Hamburg state prosecutor Chastity Riley investigates a series of arson attacks on cars across the city, which leads her to a startling and life-threatening discovery involving criminal gangs and a very illicit love story...

Night after night, cars are set alight across the German city of Hamburg, with no obvious pattern, no explanation and no suspect.

Until, one night, on Mexico Street, a ghetto of high-rise blocks in the north of the city, a Fiat is torched. Only this car isn’t empty. The body of Nouri Saroukhan – prodigal son of the Bremen clan – is soon discovered, and the case becomes a homicide.

Public prosecutor Chastity Riley is handed the investigation, which takes her deep into a criminal underground that snakes beneath the whole of Germany. And as details of Nouri’s background, including an illicit relationship with the mysterious Aliza, emerge, it becomes clear that these are not random attacks, and there are more on the cards...

Review

I did not want this book to end. This is a revelation in crime fiction - a hard hitting crime fiction story but told in such a beautiful literary style. Considering that the German language has such long words and complex sentence structure, the translation into English gives us short, sharp, lyrical prose. Normally, I power through books but Mexico Street makes you linger and savour what is taking place. You want to revel in the language as well as the story - preferable with a frozen margarita in hand!

I haven’t read the previous two books, something which I am going to rectify as soon as possible, so I was worried that I would miss out on certain nuances but this was not the case. This book can easily be read as a standalone story and I encourage you to do this.

I love the characters in this novel. Chastity Riley is just cool. That is all. The supporting cast are believable and funny.

It was interesting to see how immigration has shaped the storyline, something which is very apt in this day and age, especially due to influx of immigrants to Germany. It deals with statelessness, diaspora, assimilation, treatment of women, rebellion and young love. Although, that seems a lot to deal with in just over 200 pages Simone manages it with aplomb as nothing feels rushed or over simplified.

I can see why Simone’s books are never out of the German best sellers list. Something I hope will be replicated in the UK.

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. She lives in Sankt Pauli, in the heart of Hamburg, with her husband and son.

Thanks to Anne Cater and Karen at Orenda books for asking me to be on this blog tour! It has been a pleasure.