31202111._SY475_From Goodreads: “An atmospheric Amsterdam detective investigation.

Henk van der Pol is a 30 year term policeman, a few months off retirement. When he finds a woman’s body in Amsterdam Harbour, his detective instincts take over, even though it’s not his jurisdiction. Warned off investigating the case, Henk soon realises he can trust nobody, as his search for the killer leads to the involvement of senior police officers, government corruption in the highest places, Hungarian people traffickers, and a deadly threat to his own family…

For fans of Euro Noir, John Harvey’s Charlie Resnick series and Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch, The Harbour Master is an action-packed detective investigation set in the evocative locale of Amsterdam. Delivering for Amsterdam what fans of Scandinavian fiction have come to love, this gripping novel shines a fascinating light on the dark side of a famously liberal society, combining vivid characterisation with ice-cold suspense.”

My Review

I received this book, from Real Readers in exchange for an honest review.

This is a new police detective story set in Amsterdam and Brussels, due to be published in November 2016. Daniel Pembrey, is a new author for me and one I hope will become a new favourite as I enjoyed this a lot. The plot revolves around Henk Van Der Pol, a married policeman living on a houseboat who is coming up to retirement but nor wanting to wind down just yet. He has a good nose for criminal activity and wants to bring justice to his patch even if his bosses would rather push him off to the sidelines. There is a rivalry in the force and some seemingly underhand activities involving politics going on throughout the book which Henk is trying to investigate.

The main characters definitely felt like real people and I warmed to Henk and Petra his wife and Johann their friend. In fact as the plot progressed I felt like I’d known them for sometime and I was reading about old friends. I enjoyed the descriptions of Amsterdam and Brussels particularly the old parts that were described so well. There are some great plot developments and twists that I didn’t see coming making me eager to read the next in the series.