Hotel Cartagena

Buchholz’s enjoyable fourth crime thriller featuring Hamburg public prosecutor Chastity Riley (after 2020’s Mexico Street) combines nail-biting tension with off-beat humor. Riley, who’s among the guests attending a 65th birthday celebration for a veteran police detective at a hotel bar, is distracted by a bizarre accident. Her thumb gets badly torn by a sharp piece of fruit, and the wound rapidly becomes inflamed, leading to a fever. Meanwhile, 12 heavily armed men invade the bar and take everyone present prisoner. With her condition worsening, Riley tries to forestall violence and figure out an exit strategy. Flashbacks to the 1980s and ’90s involving a drug dealer offer some clues to the hostage-takers’ motive. Amusing chapter headings (“Why exactly do we need all that gelignite again?”), despite the gravity of the situation, give the narrative an unsettling tone. Memorable prose (“every person here looks like a car that’s fallen in the river”) is another plus. Elmore Leonard fans will be enthralled. (Sept.)