Really enjoyed this book. Great characters, nice casual writing style. Engaging flow but without lacking in enough pace to keep me interested. Fascinating, complex plot. My only dislike was that I felt the author tackled way too many themes - conflict in the police domain, prostitution, marijuana growing, diamond dealing, large scale politics, kidnapping, murder, to name a few. I would have liked a bit more depth on a few issues rather than what seemed like a bit of everything. There was a danger of losing focus, for me anyway. Amsterdam was painted convincingly although I have only been a tourist there, it was highly believable, impressive given that the author is not a native citizen himself but a Brit. The suspenseful situations were also very convincing and real. Will definitely read the next in this series. ( )

Having seen favourable reviews I was looking forward to reading this but ended up disappointed. I found the characters a bit hard to remember and didn't feel much empathy with the main character Henk. ( )

It takes an incredibly talented writer to pull off a novella. With the shorter form (usually a third of a full-length novel), it's very hard to encompass everything that makes a great story - characterization, backstory, atmosphere, setting and a complex or involving plot. Daniel Pembrey's "The Harbour Master" manages it all seemingly effortlessly.

Henk, as well as his wife, daughter and an assortment of other recurring characters, are very well drawn and make you feel that you know them right from the start. The author excels at descriptions of people and place. The way he paints a picture for you is such that the Red Light District of Amsterdam was almost palpable. I felt as if I were walking the streets with him, seeing and touching everything Henk did, and experiencing the sense of growing doom as each piece of this intricate puzzle unfolded. By the end of the book, I almost felt as if I'd been to Amsterdam.

There really was not a flaw in this... each scene just naturally pulled you along to the next until you absolutely couldn't wait to find out what was going on. The only thing that could make this better would be an endless stream of novels about Henk, or a mini-series based on these books.

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I bought this book on impulse, being in Amsterdam at the time and intrigued to see this English novel on sale in Schiphol Airport. The setting is accurately conveyed, and lends a depth to the story.

Henk van der Pol is a jaded and cynical detective, based in Amsterdam’s IJ Tunnel police station, whose beat covers the central railway station, the harbour and the famous red light district. With thirty years’ service behind him, van der Pol has seen it all, and is weary from the infighting between his senior officers, and their relentless efforts to harvest favourable publicity.

As the novel opens, van der Pol has himself witnessed the discovery of a woman’s body floating in the harbour. She had been beaten before being dumped in the water, and it emerges that she had been a prostitute working in the nearby red light district. Van der pol puts feelers out to try to discover more about her, but no-one is talking, not even his regular informants within the city’s murky underworld. As the investigation proceeds, a number of people become implicated: senior police officers, politicians and gangsters. There is even a cameo appearance from some Russian Hell’s Angels, and van der Pol also finds himself in Brussels, immersed in red tape.

I enjoyed the book but felt that Pembrey just tried too hard. Like a lot of crime books that I have read recently, he seemed more concerned with generating as many intricacies of plot as possible, rather than concentrating on developing a sound, coherent story line and relying upon the quality of his writing and the strength of his characters to sustain the novel. ( )

5* Review:The Harbour Master



The Harbour Master is a fast paced, suspenseful, political thriller set in Holland.

Henk is an experienced police officer based in the harbour district of Amsterdam. Contemplating retirement, partly due to the new regime at work his plans change when he discovers the body of a young woman floating in the harbour. Henk suspects foul play. Murder, prostitution and trafficking all feature in this story. A series of incidents makes him distrust his colleagues and superiors as vital evidence goes missing. Determined to find out why the girl died he circumvents policy and procedure and finds himself excluded from the case. Henk’s family is in danger as his career nosedives. Will the personal cost be too great?

Henk is a strong but flawed character but subtly so without the obvious peccadilloes commonly associated with cynical older detectives in fiction. The story is atmospheric and leaves the reader with a definite flavour of Holland. The Harbour Master is like the successful Scandinavian thrillers of the same ilk but for me this is superior because it avoids the drawn out nature of this type of thriller with a fast paced, twisty plot.

Henk and his wife a journalist make a formidable team. There is potential for more stories here. The depth of character development is impressive for a novella. The plot is interesting and dark but a page turner which I read in a one go.

I received a copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review.

5* Review:The Harbour Master II: The Maze



‘The Maze’ is a succinct description for the second in The Harbour Master series. Henk, the seasoned, world worn detective enjoys a short break with his long suffering wife, interrupted by his only political ally, currently working in Brussels. Again Henk puts work before his personal life and risks compounding the family tension with his daughter.

A series of new and unsolved crimes force Henk to question those in authority and make him wary of his peers. Still in the shadow of an unsolved suspicious death Henk finds himself at the centre of a political scandal that only he wants to expose.

The players in this mysterious thriller are numerous all provide essential clues to the true crime. Relationships both personal and work orientated are explored as they entangle but Henk must visit many expertly constructed dead ends before he finds the truth.

Henk is a clever detective, a maverick, he threatens the establishment but is a true advocate for justice. His wife Pernilla and long time army friend Johann thankfully have his back often at great personal cost.

The dramatic ending provides a satisfying conclusion to ‘The Maze’ but reveals a new crime for Henk to solve. There are also problems closer to home for Henk to explore in the next of his adventures perhaps.

A worthy second chapter of The Harbour Master series, ‘The Maze’ is a mind provoking story; fast paced action interwoven with a vivid, realistic setting and detailed characters and relationships.

I received a copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review.

5* Review: The Harbour Master III: Ransom




‘The Harbour Master III: Ransom’ follows on from the cliff-hanger ending of book 2 ‘The Maze’. Henk wants to find out what has happened to Lottman, his only ally in the Dutch establishment. As we have come to expect, there are no easy passages for our off beat detective but he forges on regardless and soon begins to find there are some odd connections and strange alliances, which warrant further investigation.

The suspected kidnapping has uncomfortable parallels with Henk’s first case as a young policeman but are these real or imagined? The enigmatic Henk manages to get more answers than his enemies would like but it seems he is doomed to lose the war with the corrupt bureaucrats. Again the settings are vibrant and integral to the plot and there are many delightful minor characters that enhance this political thriller.

The author teases the reader with snippets of information and possible leads, giving the story its realistic edge. The conclusion ties up the immediate story in a satisfying way but there are still queries that need resolving and I am happy to see our intrepid detective will feature in another story in a different setting.

I received a copy of this story from the author in exchange for an honest review. ( )