Beton Rouge (Chastity Riley Book 2)

the book is written a little like Ellroy's thought blastsan amazing group of characters--in the bar, cops, bad guys and the prosecutor's officecan't believe the amount of beer they drinklots of twists and turns, very dark humor and well written (good flow)

While it took me some time to get used to the writing style and characters in Blue Night, I had no such problem with Beton Rouge. I was fully hooked as soon as I read the first chapter, and the same short and snappy chapters kept me turning those pages like there was no tomorrow. I definitely managed to race through my second Chas Riley book in no time at all! Beton Rouge is a lot more ‘readable’ and easier to follow for those who, like me, don't know a lot about the background of the main characters. This makes it quite easy to read Beton Rouge as a stand-alone as well, although the characters are worth sticking around and reading the other books for. Chas is an absolutely brilliant character and I just love her sass and sarcasm... The cast of characters in general is diverse, well developed and they truly feel unique and quirky; they all add that little je ne sais quoi to the story and really take this series to the next level. The case Chase finds herself involved in this time around is without doubt intriguing as well, and I had a great time following her as she was trying to solve the puzzle involving the tortured men showing up unconscious in cages. The plot and plot twists work perfectly together with the short and snappy chapters, making it impossible to stop reading as you simply keep devouring those pages. There are no diet restrictions possible here! Chas and the rest of her crew will have you under their spell, and you won't be let go until after you read the final shocking new developments. Trust me, you will be dying to read the next book as soon as you finish Beton Rouge! This series is quickly turning into a new favorite of mine.

I discovered the German author Simone Buchholz through her book Blue Night. And I discovered the most wonderful three dimensional complex characters in Chasity, Rocco, Carla, Calabretta, and Klatsche. Usually you only get one or two good characters. With Simone you get a treasure trove.The main story itself is interesting and keeps the book moving as it unfolds, but its the characters I turn the pages for.I am in dire need of her next book.

On to book two and this book is a horse of a slightly different, but equally unusual colour, to the last one. Beton Rouge has a much more straight forward narrative that Blue Night, less of the disjointed skipping around and back and forth. As we are now fully conversant with the main characters, there is less back story to be woven in and we can focus more on the current situation, and the new characters the author throws in to stir up the mix. And stir it up they do, particularly Chastity’s new partner on the case, Ivo Stepanovic, who is more than a match for Chastity. Even a soulmate, perhaps?The story switches to and reveals different aspects of the Hamburg social hierarchy from the first book, as we move from the night time streets of St. Pauli and the Reeperbahn to some of Hamburg’s most powerful men and the world of elite boarding schools. The plot even ventures out of Hamburg to a small village in Southern Germany and secrets hidden behind ancient school walls. And, as things are switching up in Chastity’s work, so drastic change is rippling through her social group at the same time. Everything is changing, and we follow Chastity as she tries to work out how all of these things are affecting her.The book is written in short, sharp, snappy chapters which bowl the plot along at a riveting pace and the criminal investigation is again deliciously twisted and captivating. However, it was Chastity herself and her life and relationships that fascinated me once more, and formed the more absorbing part of the book. Her acid humour cuts through the narrative like a whiplash and makes it a joy to read, her developing relationship with Ivo, the way they bounce off each other, the new side of Hamburg that both Chastity and the reader see with his guidance were all great aspects that hooked me in to the plot. At the same time, her other deteriorating relationships bit deep, and I could feel her conflict and her pain. I think I’ve become a little obsessed with her, to be honest, and the way the author has achieved this in a couple of books with less than two hundred pages in each and pared back, not-a-word-wasted text is an admirable skill.The more I read of this series, the more invested I have become in the character and her life. The more I get to know her, the more I want to know, and to burrow through the layers of complexity and defence she has built around herself and understand what makes her tick. The author has created a wonderful character and world in this series, and I have a feeling it is just going to get better and better.Fresh, quick and surprisingly moving, whilst being dark and dirty. I absolutely loved it.

I'll be honest now. Blue Night, the first book in this series, took me quite by surprise when I read it last year. Why? Because it was so unique, so detailed and so ingenious in the way it was structured that it wasn't at all what I was expecting. It was, quite simply, stunning. Quite probably the first German book in translation that I'm aware of having read, I really did love the quirky nature of how the author pulled the story together.

