Again, the author has written a wonderful and very entertaining story about Arie, Elin, Jack, Maddie, and Juanita and their work. This time, the focus is mainly on climate change, and it takes some time before the first corpse, or better said, the first murder happens. The story itself is full of tension, action, great scenes, and dialogues and Maddie tops it all. It was a real joy to watch her act and see how she and Isa were going along together. Not sure if I would have stayed as cool while at the police station as Maddie was.
Die Hausboot Detektei-Tödlicher Grund*
by Amy Achterop Die Hausboot Detektei Series #2
Publisher Fischer TB on August 30, 2023
Genre Detective novel
Pages 283
Format Paperback
Source Fischer TB
Goodreads
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Even the most carefree lounging on deck has to come to an end at some point. It's autumn in Amsterdam. And without heating oil, even the most beautiful houseboat becomes uncomfortable. The order situation is poor. Until a seemingly boring case challenges the amateur detectives: their client is suddenly found dead and turns out to be a whistleblower. The respected scientist specializing in deep-sea resource mining was on the verge of bankrupting her company. Was it murder? Arie, Maddie, Jack, Jan and Elin research: You can make a lot of money by extracting raw materials in the ocean. And at the expense of the environment. The detectives don't like that at all, and so solving this death becomes a real matter of the heart.
Story
It is almost winter; it is cold and no new job in sight. At least none they could call a job. But when Tessa calls them to help her and is only days later found dead in her bathroom, they know that something is terribly wrong. But who would kill her and why? Or do they ask the wrong questions?
Style
Here you will be thoroughly entertained from the first to the last page with wonderful dialogues and amusing scenes. And the allusion in one scene regarding the author's name was again delicious. But I really had to smile when I was allowed to read a sentence on two pages in a row that was completely the same but contained different names. I just say corpses. And this subtle sense of humor runs through the entire story. Actually, this isn't a crime story. More like a great series of delicious scenes that come together to create an incredibly entertaining detective novel. Class!
Characters
A wide variety of figures come together here, showing the broad diversity of Amsterdam society. Simply great.
Tessa is in the process of developing a technology that could be used to mine minerals and metals in the deep sea. Unfortunately, not in an environmentally friendly way. In general, Tessa is very calculating. She steals other people's ideas and is only too willing to sell them to companies for a lot of money. A practice that doesn't last long. This gives the plot an absolutely realistic tone and at the same time sensitively conveys what is being done in climate policy.
Conclusion
A successful crime novel with wonderful humor, charm, and lots of wit that I devoured literally overnight. And I found it particularly nice that a character who had to go abroad in the first volume was included again. Can I have some more, please? Much more.
Happy reading
*This book was kindly provided to me by Fischer TB in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Thank you.
Deutsche Rezension
Stil
Hier wird man von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite mit herrlichen Dialogen und amüsanten Szenen bestens unterhalten. Und die Anspielung in der einen Szene, was den Autorennamen angeht, war erneut köstlich. Aber so richtig schmunzeln musste ich, als ich auf zwei Seiten hintereinander einen Satz lesen durfte, der komplett gleich war, aber unterschiedliche Namen enthielt. Ich sage nur Leichen. Und dieser feine Humor zieht sich durch die ganze Geschichte. Eigentlich ist das hier kein Krimi. Eher eine großartige Aneinanderreihung köstlichster Szenen, die sich zu einem unglaublich unterhaltsamen Detektivroman zusammenfügen. Klasse!
Charaktere
Hier kommen die unterschiedlichsten Figuren zusammen, die die breite Vielfalt der Gesellschaft in Amsterdam zeigen. Einfach klasse.
Tessa ist dabei, eine Technik zu entwickeln, mit der man in der Tiefsee Mineralien und Metalle abbauen könnte. Leider nicht auf die umweltfreundliche Art. Überhaupt ist Tessa sehr berechnend. Sie stiehlt Ideen anderer und ist nur zu bereit, diese dann für viel Geld an Unternehmen zu verkaufen. Eine Praxis, die nicht lange gut geht. Was der Handlung hier aber einen absolut realistischen Ton gibt und gleichzeitig auf feinfühlige Weise vermittelt, was in der Klimapolitik alles gemacht wird.
Resultat
Ein gelungener Krimi mit herrlichem Humor, Charme und jeder Menge Witz, den ich buchstäblich über Nacht verschlungen habe. Und dass eine Figur auch wieder mit dabei war, die sich im ersten Band ins Ausland begeben musste, fand ich ganz besonders schön. Bitte mehr davon. Viel mehr.
Amy Achterop
Amy Achterop aka Heidi van Elderen owes her first visit to Amsterdam to a forgotten street map and a hopelessly poor sense of direction. That was in 1999. The author, who was born on the Lower Rhine in 1980, fell in love with the city straight away and has been returning regularly ever since, often accompanied by her Dutch husband. Heidi van Elderen has also lived in Portugal and New Zealand but has since settled down with her family on a small farm in Sweden.
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