Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #250322 in Books
• Published on: 1999-05-24
• Original language: Dutch
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Synopsis
Piet Verboom is found dangling from a beam in the Hindist Society he ran as a restaurant-commune in a quiet Amsterdam street. Detective-Adjutant Grijpstra and Sergeant de Gier of the Amsterdam police force are sent to investigate what looks like a simple suicide.

Customer Reviews

Best discovery this year of an "old master"
I have been wanting to read these books for a while and finally found the time to dig into this first one on a long flight to Europe. Perfect setting for reading any of van deWetering's books. These novels are thoroughly European and I loved the way the characters spoke and interacted. I especially enjoyed the pervasive air of morality throughout the book. So many of contemporary thrillers lack that essential element. The novelist makes good use of his obvious Buddhist beliefs and sprinkles some quite beautiful thoughts (when de Gier meets the father of a female suspect take extra time to linger over his philosophy. It's utterly engaging and memorable) throughout this story of the search for the killer of a murdered spiritual adviser and some smarmy drug dealing in 1970s Amsterdam. This book also contains the first villain with a conscience I've ever encountered in all my decades of mystery reading. I look forward to completing the series.