WINNER OF THE 2022 CWA CRIME FICTION IN TRANSLATION DAGGER 'Simone Buchholz writes with real authority and a pungent, noir-is sense of time and space ... a palpable hit' Independent 'Reading Buchholz is like walking on firecrackers ... a truly unique voice in crime fiction' Graeme Macrae Burnet 'If Philip Marlowe and Bernie Gunther had a literary love child, it might just explain Chastity Riley - Simone Buchholz's tough, acerbic, utterly engaging central character' William Ryan _______________ Twenty floors above the shimmering lights of the Hamburg docks, Public Prosecutor Chastity Riley is celebrating a birthday with friends in a hotel bar when twelve heavily armed men pull out guns, and take everyone hostage. Among the hostages is Konrad Hoogsmart, the hotel owner, who is being targeted by a young man whose life - and family - have been destroyed by Hoogsmart's actions. With the police looking on from outside - their colleagues' lives at stake - and Chastity on the inside, increasingly ill from an unexpected case of sepsis, the stage is set for a dramatic confrontation ... and a devastating outcome for the team ... all live streamed in a terrifying bid for revenge. Crackling with energy and populated by a cast of unforgettable characters, Hotel Cartagena is a searing, relevant thriller that will leave you breathless. _______________ Praise for the Chastity Riley series 'Caustic, incisive prose. A street-smart, gutsy heroine. A timely and staggeringly stylish thriller' Will Carver 'With plenty of dry humour and a good old dash of despair, Simone Buchholz is an unconventional, refreshing new voice' Crime Fiction Lover 'Lyrical and pithy' Sunday Times 'With brief, pacy chapters and fizzling dialogue, this almost feels like American procedural noir and not a translation' Maxim Jakubowski, Crime Time 'There is a fantastic pace to the story which keeps you hooked from the first sentence all the way to the end ... a unique voice that delivers a stylish story' New Books Magazine 'A smart and witty book that shines a probing spotlight on society' CultureFly 'Fans of Brookmyre could do worse than checking out Simone Buchholz, a star of the German crime lit scene who has been deftly translated into English by Rachel Ward' Goethe Institute 'Stripped back in style and deadpan in voice ... a scintillating romp around the German criminal underworld and back' Doug Johnstone, Big Issue 'By turns lyrical and pithy, this adventure set in the melting