State Prosecutor Chastity Riley faces her most challenging case yet, with a violent serial killer at large, who might just be uncatchable…

Book blurb

A serial killer is on the loose in Hamburg, targeting dancers from The Acapulco, a club in the city’s red-light district, taking their scalps as gruesome trophies and replacing them with plastic wigs.

Chastity Riley is the state prosecutor responsible for crimes in the district, and she’s working alongside the police as they investigate. Can she get inside the mind of the killer?

Her strength is thinking like a criminal; her weaknesses are pubs, bars and destructive relationships, but as Chastity searches for love and a flamboyant killer – battling her demons and the dark, foggy Hamburg weather – she hits dead end after dead end.

As panic sets in and the death toll rises, it becomes increasingly clear that it may already be too late. For everyone…

My thoughts

Here we are at the beginning, in Hamburg with Chastity Riley and colleagues. As it’s the first we get some background into Chastity as one of the storylines. Chastity is the main character and we want to know something about her. We are also here for the story from the dark underbelly of Hamburg. Buchholz serves all of this up in her unique style of quirky, dark, edgy, funny and razor-sharp insight. You won’t be disappointed.

The Acapulco is a club in Hamburgs red light district there’s drinking and pole dancing on offer. The women are being targeted by a killer who is able to get them somewhere alone with ease and then kills them and takes their scalp, it’s gruesome but not graphic, the bodies when found are wearing wigs. From the finding of the first victim Chastity and the team know that they have a killer who isn’t going to stop. There’s little to help them with the first victim. Chief Inspector Faller is leading on this with Chastity.

Meanwhile another murder takes place and the victim is known indeed Chastity was supposed to be meeting him the previous night. It seems he had information for them, now they’re still in the dark. Klatsche had set it up but Basso never showed, now they know why. Calabretta is working this case with Chastity.

As more women are murdered Chastity is struggling with getting into the mind of the killer. It’s not usually so difficult. If she can just get a handle on the killer then she will know them, she will be able to figure out who they are.

As they work the case and they get more information on the victims Chastity begins to make connections. The team has a likely target and a plan emerges it’s risky but they need to take the killer off the streets.

Chastity has some understanding of and sympathy towards the killer but this won’t stop her from putting them behind bars and making the place safe for the dancers at the Acapulco.

She also wants to bring a reckoning to someone else connected to the killings but in doing so puts herself in harms way and it’s not just Chastity who pays the price!

I love Simone Buchholz’s style it has an edginess to it, you know there’s something just ahead, you won’t know exactly what but it makes you want to keep reading those short, fast paced chapters. It might be scary or heart wrenching, probably both and more but you just don’t want to stop and wait for the next chapter and the ones after that. You are so absorbed, totally immersed in the story and the characters. And the way she so deftly makes you know how important people are, or not, to Chastity is just wonderful. It’s all a little crazy, a bit dark and tense but if any writer can pull it off Buchholz can.

This is why I so enjoy this series and The Acapulco is a really great first book of the series. I cannot recommend it enough or too highly it’s a wonderful book.

I’m so happy that Orenda Books have now gone back to the beginning to make our journey and reading experience with this series of state prosecutor Chastity Riley books more complete. I really hope that the rest of the earlier books in this series are going to be translated and made available in the U.K. by Orenda Books.

At this point I want to say that I’m only able to read these books since they have been translated from German by Rachel Ward. What a great job she does translating Simone Buchholz to ensure we non-German readers get the best experience possible of these amazing stories.

Characters: Chastity Riley, state prosecutor | Faller, Calabretta, Brückner and Schulle, murder squad | Hollerieth head of forensics and Borger, forensic psychologist| Carla, friend, football Buddy & café owner | Klatsche, friend and more, neighbour & locksmith

Previously read: I have read and reviewed Beton Rouge | Mexico Street | Hotel Cartagena | I have purchased but, not yet reviewed, Blue Night (I somehow seem to want to keep this one to review last).

Thanks

Many thanks to the lovely Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for an invitation to join The Acapulco BlogTour from a favourite author of mine Simone Buchholz and the amazing Orenda Books for an eCopy of the book for review.

BlogTour

Like to read more then take yourself of on this grand tour for The Acapulco. Enjoy!

Information

Published: Orenda Books (13 April 2023)|ISBN13: 978-1-914585-66-1 | EPUB: 978-1-914585-67-8

Buy: Orenda Books

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. The critically acclaimed Beton Rouge, Mexico Street, Hotel Cartagena and River Clyde all followed in the Chastity Riley series, with The Acapulco out in 2023. She lives in Sankt Pauli, in the heart of Hamburg, with her husband and son.

Follow Simone on Twitter @ohneKlippo and visit her website www.simonebuchholz.com.

Books

Other titles in the Chastity Riley Series, available from Orenda Books: Blue Night | Beton Rouge | Mexico Street | Hotel Cartagena | River Clyde

Buy: Chastity Riley Series