With Beton Rouge, that style of story telling has changed again. This time we know most of the main players in the story, the rest we will meet on our journey, but you don't get the same interplay between then stories or the same fractured timeline which made you concentrate really hard on what you were reading. The result this time around? Well I simply flew through the book, eating up page after page and enjoying every second of it. This story is very much Chastity's. Well ... her's and a few victims she comes across along the way. Told almost exclusively from her point of view you get a very different kind of story being told.

The story opens as Chastity comes across the scene of a hit and run accident. So far so dark. The descriptions of the scene clear while not gratuitous, but allowing the uninitiated reader a glimpse of Chastity's astute and darkly humorous observations. As a Public Prosecutor, it may or may not be her case to manage but as she is at the scene, she tips a nod to the officers who are managing the aftermath. You will think from this that you have an inkling where the story is going but you'd be very much mistaken. Instead our heroine is called to the scene of an altogether different crime - one which is very difficult to describe. Ill advised prank or something far more sinister, a man bent double and locked in a cage outside of a major newspaper certainly isn't something the Police come across every day. Well ... it wasn't.

I have to say I really loved this book. It is hard to say too much more about the story itself without giving away key plot points but I can say that accompanying the assigned Police Officer to investigate this most unusual crime certainly pushes Chastity out of her comfort zone. Nothing for her is quite right in this book, everything slightly out of kilter and when she is thrown together with Ivo Stepanovic, it makes for a most interesting pairing. I've got to say, I absolutely loved Ivo. Full on, forthright and completely charming he is every bit Chastity's equal in this story, and the chemistry between them was perfectly played, just oozing from the page. Ill timed as it turns out and both of them are as flawed and quite probably damaged as each other, but Ivo was quite the character and I do hope we see him again as he was a fun guy to get to know. 

All of Chastity's old gang of comrades are there (she doesn't really do friends) but you can feel that we are seeing them right on the cusp of major changes and certain revelations throughout the story will surprise readers but also add to the tensions which are brewing in Chastity's private life. Add in the bizarre investigation and things are set to get very complicated indeed.

The chapters are short, driving the narrative along at a fast pace, keeping me as a reader completely hooked. It really was a case of 'one more chapter' for me, quickly followed by another one, then another, until I found myself 30% through the book in what felt like the blink of an eye. It just compelled me onward. I didn't want to step away. There isn't a moment wasted - no unnecessary filler - and yet you never feel like you are cheated out of anything. You still get all of the tension, the suspense, the intrigue, and the clear sense of place, be it the humid city streets of Hamburg, or the more provincial (and the less than suitably named Franconian Tuscany) town of Biesendorf. And then there are those little spikes of dread or morbid curiosity that we get in the few short chapters told from the perpetrator's point of view, as they consider just what they might inflict upon their latest victim. 

I know I haven't done this book justice in my review (nothing new there) but honestly, whether you have read book one or not, I would urge you to pick this book up. It is perfect to be read as a standalone as even though you won't have met some of the characters in the book before like the more seasoned reader, the people you really need to know for this tale are all introduced here anyway. With the exception of Chastity. But believe me, Simone Buchholz has created such a brilliantly vibrant and believable character that it will take you a matter of pages to get the measure of her and develop a little bit of Chastity Riley book love like the rest of us. 

Fast paced, full of delightfully diverse and lovable (and detestable) characters, all set against an intriguing and cunningly crafted story, Beton Rouge is an absolutely brilliant book. I loved it and I'm only gutted I read it so quickly. I'm missing Chastity and Ivo already. Please tell me they'll be back?

More wonderfully original and quirky writing from the talented Simon Buchholz. I loved Blue night, the first in the series, and this intriguing follow-up certainly doesn't disappoint. Short chapters, laced with humour and sharp observation, kept me motivated to try just one more before setting the book aside. This is Noir at its very best - I'll be back for more.

One major criticism of this - it's over far too soon.And one big relief, it is just as absorbing, alive and real, as vividly written/translated as 'Blue Night'. The crime plays a big part, but also does Chastity's relationships with colleagues, friends, drink and cigarettes.

First time I've read a Simone buchholz wow why did I wait so long.Thoroughly enjoyable book.Good plot,humour,who said the Germans have no humour.Highly recommend.