Murder in Amsterdam [Hardcover]

A. C. Baantjer (Author), H. G. Smittenaar (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1996

One of the most widely read authors in the Netherlands, A.C. Baantjer continues to captivate a growing audience of American readers. This volume contains two of his favorite stories.

"DeKok and the Sunday Strangler" opens with the strangling death of Fat Sonja, an Amsterdam prostitute of whom Inspector DeKok was fond. Soon a second prostitute is killed, and along with his assistant, Viedder, DeKok begins down a trail of twisted motives and hidden agendas.

"DeKok and the Corpse on Christmas Eve" proves that DeKok himself is not above breaking the law to serve the interest of justice, as he engages a burglar to commit a break-in and then tampers with evidence to entrap the murderer of a young woman.

"Inspector DeKok is part Columbo, part Clouseau, part genius, part imp."-West Coast Review of Books

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This first translation of Baantjer's work into English supports the mystery writer's reputation in his native Holland as a Dutch Conan Doyle. Baantjer's Inspector DeKok is a curmudgeon tempered by years on the Amsterdam police force into sometimes accepting the closest available proxy for justice. The first of these two novellas featuring DeKok opens with the strangling death of Fat Sonja, an Amsterdam prostitute of whom DeKok was fond. Soon a second prostitute, Pale Goldie, is killed. Baantjer successfully uses the moral ambiguity of prostitution in Amsterdam--which is legal but viewed as a threat to society--to avoid easy cliches and to make DeKok, his assistant, Vledder, the victims and the denizens of Amsterdam's red-light district into three-dimensional individuals. The second whodunit proves that DeKok isn't above breaking the law to serve the interests of justice, as he engages a burglar to commit a break-in and then tampers with evidence to entrap the murderer of a young woman. His knowledge of esoterica rivals that of Holmes, but Baantjer wisely uses such trivia infrequently, his main interests clearly being detective work, characterization and moral complexity.

Copyright 1992 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review

“This series is the answer to an insomniac’s worst fears.” — Robin Winks, The Boston Globe -- Review --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 215 pages
• Publisher: Intercontinental Pub Inc; 2 edition (June 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1881164020
• ISBN-13: 978-1881164029
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,517,093 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent and entertaining mystery, January 15, 2004

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder in Amsterdam (Inspector Dekok Mysteries) (Paperback)

A.C. Baantjer is a very popular author from the Netherlands. He knows whereof he speaks, as he is a former Detective Inspector for the Amsterdam Police, with a career which spanned thirty-eight years. He features Inspector Dekok in at least sixteen addition mysteries which have been translated into English.

This volume includes two Inspector Dekok mysteries: Dekok and the Sunday Strangler and Dekok and the Corpse on Christmas Eve. Both stories deal with the murder of women: the first is a killer who preys on prostitutes, and the second is a killer who preys on the office workers at his company. Both are excellent studies in human nature. Dekok is the epitome of the grizzled veteran detective, and his sidekick, Vledder, is in awe of Dekok's experience and intelligence:

"Of course, you didn't dare tackle it on your own, I bet. You thought: come, let's call Dekok out of bed. The old man will take care of it, right? You thought: Why should I take a chance on messing it up, when I can lean on the old man. Isn't that so? That's what you thought, right?' Vledder looked at him searchingly. Was that a reproach? Did it sound as a reproach? He did not know. The expression on the face of the experienced photographer was unreadable."

Baantjer's writing style is smooth and flowing. Dekok is a superb character...sort of a combination of Columbo and Hercule Poirot. He is intelligent; is a family man; has a good heart; and is very forgiving of the blunders of his prot??. The plot lines are steady and believable, and the dialogue is full of interesting witticisms and give-and-take between Dekok and Vledder. One feels as if Dekok is very much of a master detective, shaping Vledder into what will eventually be a fine detective to take his place. At the same time, Dekok is very much in control of his own emotions as he navigates through the world of murder and intrigue.

Baantjer is a expert narrator who takes the reader deep into the world which police have to inhabit as part of their jobs. He even makes funny little asides to the reader about people who love mysteries, almost as if he is reaching out to touch his audience and give them a tweak on the cheek. This is an excellent and entertaining mystery from a skillful writer and profound thinker.

Shelley Glodowski
Reviewer

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good, intelligent mysterry, July 2, 2005

By 

Susan Kibler "Mysterious Art" (Copake, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder in Amsterdam (Inspector Dekok Mysteries) (Paperback)

Mysteries that take place in other countries, othere cultures are enjoyable on two levels. Here the story is well developed and convincing every step of the way. you can tell Dekok is based on real police work. And the sociological atmosphere of Amstedam is wonderful