Synopsis/blurb……..
Maverick
cop Henk van der Pol is thinking about retirement when he finds a woman’s body
in Amsterdam Harbour. His detective instincts take over, even though it’s not
his case. But Henk’s bigger challenge is deciding who his friends are – not to
mention a vicious street pimp who is threatening Henk’s own family. As his
search for the killer of the woman in Amsterdam Harbour takes him into a
corrupt world of politics and power, Henk finds himself facing some murky moral
choices.
The Harbour Master delivers for Amsterdam what fans of Scandinavian crime fiction have come to love: a fascinating light shone on the dark side of a famously liberal society, combining vivid characterisation with ice-cold suspense.
The Harbour Master delivers for Amsterdam what fans of Scandinavian crime fiction have come to love: a fascinating light shone on the dark side of a famously liberal society, combining vivid characterisation with ice-cold suspense.
This was my first taste of
English author Pembrey’s work, though I do have his novel – The Woman Who Stopped Traffic, sitting
on my kindle.
The Harbour Master is a
100-odd page novella set in Amsterdam, somewhere I haven’t yet visited on my
reading travelling. Pembrey’s tale was fast-paced and interesting.
We had a 54 year old cop
being side-lined and pushed out by his superiors as they seek to concentrate
resources on cases that attract decent publicity that plays well in the media for
their political masters. Henk is conflicted whether to resist or give in and depart
quietly. When he’s sidelined after showing an interest in the body in the
harbour case, he decides to resist.
His wife seems to be
facing similar difficulties in her chosen profession of journalism. His
daughter is at university and a degree of separation and misunderstanding is an
element within the family dynamic. This was an interesting tangent to the main
drive of the narrative, but it helped put a bit of flesh on the bones, without
detracting from the pace of the investigation.
The further Henk delved into
the case, the closer his family came into danger.
Amsterdam, canals, Red
Light District, prostitutes, pimps, Hungarian gangs, people trafficking, local
politicians, corruption, influence, police resources, media, murder, death,
tattoos, mis-trust, family, retirement and more.
I’m not going to pretend
this was the best book I have ever read, but it did the job and ticked enough
boxes to have me looking forward to his longer treatment.
We had enough depth to our
main cop character - Henk without getting bogged down with unnecessary fluff.
The plot moved quickly and held my interest – I’ve not come across Hungarian
gangsters before in either my fictional reading or in following European news
in general – so I’m unsure if they are an author invention or a real problem, maybe
slightly less bothersome than the Russian mafia. I’m minded enough to find out
though.
Our setting, Amsterdam was
a first for me in a crime book setting and it was interestingly portrayed. I
doubt that I’ll be rushing to pay a visit sometime soon. I think my previous
perception of every building being either a brothel, sex shop or a church was
only partially borne out as Pembrey didn’t introduce many churches into his
narrative!
All in all – quick and satisfying.
4 from 5
I was sent a file-copy of
this by the author in return for an honest review, thanks Daniel!
His website is here if you
want to find out more about him and his writing.
Nice review, Col. I haven't journeyed to Amsterdam through books although the place has cropped up in war/spy fiction that I've read in the past. I think it makes an interesting setting for a crime novel. I hope you'll tell us more about "The Woman Who Stopped Traffic."
ReplyDeleteThank you. TWWST - has some decent reviews including this one from another guy on my reading pile, Henry Sutton - “It’s a sort of cross between Stieg Larsson and Michael Connelly – no bad mix! The con- temporariness, the technical detail, the topical nature of the themes, the interplay between social networking and highly advanced computer/network games are all expertly handled. Pembrey writes very clearly.”
DeleteThanks, Col, and now for your review...
DeleteNo pressure then! I hope you aren't holding your breath, pal?
DeleteCol - This really does look interesting. And I haven't read enough Amsterdam-based crime fiction. I may just add this to the list.
ReplyDeleteAnother great new author for me Margot.
DeleteI'm struggling to remember much Dutch crime either by author or setting on my shelves. I have 1 book by De Wetering unread, plus I can recall reading something by Nicolas Freeling - Van Der Valk - last year; though in that one the action was away from his home base.
Yes Van Der Valk did come to mind - did you ever see the TV prog, 1970s maybe? This sounds interesting, and full marks for being SHORT. I love Amsterdam the place so perhaps should give this one a try? (Unless it puts me off visiting with scary crimes...)
ReplyDeleteYes I can vaguely remember the series - I did post a picture of Barry Foster the lead when I read my one and only Freeling book last year. Never been there myself, but its on my bucket list, but I don't think it is on my wife's!
DeleteI liked the introduction of a previously unheard of tribe - Hungarian crims. The content is not too graphic overall whilst the topic is gritty.
This book sounds interesting because of the setting. Maybe I will try one of his books when I get the TBR pile down some.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with that aim, its a constant battle for me.
Delete