An interview with Chastity Riley
By Simone Buchholz
By Simone Buchholz
—Good morning Riley.
—Good morning.
—How are you today?
—I’m okay. A bit of a hangover maybe.
—Were you drinking last night?
—Well...
—What did you have?
—Vodka spritzer.
—What?
—Vodka on the rocks with a slice of lemon, filled up with soda water.
—Who invented that?
—Me.
—Do you drink every night?
—Almost every night.
—Why these barrel-loads of alcohol?
—It’s my way of repairing the cuts in my heart.
—How the hell does that work? I mean it’s alcohol not glue.
—Alcohol is glue mixed with desire. And believe me, it works.
—Has it always worked for you?
—It‘s worked ever since my father shot himself with a gun.
—Why did he do that?
—His heart was too broken to be repaired. My mother left us when I was two years old.
—Where is she now?
—In Wisconsin, USA, I guess – maybe married to some asshole dentist.
—Weird kind of motherhood.
—Do you think so?
—Yes.
—The only kind of motherhood I know, sorry.
—Did you never want to be a mother yourself?
—Next question please.
—How old are you?
—Forty-six, but I feel like a hundred and ten.
—Why?
—Seen a lot of violence.
—What kind of violence?
—Homicide, sexual violence, violence against kids, violence committed by kids, violence committed by society.
—What was the worst thing?
—A violent society is the requirement for any kind of violence.
—Do you ever feel happy?
—Next question.
—Please answer me. Please.
—Alcohol and sex make me feel better. And having friends.
—Are your friends your family?
—Whatever family means.
—And what does that mean to you – family?
—Being able to hold on to each other when you need to, and knowing you can do it without giving a reason.
—For you, is your city, Hamburg, also like family?
—No. My city is my home, not my family. But if we’re talking about the sky above my city, let’s maybe call it Aunt Cloudy.
—Do you have any superheroine abilities?
—No more than anybody else – and no fewer, either.
—Are you a feminist?
—Am I a woman? What a shitty question.
—Excuse me.
—It’s okay.
—Describe your world in one sentence.
—You can blame FC St. Pauli for me being me.
—Thank you for your time.
—Cheers.
About Simone Buchholz
Simone Buchholz was born in Hanau in 1972. At university, she studied Philosophy and Literature, worked as a waitress and a columnist, and trained to be a journalist at the prestigious Henri-Nannen-School in Hamburg. In 2016, Simone Buchholz was awarded the Crime Cologne Award, and second place in the German Crime Fiction Prize, for Blue Night, which was number one on the KrimiZEIT Best of Crime List for months. She lives in Sankt Pauli, in the heart of Hamburg, with her husband and son.
Find Simone Buchholz on Twitter - @ohneKlippo
About Beton Rouge
Beton Rouge
By Simone Buchholz
Published by Orenda Books (Ebook - out now; Paperback - published 21st February 2019)
Publisher's description
On a warm September morning, an unconscious man is found in a cage at the entrance to the offices of one of the biggest German newspapers. Closer inspection shows he is a manager of the company, and he’s been tortured. Three days later, another manager appears in similar circumstances.
Chastity Riley and her new colleague Ivo Stepanovic are tasked with uncovering the truth behind the attacks, an investigation that goes far beyond the revenge they first suspect … to the dubious past shared by both victims. Travelling to the south of Germany, they step into the elite world of boarding schools, where secrets are currency, and monsters are bred … monsters who will stop at nothing to protect themselves.
Here's a snippet from my review: 'Short chapters, snappy sentences, witty dialogue and succinct writing have created a fast-paced read - saying 'just one more chapter' to myself led me to read most of the book in one sitting.'
Read my full review here.
