Chase: The Complete Trilogy by Thomas Dellenbusch is an entertaining and gripping story of suspence. There are lots of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing.
Blurb:
Chase, the famous detective agency in Hamburg, is faced with three extremely tricky cases. Solving the intricate mysteries is one thing, the dangers involved are another. Chief investigator Rique Allmers and his team are always up against powerful and unscrupulous opponents.
In "The Hunt for the Mute Poetess", they set out to uncover the family secret of a deaf-mute author, which is closely guarded by the Hamburg mafia.
In "The Hunt for a King", the two Chase agents Jerome and Chen Lu travel to Scotland to solve the murder of a history professor. Without knowing it, they fight to preserve one of the greatest legends of mankind.
In "The Hunt for the Tsar's Treasure!, Andree, Chase's IT specialist, after his girlfriend is kindnapped, suddenly finds himself in a trace to find what is probably the most valuable lost treasure in the world.
This series introduces us to the concept of KopfKino.
"KopfKino (a German term for Theatre of the Mind) means relaxing, thought-provoking and enthralling movie-length stories. With an approximate reading time of between 60 and 180 minutes".
All books are published as movie-length instalments.
Chase: The Hunt for the Mute Poetess is the first book in the trilogy.
The plot of the first story shows the dark side of the organised crime empire with its evil ganglords. This grim network, enforced by fear, is involved in the vicious murders, exploitation, human trafficking, ruthless violence. Dramatic events of the past have repercussions that stretch their ugly tentacles into the present.
We're plunged into an action scene from the first page. A young barefoot woman collides into Rique Allmers, the private detective, as he walks in the city centre. She looks terrified, and no surprise, as she is chased by a couple of dangerous thugs. Rique helps the woman escape her pursuers, but the hunt is not over. The adversary - the Hamburg mob - is lethal and ruthless.
Katja Krömer has no idea why she is being hunted by the gangsters. To rescue her, Rique's team has to solve the clues and find the answers in Katja's mother's past.
While the series is named Chase after the agency, there is plenty of chasing in all books, so it's an apt title from both points of view.
Rique Allmers is the head of the enterprise named Chase. "His services, which were commissioned by corporations, celebrities and wealthy citizens, included property- and personal-security, surveillance, extortion-, missing-persons- and industrial-espionage investigations, and much more. The government also engaged Rique's services for covert operations..."
The group consists of a varied group of specialists, from those skilled in close-combat techniques to computer and technology whizzes.
As the plot unfolds, we meet different members of the group, and begin to appreciate their talents.
In "The Hunt for a King" the action moves to Scotland. The pace, suspence and intrigue are expertly handled.
A professor of history dies in suspicious circumstances. Police declare it to be an accident caused by a drink-drive. The problem is - the well-respected professor didn't drink. Who has killed Ronald Campbell and why? Professor's sons are in danger too. Two agents from Chase, Jerome and Chen Lu, arrive to Scotland to help work out the mystery.
I found this part of the trilogy most exciting, as it turns to be a creative and imaginative interpretation of Arthurian legends.
In The Hunt for Tsar's Treasure we follow Andree, the IT specialist from Chase, as he tries to rescue his girlfriend Manuela, who's been kidnapped. Finding and freeing Manuela becomes his priority, but to save her, the team needs to decode a series of puzzles, with clues hidden in riddles and artifcats.
This story sets the team looking for the priceless treasures, which were lost during the WWII.
It's a smart, corkscrew plot, with interesting forays into the historical past.
The main characters of the series are not super-humans, we see them making mistakes, not paying enough attention, or not being physically fit to escape the criminals.
KopfKino has proved to be a promising concept.
Pros: You can easily read each instalment during a train or plane journey, or whenever you find some free time to yourself.
Action-packed, these stories are rather visual and suspensful.
Cons: Due to the format, there is no in-depth character development, or backstory. I would have liked to know more of the background of Rique, Katja etc, to find out how the agency was born.
This gripping read would make a great TV series.
If you enjoy a mix of action/mystery/conspiracy/thriller, Chase will take you on a rollicking adventure.
Many thanks to Thomas Dellenbusch for my free copy of the e-book!
About the author:
Thomas Dellenbusch was born in Düsseldorf, Germany in 1964, and still lives there. The former police detective and advertising copywriter has been actively writing for more than twenty years on a wide variety of topics.
Although the lion's share of his assignments originate from the advertising industry, he has also put his talents to use producing speeches for government officials, poetry for individuals, screenplays, rulebooks, newspaper articles, sketches and much more. In short, any subject that can be communicated in a stimulating manner.
Since 2013, he has specialised in the production of movie-length stories - written both by himself and seven other authors via the publishing company he founded expressely for that purpose.
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