Nino and Elena are living in hiding. Ruby is desperately seeking her sister Amy who has vanished. The Bartell family are dealing with injury, violence and death while their enemies circle…
A Lethal Encounter in Amsterdam is the second book in the Bartell Crime series and I have not yet read the first book. I would advise reading the books in order as the plot continues directly from the first book as characters respond to previous events.
We are introduced to a wide range of characters and caught up on details of their recent past. There is plenty of danger and tension leading to episodes of violence which are quite graphic. The gang relationships seemed authentic and scary! I felt that there wasn’t much emotion attached to the characters as they have to hide their feelings in order to survive. This resulted in me feeling a lack of connection with individual characters.
The plot twists, double dealing and hidden secrets maintained my interest and made me keep reading to find out what would happen next. Sometimes the reader is aware of thoughts or conversations that the characters are not and this creates good anticipation for potential developments. However, I think I would have benefitted from reading the first book to have a better understanding of the characters and plot.
A Lethal Encounter in Amsterdam is a tense and dramatic crime thriller.
“A family divided—A sister seeking answers—One man driven by desperation.”
Whilst the Bartells deal with the fallout from their clash with the Chillcotts, and the betrayal from within their own family, another enemy obsesses over how they can take them down.
Nino and Elena are stuck in limbo and living in fear of reprisals from both families. The pair hide up in Brighton, and Elena’s brother tries to mend some bridges on their behalf. But have things gone too far for that?
Ruby Mullard is searching for her sister, Amy. She’s sure her sister’s boyfriend, the smooth-talking Oscar Maplethorpe, isn’t being straight with her, and she becomes hell-bent on finding out the truth.
Since his life-changing ordeal with the Bartells, Duncan has become bitter, unstable, and irascible. Now Karl needs his help with a scheme that might lead to more trouble. Nevertheless, Duncan feels obliged to support his best friend.
The Bartells receive news that Karl is living in Amsterdam, triggering an immediate response. Barry and Johnny head straight to the city, seeking revenge, even though trouble looms on their own doorstep.
Ruby is certain there is something very sinister behind Amy’s disappearance. But what lengths will she go to learn the truth? And what will the consequences be when she delves too deep?
As old wounds are reopened, loyalties are pushed to the limits, and when events reach boiling point, nobody is safe in the face of an explosive climax.
A Lethal Encounter in Amsterdam is the hard-hitting follow-up novel to The Feud on Dead Lane.
Robert’s Bio
Robert was born in 1979 and lives in Kent with his wife, children, and bonkers dalmatian, Dexter.
He ran a private investigation agency for over fifteen years, dealing in cases that involved breach of contract claims, commercial debt recovery, and process serving. Robert’s agency also specialised in people tracing; so much of his work revolved around tracking down debtors, dealing in adoption matters, and locating missing persons. At times, he worked on some pretty bizarre cases and dealt with plenty of interesting and sometimes colourful individuals.
Since 2014, Robert has worked self-employed in the pet care industry, and is a keen trail runner, mountain biker and kayaker. Robert has a huge passion for screenwriting for many years and started writing novels during the first lockdown.
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