide, Chastity prepares to face the inevitable, battling the ghosts of her past and the lost souls that could be her future and, perhaps, finally finding redemption for them all. Nail-bitingly tense and breathtakingly emotive, River Clyde is both an electrifying thriller and a poignant, powerful story of damage and hope, and one woman’s fight for survival.
About the author:
Simone Buchholz was born in Hanau in 1972. At university, she studied Philosophy and Literature, worked as a waitress and a columnist, and trained to be a journalist at the prestigious Henri-Nannen-School in Hamburg.
In 2016, Simone Buchholz was awarded the Crime Cologne Award as well as runner-up in the German Crime Fiction Prize for Blue Night, which was number one on the KrimiZEIT Best of Crime List for months.
She lives in Sankt Pauli, in the heart of Hamburg, with her husband and son.
River Clyde is translated from German by Rachel Ward.
My Review:
River Clyde is the fifth book in the Chastity Riley series by Simone Buchholz, but is very different in tone to the previous four. After recent tragic events, Chastity escapes to Scotland, drawn to the birthplace of her great great grandfather by a letter that suggests she may have inherited a house. Once in Glasgow she meets Tom, ex lover of her great aunt, and keeper of family secrets that Chastity has never even dared to confront…until now. Meanwhile in Hamburg, a major arson investigation is underway, with a group of property investors kicking off an explosion of violence that could threaten everyone…
What follows is a tense and emotive thriller that keeps you on your toes throughout. I love Simone Buchholz’s writing. It’s rich and powerful, sweeping you away on a tsunami of emotions as Chastity is confronted with the demons of her past. Although River Clyde is different in tone to the previous books in the series, with maybe a slightly gentler pace than we’re used to, it’s still as unique, stylish and complex as ever, with smart dialogue and a cast of characters you can’t help but root for. The change of scenery is refreshing, bringing out another side to the character we’ve come to know over the course of the series, the story as moving as it is thrilling, with the Hamburg side of the plot taking a back seat to the more personal and emotional nature of Chastity’s visit to Scotland.
Chastity Riley is, as ever, a character unlike any other. With her outspoken manner, bad habits and hardened outer exterior, you could be mistaken for thinking that there’s no more to her personality than the harshness you first see. But there’s also a softer, more vulnerable side to her, especially in this book, that made me fall even deeper in love her than ever before.
As always there is an underlying black humour woven throughout River Clyde that prevents the story from ever slipping into unrelenting darkness, with Simone Buchholz’s top notch writing drawing you in and keeping you reading right up until the final page has been turned. Skilfully translated from its native German by Rachel Ward, it is a wonderful, emotive and addictive thriller that I would highly recommend.
River Clyde by Simone Buchholz is available to buy now:
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Cal Turner Reviews 
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