This book to extend or create a virtual trip to Cartagena, Colombia is centered around a hostage situation in a harbor-side hotel in Hamburg, Germany called Hotel Cartagena. Don’t worry – the actual Cartagena, Colombia comes into play. Just be patient. This is part of a series of books [book number 9 of the original (German) series, and the fourth book to be translated (by Rachel Ward) and published in English]. If you’ve read previous books in the series, you will recognize many of the characters – including the main protagonist, Chastity Riley, a public prosecutor. If you’re like me, however, and this is your first in this series, you’re in luck because it completely works as a ‘standalone’ book, with enough necessary background on characters so you get the gist (e.g., the awkwardness of hanging out with former/current lovers in a social setting – don’t need to know the gory details of the relationships to know that it might be less-than-pleasant) but without retelling the previous stories to make the current one tedious.
At any rate, the book kicks off with Chastity and her friends, most of whom are police – and some of whom are former and current lovers – at a 65th birthday party for a colleague/friend. While the party is getting underway, twelve armed men enter the scene and take the guests (and other patrons of the bar) hostage. It’s not immediately clear what the gunmen want, but they are calm and clearly have a plan. And they’re not complete jerks – they announce that for the rest of the evening it’s an open bar (which the patrons, including Chastity and her crew, take advantage of).
The chapters then proceed to bounce between present-day Germany to 1980s (and onward) Colombia and Curaçao. When the story focuses on the current day hostage situation, we see two perspectives. First, we hear from Chastity as the narrator, describing the events and people from inside the bar. We get a good feel for how her mind works and what appears to be a snarky “f–k it”, tell-it-like-it-is personality. In one description of an individual, she says, “She looks like a woman who knows more swearwords than a Scottish steel worker.” I get the impression that Chastity knows just as make swearwords, if not more. Of course, we also get a bit of a whirlwind ride as she becomes somewhat of an unreliable narrator due to a combination of alcohol consumption and a cut on her thumb that becomes increasingly infected and possibly septic. At one point, for example, the narration becomes increasingly choppy and sporadic, as Chastity describes herself riding a twirling ‘chairoplane’ and the writing looks more like a page from a book of poetry than a page you’d see in a book about a hostage situation. It’s disorienting – and perfect. We also see the events unfold outside of the hotel with respect to the police and hostage negotiators as we follow Ivo Stepanovic, a cop who was supposed to be at the party but was late. And he has a thing with Chastity, so there’s that.
The other side of the story – or the backstory, if you will – follows Henning Garbarek, a German fella who, tired of life in Hamburg, boarded a ship to who-knows-where, disembarking and starting a life in Cartegena, Colombia in the summer of 1984. During these portions of the story, we learn of how Henning stumbles into the world of drugs and the Colombian cartel, and the (typically unsurprising) events that can follow such endeavors.
Eventually, the past events of Henning and Cartagena merge with the current events of the hostage situation in Hamburg. We learn quite clearly what the gunmen are aiming to accomplish and who among the hostages is the intended target. It’s all done quite well. I found myself making guesses about what was happening in the hostage situation during the Cartagena chapters. “Ooh, I’ll bet it’s Esteban and one of the hostages is Henning.” “Ooh, I’ll bet it’s Henning and the hostages include Knut, Heinz, and Norbert.” “Ooh, I’ll bet it’s Arturo coming after Esteban!” “Ooh, I’ll bet one of the cops is actually part of the cartel!” One of those guesses might be right. They might all be wrong. You won’t know until you read the book.
This really was a fun book to read, and one I almost didn’t read. The writing was just ‘weird’ enough, even from the start, that I originally put it down and searched for a different book that would ‘fit’ for Cartagena. I found others, but the plot of this one was intriguing and reviews I had read online had spoken so highly of this one that I thought I’d give it one more try. I’m glad I did. I had to get into the rhythm of her writing – particularly for the chapters from Chastity’s perspective. Once I did, I found myself not only appreciating the author’s sense of timing and way with words, but also had a profound appreciation for the translator. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to translate the unique style of writing exhibited here, maintaining the humor and plays on words. Even the chapter titles – which are clips of dialogue and descriptions within the chapters – are clever and perfectly chosen. From “Colomboishness”, “The wurst is yet to come”, “Because he’s well versed in people’s souls”, and “There’s a detonator in the cake mix”, it’s all masterfully done and eloquently captures the emotions of the situations.
As for the location, the descriptions of Cartagena certainly place you firmly within the Colombian landscape. From Henning’s first encounter with the city as he sets foot on Bocagrande Beach, we feel the warmth of the sun and see the liveliness of the city before him. The Plaza Santa Teresa, considered by many to be one of the most beautiful squares in the old city of Cartagena, is mentioned numerous times, as is another square in the old city – the Plaza Santo Domingo. As an example of the beauty of the location depicted in the writing,
“…he practically had to stroll through the bars in the old town because that was the very best place to disappear, even for a gringo. He then always followed the same plan, the same paths, he walked along the beach to the Plaza Santa Teresa, where he had a beer or two and watched the girls who looked even more beautiful by the yellow light of the old lanterns than they did in the daylight of the beach. Although they had less on in the daytime. … From the Plaza Santa Teresa, he’d head for Plaza Santo Domingo, where there was a cocktail bar he liked, except that he paid so little attention to the route that he often just got lost somewhere, but in a nice way: he walked this way and that, and with an open soul, through the streets of the old town. Music came crawling out of every crack, the lanterns grew more beautiful from one corner to the next, the light grew warmer from one corner to the next, and the flowers hanging from the balconies grew more colourful from one house to the next, and at some point he’d always land up on the other side of the Parque Del Centenario, in the Café Havana. There he’d dance all night with women who seemed to him like goddesses cast adrift.”
Of course, Parque Del Centenario is Cartagena’s Centennial Park located in the historic center of Cartagena, established to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Cartagena’s independence from Spanish colonialism. And there really is a Café Havana nearby that is popular – and has been for ages – with both tourists and locals. In short, I recommend this book. You’re not in Cartagena for long, but you do get a nice sense of the location, the lively night life (even without cocaine…), and the beauty of the place and its people. Plus, the writing style and characters are fun.