This book had me gripped from start to finish. It's exciting to know this is book one of a trilogy and it's a brilliant answer to all the Scandi crime books.

Glorious conspiracy thriller that grabs from the start all the way to the end. A newspaper and police procedural with many strands that twists and turns at breakneck speed. Set mainly around Amsterdam it reaches its climax in Moscow with an ending that leaves one wanting part two right away. Superb!

DNF @ 20%

I gave this until 20% to give this a bit of a chance before I decided to give it up (I wanted to give it up at 5%).

I'm disappointed to put this one down because I thought it could be a new series to get into... but no. This is not a badly written book and already the premise for the crime is pretty unique. But I have an issue with our main character, Farah, and the fact that this was already overly sexual for a police procedural type novel.

My issues with the main character are as follows:
- She is some sort of kung fu master, with an aggressive rage she can't control, but she's soft as anything really... Cliche.
- She is a model... Or rather she is described as a model lookalike. Why does she have to be so pretty? So she gets her way with everyone that she meets? Give me a break.
- She drives a fancy old "badass" car. Oh, she's soooo cool.
- She has the most expensive of clothing brands to wear and is sleeping with a movie director? It's time to stop.

As for the sexual bits, here's my issues:
- Farah just happens to walk into the blast from a fire engine? Results of this? Wet tshirt, and she's not wearing a bra. Lots of breast talk. Gross.
- Before the first 5% of the book is over we have a sex scene that's semi graphic. I'm no prude but it just didn't feel right.

So that's why I put this book down so early. I feel bad, it's a Netgalley book and I don't like DNFing a book given to me for the purposes of a review, but I wouldn't have been able to finish this one before publication date, or even within a week, probably.

Note: if you're into police procedurals you may very well like this book, this is just my personal preference for the kind of crime novels I like to read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Great book! It took off at a pace and had me reading longer than I would normally. Based in Holland with insight into South Africa and Afghanistan was a wonderful change from the USA or the UK. Current topics of immigration, corruption and the power of the media, made it very relevant. The description of corruption and power play in South Africa was spot on! I enjoyed both Farah and Joshua - and Diba, too. Interesting, multi-layered characters representing the cosmopolitan society of Europe.
Some sections felt too contrived - I found the flyover scene unlikely , even though it was an effective way to bring all the parts of the plots together from multiple viewpoints.
The end left me feeling dissatisfied, but that is no criticism of the book, rather my dislike of trilogies. Having said that, I eagerly await the second book.

This is the first part of the Dutch Heartland trilogy by Walter Lucius. This is certainly a multi-layered and multi-contexted novel. The plot and characters cross continents, moving from the Netherlands to South Africa and Russia, with Afghanistan as a constant background. This was not a 'nice' book. There are lots of nasty characters and many even nastier events. Even the 'good' characters are flawed and their history affects their responses and actions. The narrative concerns not only individual characters but also professsions (journalism, medicine and police) and how these professions are motivated and can come into conflict. It is very much a contemporary European novel, with narratives of refugees, migration, racism, alongside the growth of the far right, the power behind the media, paedophilia, human trafficking and corruption in government and industry. Sometimes it seems as if the author is perhaps trying to cover too many themes but this is 21st century reality. The first half of the book establishes characters, locations and a 'who (and why) done it' thriller but suddenly there is a violent storm in Amsterdam and this sends the second half of the book into an unrelenting and cataclysmic tempest of events, each more unsettling than the previous. The 'who (and why) done it' questions are answered but the book leaves so many more questions unanswered and will ensure many readers will want to return for the rest of the trilogy. I have some concerns about the way in which Farah is described so frequently by her physical attributes although the author does seem to indicate this is a male gaze point of view and to an extent it emphasises the way in which media can be distorted and used for specific ends. The final words of this novel (and this is not a spoiler) will stay with me until I read the second part of the trilogy: 'And then the sun broke into a thousand fiery pieces and the butterfly garden turned as white as snow'. This sentence is full og images and it did not surprise me to find that the author is a screen writer: there are many scenes in the book which are very filmic in the writing.

Love that this book is set in the Netherlands and also expands to Russia, Africa and Afganistan. There are several threads running at the same time which is not an easy task to do. I suspect an awful lot of research went into writing this book. The plot centres around a young Afgan boy involved in a hit and run accident. The doctor called to the incident forms an attachment to the boy and becomes his ally. There is a lot more to this story that involves immigration, arms trade and power. I certainly can't wait until the follow-up comes out.

