Love in Amsterdam (Penguin crime fiction) [Mass Market Paperback]

Nicolas Freeling (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1975 | Series: Penguin crime fiction

Freeling's first novel is told from the perspective of the prime suspect, who is caught in a web of seemingly incontestable circumstantial evidence, evidence so overwhelming that he begins to doubt himself. But Inspector Van der Valk comes to the rescue in a dashing and charming style.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Unusual, absorbing, and altogether not to be missed -- The Sunday Times --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Born in London in 1927, Nicolas Freeling is the author of over thirty titles, many of which are part of the crime genre. His education was broad and he attended a series of schools in England, Ireland and France. He served in the Royal Air Force, and from 1950 worked at various jobs in kitchens, hotels and restaurants throughout Europe. It was this intimate knowledge of the continent that influenced the style and settings of his subsequent books. The first of these was published in 1961. He is best known for the creation of Inspector Piet Van der Valk, an irascible detective engaged in ordinary crime, political intrigue and international affairs. Freeling is married, has four sons and one daughter and currently resides in France. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (August 1, 1975)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140022813
• ISBN-13: 978-0140022810
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,381,869 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Odd, September 3, 2011

By 

Blue in Washington "Barry Ballow" (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Love in Amsterdam (Inspctr Van Der Valk) (Paperback)

This 1962 police/mystery set in Amsterdam is the first of the Inspector Van Der Valk books by Nicolas Freeling. While the story is technically about the murder of a middle-aged femme fatale, this is really much more a book that focuses on the ups and downs of two romantic relationships with a police procedural (of sorts) imposed over them.

Up front, I have to say that I had a hard time connecting with the book. There is something off-putting about the writing style--maybe because it's a debut effort--dialogue and narrative that may be also be the result of a bungled translation. There are so many grammatical errors, strange idioms and ponderous observations that the flow of action is stopped in its tracks frequently throughout the novel.

I've read one other Freeling book ("Because of the Cats") and had the same problem with it. I can't help comparing it to a contemporary series--the terrific Grijpstra and de Gier books by Janwillem van de Wetering--which I really enjoy and which never has the same problems with characters and story flow.

4.0 out of 5 stars Two parts five star; one part zero stars, January 6, 2012

By 

Theodoros Natsinas (Thessaloniki, Greece) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Love in Amsterdam (Inspctr Van Der Valk) (Paperback)

This is the first book Nicolas Freeling published in 1962 (and the first book of his that I read - fifty years later, in 2011). You can tell it is not a new crime novel; for a start it is less than 200 pages, thankfully. It has aged and the language does seem a bit old-fashioned; this probably has misled the previous reviewer to think that the translation was not very good; however, I did not find any indication that the book was translated; according to wikipedia, the book was written in English.

The book is in three parts; I really enjoyed the two first parts but the third, where the solution to the mystery is presented, is very awkward and unsatisfactory. However, the two first parts were so satisfying that I would definitely recommend the book just for them. One theme of the book, the stripping away of layers of lies is fascinating; and another, the portrayal of an obsessive love affair is excellent. The language may be somewhat old-fashioned, however, the descriptions of tangled relationships and the mess people manage to get themselves involved in are as modern as any in contemporary literature.