Hard Rain [Mass Market Paperback]

Jan Van De Wetering (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 12, 1987

On a stormy night in Amsterdam, banker Martin Ijsbreker is killed by a sniper as he sits by an open window at his home along the Binnenkant Canal. Three junkies then enter Ijsbreker's house, arrange his death to look like suicide and steal valuables for which they will be paid in heroin. The next day the addicts are found dead of overdoses in a houseboat on the Binnenkant, and Chief Inspector Halba, in charge of the Murder Brigade while his superior, the commissaris, is on holiday, dismisses their deaths as accidental. The commissaris and his trusted subordinates, Adjutant Grijpstra and Sergeant de Gier, heroes of van de Wetering's superlative Dutch crime series (Outsider in Amsterdam, The Rattle-Rat, etc.), suspect that the four deaths on the canal are linked, especially since Ijsbreker had been an officer at the Banque du Credit and connected to its nefarious affiliate, the Society for Help Abroad, both run by evil Willem Fernandus. But the virtuous trimuvirate are ordered off the case and relieved of their duties by Amsterdam's corrupt chief of police. How can they catch a gang of murderous criminals when, as de Gier says, "We're the only good guys left"? Happily, they manage to, in a fast-moving story that combines action, detection, satire, Zen philosophy and pure fun, and shows van de Wetering to be at the top of his form.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

On a stormy night in Amsterdam, banker Martin Ijsbreker is killed by a sniper as he sits by an open window at his home along the Binnenkant Canal. Three junkies then enter Ijsbreker's house, arrange his death to look like suicide and steal valuables for which they will be paid in heroin. The next day the addicts are found dead of overdoses in a houseboat on the Binnenkant, and Chief Inspector Halba, in charge of the Murder Brigade while his superior, the commissaris, is on holiday, dismisses their deaths as accidental. The commissaris and his trusted subordinates, Adjutant Grijpstra and Sergeant de Gier, heroes of van de Wetering's superlative Dutch crime series (Outsider in Amsterdam, The Rattle-Rat, etc.), suspect that the four deaths on the canal are linked, especially since Ijsbreker had been an officer at the Banque du Credit and connected to its nefarious affiliate, the Society for Help Abroad, both run by evil Willem Fernandus. But the virtuous trimuvirate are ordered off the case and relieved of their duties by Amsterdam's corrupt chief of police. How can they catch a gang of murderous criminals when, as de Gier says, "We're the only good guys left"? Happily, they manage to, in a fast-moving story that combines action, detection, satire, Zen philosophy and pure fun, and shows van de Wetering to be at the top of his form.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Janwillem van de Wetering (1931–2008) was born and raised in Rotterdam, but lived most recently in Surry, Maine. He served as a member of the Amsterdam Special Constabulary and was once a Zen Buddhist monk. He is renowned for his detective fiction, including Outsider in Amsterdam, The Corpse on the Dike, The Japanese Corpse, and eleven other books in the Grijpstra and de Gier series. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (August 12, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345339649
• ISBN-13: 978-0345339645
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,380,275 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars once upon a time in the little town of amsterdam..., January 6, 2001

By 

"kadixjvr5408urransyxzq" (Kent, OH United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hard Rain (A Grijpstra & De Gier Mystery) (Paperback)

Way back when I had never heard of Janwillem van de Wetering, I picked up one of his novels off of a pile of used books just 'cause I liked the cover so much. Plus, I was out of ideas about what to read, having just suffered through a long exam period at school, which had left my brain feeling like a well-squeezed sponge. Anyway, I read "Hard Rain" in one night, finding that it was totally impossible to leave Grijpstra and de Gier and the commisaris in mid-chase. I won't give away the plot of this or any of the other great books that feature this oddball trio, but I will say that they are just about my favorite paperback detectives ever. I mean, yes, I still enjoy reading about Adam Dalgleish and Reg Wexford and Inspector Morse, but nobody's quite as likeable van de Wetering's characters, nor as much pure fun. Grijpstra is an out-of-shape realist with a fondness for drumming and a distinct lack of fondness for a nagging wife, de Gier is a judo-expert trumpet player who seeks answers to life's questions in Zen and women, and the commisaris is a keen-eyed old father-figure to both who keeps a pet turtle in his little garden. The three of them pursue murderers and other evil-doers through mostly non-traditional methods, reminding me sometimes of Hammett's Continental Op, who liked to throw monkey wrenches rather than follow clues, since that way he could often short-cut his way to a solution. In other words, the Grijpstra and de Gier books aren't really about solving puzzles, and really, the plots are often not nearly as important as the interplay of characters and the fleeting glimpses into the quirky texture of life in non-picturesque Amsterdam.

So, what I'm saying is, read at least one of the Grijpstra and de Gier books, just for the heck of it. But be aware that there's a pretty good chance you'll get addicted. Oh, and I still think the covers are great, at least the ones in the Soho Crime series; I have to put that plug in, though it's irrelevant to the stories, just because I'm a big fan of good book design.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Turtle Meditates, December 17, 2005

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Hard Rain (A Grijpstra & De Gier Mystery) (Paperback)

This is the eleventh book in Janwillem van de Wetering's famous series about the Amsterdam police force and is something of a masterpiece in a series that is noted for exceptional writing. A death that might be an assassination and a group of junkie art thieves who suddenly die from using uncut heroin start a story that pits the commissaris against a boyhood antagonist who has become a crime king. For the first time we see both sides of this fatherly old man - the wry, wise-cracking senior officer who can turn into an avenging angel with little or no warning.

Aiding the commissaris are two able and eccentric officers, Sargeant de Gier and Adjutant Grijpstra. These two have played jazz, meditated, and painted their way the many volumes. They manage to be both detectives and plotters, lulling the reader with their easy banter while the tear holes in alibis and commit outrages in the spirit of justice. Villains my find themselves the victims of police heists when de Gier and Gripstra enter the scene.

This time the target of the investigation is Willem Fernandus, and urbane and powerful sociopath whose position in society is almost unassailable. The commissaris and his troops find themselves the victims of corruption in the very police force they serve and wind up carrying on a freelance hunt for the tricks that will bring Fernandus down. But Fernandus and the police in his pocket have made so many enemies that the detectives soon find they have almost too many volunteers - a police secretary plays prostitute, a host of witnesses move into the commissaris' house, and civil servants jump ship.

The comedy masks grim truths, and van de Wetering reminds us just often enough that the Fernandus is the pleasant face that masks the horrors of organized crime. For all that the commissaris' quest is a personal one, his target really is genuinely evil - a man who has abandoned everything except his own satisfaction. But the world he has created for himself is the means of his undoing as the three knights (and a host of supporters) collaborate to unravel his power.

Into all of this is mixed just enough literary and philosophical material to remind us that thinking and police work are not necessarily mutually exclusive. And that action and good writing can happen at the same time. Hard Rain does depend on the character work that preceded it, so the reader will get the most out of it by starting earlier in the series. But you won't want to miss this when it is time to read it.

0 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars It doesn't get much pulpier, April 28, 2006

By 

M. North (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hard Rain (A Grijpstra & De Gier Mystery) (Paperback)

Why is this author so popular? I'm sorry but this is badly written trash- the plot isn't even very compelling. Mostly in the pulpy "bad cop" genre, roughing up bad guys and hitting on dames every other page. The only interesting thing was it showed that the Dutch are not as cool as I thought they were.