Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Really enjoyed this book and the Amsterdam setting. Plenty of twists and turns and suspense and a likeable detective in Lotte. Will definitely keep an eye out for more from Anja de Jager!

If you have been to Amsterdam you will recognise the city, its canals, bikeways and history. The story seems almost secondary to this evocative setting.
Lotte has been damaged by her last case and her love-interest is equally scarred by her involvement as a police officer, in violence. Nonetheless she pursues what is declared a "closed case", determined to locate a lost child and the child's mother.
The story is careful and detailed, satisfying as it links the various unanswered threads.
What stays with the reader, however, is not Lotte, but Amsterdam, the real protagonist.

A quiet evening out having a meal in Amsterdam ends with Anja de Jager's main character Police Officer Lotte witnessing a death that ends up being a murder.

As Lotte investigates the background of the victim a numbe of twists and turns emerge and not everything is how it first seems.

Death on the Canal is well written and easy to read. I finished in 2 sittings and is recommended for lovers of crime fiction

I would like to thank Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for an advance copy of Death on the Canal, the third novel to feature Detective Lotte Meerman of the Amsterdam police.

Lotte is out for a drink when a man is stabbed near the pub. Unable to save him she is determined to solve his murder but what she discovers is a web of intrigue and secrets.

I thoroughly enjoyed Death on the Canal which is a complicated tale of secrets and lies where nobody tells the truth. It is told in the first person by Lotte with a linear timeline which makes it refreshingly easy to read as the reader doesn't have to keep shifting perspective. It also means that they can concentrate on what they're being told and that does require concentration as nothing is as it seems. It is amazing the way the author skilfully changes the reader's perceptions of the characters and their motivations as the novel progresses - I'm not sure if I've read anything like it before and it had me engrossed from start to finish. Even the opening paragraphs are a bit of misdirection where I expected one thing and it's another. It's cleverly and imaginatively done.

With a first person narrative the novel revolves around Lotte. In her forties she is a smart, dogged investigator but she struggles emotionally, in fact that is probably being kind as she is positively scary in her love life. In mitigation she is still dealing with the aftermath of shooting a suspect three months ago. I really liked the sensitive and realistic way the author manages this.

Death on the Canal is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.