Simone Buchholz – Hotel Cartagena

‘Hotel Cartagena’ by Simone Buchholz is another fabulous Orenda Books release. This is the fourth book in the Chastity Riley series and the second book I have read from it. The first being Mexico Street, the third book. This time Public Prosecutor Chastity doesn’t have far to go to be involved in a crime scene.

While drinking in a hotel celebrating Waller’s birthday, Chastity and her friends find themselves in the middle of a hostage situation when the hotel bar comes under siege. As the motives and the target of the siege become clear we see Chastity in a situation that she has no control over as she is trapped every which way and struck down with sepsis also. With the police outside watching their colleagues in this terrifying situation that is being live-streamed as well, how will this play out?

A story that is written with short chapters that take us from the present day right back to the 1980s and 90s to Germany, Columbia and Curaçao. We are in Cartagena, Columbia to see the birth of a drugs empire and it is a vivid story that is being told. I felt like I could have been there. As the story switches from one to another it moves fast and we are brought back into the hostage situation. I do enjoy the character of Chastity and the way she deals with things, this particular situation goes deep, as we see all the friends with her that are either past lovers or just the connections with these people that may come to an end or a crossroads that there will be no returning from.

I again loved catching up with Chastity. This book is less about just her but the others involved too, but it gave me the overall feeling of new chapters coming.

The translation by Rachel Ward is second to none. The skill of keeping Simone’s distinctive style in place while creating a story from a different language is just awesome!

Another fantastic book from Orenda Books, can’t wait for the next. Thank you to Orenda Books for my copy of this explosive story.