Butterfly on the storm is part one of a planned trilogy and I can't wait for the sequel, it starts with the discovery of a small child, a victim of a hit and run, who are they ? and what are they doing in the middle of nowhere, dressed strangely and with no one coming forward to claim them, the story follows the police and an investigative journalist (who happened to be in the right place at the eighth time) trying to unravel the mystery. It races along at a breakneck pace climaxing with a cliffhanger finish and now that I've finished my biggest question is what's going to happen next?? I won't lie . At tmes I got a little lost with all the Dutch places and names but I'm glad I stuck with it as the characters in the book all seem to have a hidden back story which really draws you in and I hope with the next instalment we'll learn more about them.

Butterfly on the Storm is an awesome book .There is so much going on ,so many stories that gradually come together and make sense .It a fast paced book travelling form Afghanistan, Amsterdam and Russia .A story of corruption that knows no bounds ! Brilliant ,can't wait for the next installment.

I enjoyed the story overall, touching on modern concerns with immigration and fake news. There are some really nice moments, Farah's response to the statue, Her uncles joy in the kites, the girl dancing for Marouan.
However I found it hard to keep track of the multiple central characters, and there were too many points of view. The sex scenes didn't convince, the car crash scene read like a film script rather than a novel, and I hated the ending; and if Yul Brynner is mentioned one more time...

I've given this book a three stars because the storyline is good and had I been able to complete it, I'm sure it could have been five stars. I gave up at around 54%..... With great reluctance but a growing sense of frustration. The formatting problems were an issue in some chapters but the real problem lay in the overall construction.. I enjoy stories that move between time periods and I enjoy hearing about the background of various characters and how that influences the plot. I cannot use paper books because of OA so read from a kindle. The downside of this format is the inability to easily flip back to remind oneself of re-emerging characters. With so many characters, their histories, the different cultures and the issues that are related, I began to loose track of who was who and how important they might be to the plot. I found myself dreading the start of a new chapter for fear that this was yet another mysterious figure who may or may not be ultimately relevant. I envy those who read a paper version of this book as it showed so much promise but I am afraid I gave up when in became a chore rather than a pleasure.

Butterfly on the storm is a multilayered novel, part thriller part romance, part mystery but above all it is a really good read.
Journalist Farah Hafez begins this tale by having contact with a young afghani child who is brought into an Amsterdam hospital after a hit and run accident. On the commencement of her journey into discovering the who, why and when of this incident we are slowly introduced to a host of supporting characters ranging from the good to the hideously evil.
As the story unfolds we become to realise that at the base of this tale is the stink of pure corruption in high governments in varying countries that knows no bounds.
By the time the ending came I was exhausted from the myriad of emotions I had been put through.
The ending........well all I can say is that this reader will be checking Amazon daily to see when the next instalment is this trilogy is published.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for opportunity to review this book.

A disappointing first book - 'think Stieg Larson....' ran the blurb - I think not! This is a book that isn't sure what it is about - far too much irrelevant detail scattered around that, unlike in Stieg Larsson's trilogy, fails to add to the strength of characters but instead induces irritation or even boredom. Political prejudices are scattered through the text that don't belong - they will alienate some readers and make others wonder how they relate to the story. I rarely give up on books but 24% was more than enough in this case. This was a shame as there could have been a compelling story here - but a lack of focus, some over-written and contrived descriptions, and poor narrative flow made it too much like hard work.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. It was a very good story, excellent storyline and great characters. I would recommend this book to anyone

Book one in The Heartland Trilogy, Butterfly on the Storm, is a best-selling Dutch thriller. I think this may be my first thriller set in the Netherlands, I enjoy reading books set in different locations as it provides a pleasant change of scenery and through books, I get to travel the globe.

Butterfly on the Storm is a complex and layered story that follows investigative journalist, Farah Hafez, as she investigates the events that led to the hit-and-run of a little boy. The first medic on the scene, Danielle, works to save the little boy, but in a misguided effort to use this boy’s story to raise awareness of children’s suffering everywhere, she places the boy in further danger. Police officers, Calvino and Diba, are assigned to the case. Everyone involved soon realises this case is bigger than any of them ever thought – this is crime on an international level, Netherlands, South Africa, Russia and Afghanistan, this crime spans continents. Is Farah up to the task of cracking this case? She's up against some extremely powerful and dangerous people who will do anything to keep their keep their secrets safe.

"Some people carry death in their eyes. Establish contact with them and you run the risk of contamination."

