Katja Piel

Received via NetGalley and AmazonCrossing in exchange for an completely unbiased review.
Also posted on Silk & Serif

Its been awhile since I read a crime thriller so when I saw Death on Ibiza I got really excited. The synopsis captured my interest because of the "vacation gone wrong", whodunit mystery. The lack of romance was a nice change because sometimes a girl just needs a read completely unlike the usual! Piel delivers writing that, with some experience, could become the next Kathy Reichs or James Patterson.

Nick is a German personal trainer on vacation in Ibiza, Spain. The friendship with a local drug lord's son is worth the opportunity to live in luxury and enjoy exclusive parties during his vacation. Unfortunately, after one of these alcohol and drug laden parties Nick awakes to a room filled with dead bodies and he himself is holding the murder weapon. Nick runs for his life because he could never have committed such carnage, or could he?

Death on Ibiza is basically Clue on steroids. Nick must retrace his steps to prove his innocence or his guilt. It's while he is on the run that he meets Alexei; a man who is searching for his daughter and seeking brutal and violent revenge. I don't want to go much more into the plot than that because half of the fun is figuring out how all the characters fit together and some of the major plot twists are integral to the fast paced ride into some really dark, underground issues.

Vladimir Reczko was addicted. Addicted to that last cry. The one that escaped the victim’s throat in their last moment. Because he was addicted, and because his craving was so warped, he was the ideal man for this job.

Death on Ibiza reads like a action movie with lots of movie quality moments, midnight covert swimming in the sea and people who know how to handle guns. Hot girls. Hot guys. Wait, is this 007? It definitely feels like a James Bond movie with so many deaths, secrets and super spy moments.

I found it difficult to feel real emotions reading this novel. Although it was interesting and always kept me on my toes, the emotional elements of this book were tepid. Of course, the emotion could have been lost in translation from German to English. The novel is violent and dark, relying on facts and actions of the characters rather than emotional turmoil. Alexei seems unsure of how he feels towards his daughter's kidnappers, Nick seems to forget his own fear over being apprehended by the police and the bad guys are BAD.

Vladimir had not lived according to conventional rules for a long time. For him there were no taxes, no debts, no house or car. He was a shade, a man driven by a passion that, should it reach public ears, would find no understanding at all. But Vladimir did not consider his craving to be abnormal, merely extreme.

Regardless of this lack of emotional reaction, Death on Ibiza was a wild ride with clever plot twists, realistic characters and some really, really sick individuals. I definitely respect Piel's writing because its so rare to find an author who can write twisted characters with such skill. I would definitely read another of Piel's crime thriller novels. Death on Ibiza is her first foray into the thriller genre and she does a really fantastic job. The whole novel is a giant puzzle and the reader struggles to put the pieces together before everything is revealed.

This novel would appeal to readers who enjoy mystery, thrilling action, crime and some seriously dark writing. I would suggest this to someone who wants to read an easy novel with limited emotional involvement and lots of sleuthing.… (meer)