The Harbour Master

LoveReading Says

A Maxim Jakubowski selected title.

Setting a detective series in Amsterdam is necessarily having to compete with striking memories of books by Nicolas Freeling and Janwillem van de Wetering who made this particular, rich in possibilities patch their own years back, but Pembrey pulls it off with aplomb. Henk van der Pol is a local cop now nearing retirement following a thirty year career which has left him harbouring much doubts about his usefulness and principles.

When a woman's body is found in the harbour, it falls to him to delve into the case and he is soon confronted by possible corruption in his own ranks. The trail takes him to both Belgium and Norway as he doggedly pursues his prey and hunts for the truth. A vivid sense of place - but then Amsterdam has always been a gift to writers - and a flawed and believable central character make for a likeable police procedural which could herald a great series and career from this new British author. ~ Maxim Jakubowski

Reviewed by Maxim Jakubowski
Maxim Jakubowski is a London-based novelist and editor.
More reviews by Maxim Jakubowski

About The Harbour Master

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...

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