The plot is extremely well detailed, the characters are plenty but the story is so well told, in the sense that you are able to follow it without becoming confused. Surprisingly, I didn’t really feel drawn to any of the characters, despite the backstory of the main characters being shared with us, and I think at times, my lack of connection to any particular character made this story lose its momentum in places. It’s really hard when in a book of this length you don’t have a character to root for, something to push you on with the read.

Fear not the big book, they say, at 528 pages, I feel like I read the entire trilogy in one book! That was especially true in the last 10% of the story, where it really seemed to drag, which unfortunately leaves me little incentive to pick up book two, however, I can be persuaded if it’s not so long in length! If you struggle with books of a longer length, it may be wise to steer clear of this one but it you enjoy getting stuck in a complex case that spans continents with strong themes of corruption and bribery, give this book a read.

Overall, this book wasn’t as fast-paced and thrilling as I’d hoped; here I can’t help but wonder if anything was lost in translation, creating the thrill is all about how you use words and a particular phrase may read as extremely thrilling in Dutch, but lose its thrill in translation. This story reminded me a little of the TV crime drama, Homeland, so if you enjoy a political crime mystery, this may be the book for you; having said that, this book would make a great book to TV series adaptation.

This book has so much going on in it. There are so many stories that gradually come together to make an outstanding read. I loved everything about it. It is fast paced and grippiing from start to finish. It has background stories that link various charcters, as well as an ever evolving plot that leaves you caught up in it. There feels like alot of research has gone into this, or at least a good background knowledge.
Set in the Netherlands, the story begins with a young Afghan boy being involved in a hit and run, as the police and medics deal with that, a car fire close by is thrown into the equation. Danielle a Doctor on the scene forms an attachment to the boy, from the treatment she gives at the scene to the hospital and then beyond she is like a protector. It is at the hospital that Danielle meets Farah Hafez, a journalist and martial arts fighter. Who, after a gala fight, goes to the hospital to visit a competitor. On entry she sees the boy coming in on a stretcher, when he speaks a word in Afghan, she responds. She lived in Afghanistan until she was nine years old before coming to Amsterdam to live. She wants to help the boy and find out his story.
From this point on the reader will journey from Amsterdam, South Africa, Russian to Afghanistan. That journey will deal with corruption, greed, exploitation, bribary, arms trade and torture. The police and journalists have one agenda, to uncover the truth. But it will never be as simple as that, unconnected events have to be linked, people in power will stand in the way. In the turmoil of immigration issues in the Netherlands and the terror campaigns in the other countries, those who have power will not let it be taken from them. They will protect themselves at all costs.
This is the first of a trilogy that i am now hooked on. I will recommend this book and eagerly await the rest.

A long and complicated international thriller that starts in Amsterdam and spirals outward - a hit-and-run leads to corruption, trafficking, sex slavery and terrorism. The pace can be a bit slow: lots of things happening that don't move the plot on, and I didn't like the journalist seeing dead people: a bit fanciful and pseudo-spiritual, really. By the end, the author seems to have lost interest and/or exhausted himself as the story gets a bit sparse. All the same, this is good as an airport thriller but doesn't bring anything new to the genre.

Brilliant in every sense, it's already a long wait for the next instalment.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for an advance copy of Butterfly On The Storm, the first novel in The Heartland trilogy, set mostly in Amsterdam.

A young boy is knocked down on a country road and left for dead. Who he is and what he was doing there is a mystery to detectives Diba and Calvino. Journalist Farah Hafez is at the hospital on an unrelated matter when she hears the boy speak and offers her services as a translator. The boy's accident sets off a chain of events which lead all three investigators into extremely murky waters.

Butterfly on the Storm is undoubtably an ambitious novel, taking on the big themes of corruption, the Russian oligarchy, paedophilia and the role of immigrants in Dutch society - I don't think it is an accident that all 3 protagonists have foreign heritages. I did not, however, find it an easy novel to follow and felt that some of the connections were tenuous at best. This may be because it is not a gripping read and it is easy to put down. I'm unsure if this is due to the translation or just the way the novel is. The ending is action packed but very inconclusive, obviously setting up the sequel. I don't like cliffhangers in novels and this one is a doozy.

The author seems ambivalent about his protagonists. The reader is given plenty of information about them, their actions and reactions but it is still difficult to really know them or identify with them.

All I can say is that, based on this novel, comparisons with the Millennium trilogy are wide of the mark.