Silver Pebbles

Drugs, diamonds, and striving for the better life comprise the core of this neo-noirish novel set in Basel, Switzerland. The book follows a young drug mule who is laundering drugs and diamonds in Switzerland for his very powerful and dangerous employers. However, after the mule has to dump the diamonds into the sewer, there is a race against time to retrieve them or face the consequences. While a Turkish immigrant who works to clean the sewers dreams of a better life back in Turkey, away from his girlfriend in Switzerland, the quest becomes a way to make money off the diamonds and not get caught by those who are looking for the diamonds.

This is the second book in the series featuring Basel police inspector Peter Hunkeler, who is slowly realizing that his career is going nowhere, no one on the force respects him, and his ex-wife hates him. The book is definitely told in a noirish style of femme fatales, crime bosses, and a plot that at times borders on the ridiculous, like all noirs. Even with all of that, it is still a fairly enjoyable read.