- Title:
- Reprobate: A Katla Novel (Amsterdam Assassin, #1)
- By:
- Martyn V. Halm
- Pages:
- 424
- Rating:
- 4
Alt Cover ASIN: B0094VD7JW
Assassin Katla breaks her own rules when confronted with an unusual witness…
Blessed with an almost non-existent conscience, freelance assassin and corporate troubleshooter Katla Sieltjes, expert in disguising homicide, regards murder for profit as an intricate and rewarding occupation. Her solitary existence seems more than satisfactory until a blind musician wanders in on her crime scene.
Katla only kills for profit or to protect her anonymity, and Bram Merleyn seems harmless and unable to identify her. By sparing his life, she breaks one of her most important rules—never leave a living witness. A decision Katla might not survive to regret…
Reprobate is the first novel in the Amsterdam Assassin Series.
With authentic details and brisk action against the backdrop of the notorious Dutch capital, featuring a devious heroine and a supporting cast of singular characters, Reprobate gives a rare glimpse into local Dutch culture, the narcotics trade, computer hacking, motorcycle gangs, mehndi bridal tattoos, martial arts, the psychology of social engineering, and the brutal efficacy of disciplined violence.
This e-book features a glossary.
This is a hauntingly real worrk, so much that stepping out of my hot steamy bathroom last night having finished a chapter I almost expected a knife to come flying out of the darkness and skewer me between the eyes. Katla, the protagonist, is ruthlessly disciplined, utterly determined, sensuously powerful and potently sexual and, along with the fine level of detail on everything – Amsterdam, Japanese cooking, blades and anatomy – this is a work you won’t want to miss.
Of interest to me on a more personal level was the depiction of a blind man, and as this is so often done badly in fiction, take heed: Halm’s blind character is intelligent, capable and surprisingly cleverly written, for the scenes from Bram’s point of view are heavy on sound and scent and everything else you might expect, in a level of detail and with degrees of acumen a lifelong blind person might struggle to convey. Even when a second blind character appears briefly and admits freely that he “still don’t trust my other senses” to the same level as Bram, and even though Halm makes the point that this man “appeared helpless and fragile compared to Bram”, that’s not necessarily put down to his blindness. indeed, this character performs a most delicate and careful bit of work earlier in the story.
It is evident that this is a series to keep reading. The locale is unique and interesting, the characters diverse and intriguing and the idea behind Katla’s occupation and her methods are fascinating to contemplate.
DISCLOSURE: I read a free copy of this work provided by the author, on condition of a review. It was a good plan because books 2 and 3 are going on my wish list today and may well be ordered (or pre-ordered if possible) before the end of the month.