Customer Reviews

Because of the Cats (Atlantic Large Print Series)

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Freeling's second novel, published in 1963, is up to the standards of his best books (King of a Rainy Country, Gun Before Butter, etc.). Well-written and well-conceived, Freeling remains one of my all-time favorite mystery writers.

In this book, Van der Valk uncovers the very unlikely fact of a youth gang from the rich town of Bloemendaal. These teenagers are carrying out particularly vicious robberies in Amsterdam and leave their victim with only the mysterious words "the cats won't like it." To solve this particular mystery, Van Der Valk needs to get beneath the skin of a seemingly sleepy Dutch town to get at the rot that lies beneath.

If you're a fan of Simenon or Durrenmatt, you should consider trying Nicolas Freeling.

Nicolas Freeling, who regrettably passed away in 2003 while still writing, has left us with some of the most intriguing crime novels ever written. For reasons best known to himself, but which have ended up delighting his readers, this English-born novelist chose to write stories based on the cases of a Dutch chief inspector called Van der Valk, or a French policeman named Henri Castang. Because of the Cats is a Van der Valk novel set in Amsterdam and the nearby suburb of Bloemendaal.

As always, the novel concentrates on Van der Valk's thought processes as he muddles through to the solution of the crimes in his unorthodox fashion. As he does so, Freeling is quite happy to have him also examine certain facets of modern society such as, in this case, the effect of wealth on the children of busy, well-to-do parents. With his earthy approach to life on and off the streets and his innate understanding of some of the darker sides of human nature, Van der Valk not only never fails to "catch his man" (as is natural), but he also never fails to entertain us grandly, leaving us with much food for thought. That being said, he is not the easiest author (or detective) to read, and the level and intricacy of the language used provides yet another level of enjoyment for those willing to follow along. And by the time you reach the end of the book, you will understand that it was, indeed, because of the cats!

As someone who visits Amsterdam fairly often, this is a great way to soothe my homesickness for a place I truly love. Also a pretty damn good mystery!

From the usually reliable archives of Felony & Mayhem Publishers comes the 1963 mystery "Because of the Cats". While the plot of this crime tale is rather original--a gang of over-privileged teenagers from a posh suburb begins to burglarize Amsterdam for no discernible reason--there wasn't a lot of credibility or grit once the story got rolling. Worse, the book's protagonist, Chief Inspector Van der Valk, comes across as a ponderous and pontificating stumbler right through til the rather limp ending. Indeed, his lack of perception and poor professional decisions result in making the crimes chronicled in the book far more serious. There isn't a lot here for readers to sink their teeth into.

The book jacket of "Because.." compares author Nicolas Freeling to Georges Simenon. While the former's lead character is given to interior rumination like Simenon's Inspector Maigret, there isn't much resemblance otherwise. Indeed, not only would I prefer Simenon, but I think that the wonderful Amsterdam-set crime stories in the Grijpstra and de Gier series by Janwillem Van de Wetering are far superior in plot and characters.