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stevenyenzer's review
3.0
Decided to look for some Amsterdam crime fiction during our stay in the city. This book shows its age -- nearly 50 years old -- with a faire bit of casual sexism and racism. At the same time, van de Wetering was clearly striving to create a complex and interesting Black character with van Meteren, the most interesting character in the novel. Outsider in Amsterdam is imperfect but interesting, and also provides a unique look into the culture of 1970s Amsterdam.
ridgewaygirl's review
5.0
Detective-Adjutant Gripstra, cynical and unhappily married, and Sergeant de Gier, a stylish ladies' man, are detectives working together in the Amsterdam police. When they are sent to investigate a report of a dead body, they encounter an apparent suicide that might also be murder of an idealistic spiritual leader who might also be a grifter.
This is the first in Janwillem van de Wetering's series of police procedurals and is an excellent introduction to this oddly charming series. Van de Wetering translated his novels into English himself and the books are written in a distinctive and witty style. The setting of Amsterdam in the seventies is another reason to give this series a try.
This is the first in Janwillem van de Wetering's series of police procedurals and is an excellent introduction to this oddly charming series. Van de Wetering translated his novels into English himself and the books are written in a distinctive and witty style. The setting of Amsterdam in the seventies is another reason to give this series a try.
littletaiko's review
2.0
The good: sly humor, one of the two detectives is surprisingly attached to his cat, a look at the Netherlands, a country I don't know much about.
The bad: maybe it's a product of it's time (written in 1975) but it comes across as a bit sexist, racist, and homophobic. Also, the translation seemed particularly stilted which led to some really basic dialogue.
Decent mystery but not a series I'd like to continue.
The bad: maybe it's a product of it's time (written in 1975) but it comes across as a bit sexist, racist, and homophobic. Also, the translation seemed particularly stilted which led to some really basic dialogue.
Decent mystery but not a series I'd like to continue.
constantreader471's review
5.0
I enjoyed reading this book and rate it 4.5 stars out of 5(rounded up to 5). I received it through NetGalley from Soho crime. Soho crime is celebrating 25 years of publishing international crime fiction with a reading challenge. I'm reading my way through Janwillem van de Wetering over the next two months.
This is book one in the Grijpstra and de Gier mystery series. Grijpstra is an adjutant and de Gier is a sergeant in the Dutch Amsterdam municipal police. They are called to the scene of a man found hanging from a roof beam. Their boss, a Chief Inspector tells them it is suicide, but they are not convinced and get his permission to continue investigating. I enjoyed the camaraderie between the two men and their somewhat unorthodox methods,i.e. having a beer with a suspect and chatting amiably. The plot has a few twists and turns, with more than one suspect. There is a drug smuggling connection. I liked the ending, which tied up all the threads.
Some quotes: "Bodies, suspended by the neck, are never quite still."
"Join the navy and see the sea, join the police and see the soul."
I recommend this book to mystery fans of the seventies
Once I was past the fourth chapter, it was hard to put down.
This is book one in the Grijpstra and de Gier mystery series. Grijpstra is an adjutant and de Gier is a sergeant in the Dutch Amsterdam municipal police. They are called to the scene of a man found hanging from a roof beam. Their boss, a Chief Inspector tells them it is suicide, but they are not convinced and get his permission to continue investigating. I enjoyed the camaraderie between the two men and their somewhat unorthodox methods,i.e. having a beer with a suspect and chatting amiably. The plot has a few twists and turns, with more than one suspect. There is a drug smuggling connection. I liked the ending, which tied up all the threads.
Some quotes: "Bodies, suspended by the neck, are never quite still."
"Join the navy and see the sea, join the police and see the soul."
I recommend this book to mystery fans of the seventies
Once I was past the fourth chapter, it was hard to put down.
lgpiper's review
The formatting of the ebook I was given was so horrible that the book was essentially unreadable. I lasted through one chapter and then decided my life was too short for this kind of crap. If people want me to provide free reviews, the least they can do is provide readable copies.
I'm pretty sure I read a dead-tree version of this book a number of years ago and liked it. But this version, from Soho Press was unreadable, entirely due to myriad formatting flaws.
I'm pretty sure I read a dead-tree version of this book a number of years ago and liked it. But this version, from Soho Press was unreadable, entirely due to myriad formatting flaws.
_rusalka's review
2.0
If I had read this book in the 1970s, I would have been amused. I am sure that the interesting relationship between the two police character would have shone. I have no doubt they would have seemed enlightened, and I would have enjoyed their banter about questioning and challenging the status quo and religion and authority. And the quirky cat thing would have been cute.
But dear god this book has aged. It's instead like someone was writing a labored, hamfisted, extreme parody of a 1970s cop show. But it's not. It's serious. COMPLETELY SERIOUS. And that's not good.
It's racist (although it's trying to be open minded), sexist, and homophobic. It's painful in parts - a character is obviously a lesbian as look at that jacket, but also only lesbians like to hold positions of power. Or when a bike rider is arrested as men jumped in front of her on a bike and molested her in front of police but she caused a man to hit one of the molesters therefore breaking the peace and she should be punished. And I cannot even recount the racism.
Okay.... yeah. More than painful.
I was incredibly disappointed as the characters could have had potential. Let me know if anyone took them out of this 70s hellhole and put these characters in a modern context with modern attitudes. I would watch that.
But dear god this book has aged. It's instead like someone was writing a labored, hamfisted, extreme parody of a 1970s cop show. But it's not. It's serious. COMPLETELY SERIOUS. And that's not good.
It's racist (although it's trying to be open minded), sexist, and homophobic. It's painful in parts - a character is obviously a lesbian as look at that jacket, but also only lesbians like to hold positions of power. Or when a bike rider is arrested as men jumped in front of her on a bike and molested her in front of police but she caused a man to hit one of the molesters therefore breaking the peace and she should be punished. And I cannot even recount the racism.
Okay.... yeah. More than painful.
I was incredibly disappointed as the characters could have had potential. Let me know if anyone took them out of this 70s hellhole and put these characters in a modern context with modern attitudes. I would watch that.
majkia's review
3.0
Someone has kill Piet. Or is it suicide. The intrepid Amsterdam police force are on the job, even if most of the time they have to walk.
ivan_tw's review
4.0
Great, subtly psychedelic crime novel set in 1970s Amsterdam. Everyone is exceedingly polite, random jam sessions break out amongst the detectives and their suspects, and there's a whole lot of quoting philosophy. The writer was apparently a detective and a Zen Buddhist, and you can see how both informed his prose. The dialog is a little stilted in the English translation, but that almost adds to the charm. There's very little in the way of action, it's mostly just a couple easygoing detectives drinking beer and joking around and slowly working their way through a case. The characters are well-rounded and believable oddballs, and you'll want to keep reading just to see what weird situations they get into next. Being a book written by a white man in the '70s and presumably marketed to the same, there are a couple stray lines that feel a little tone-deaf when it comes to gender and race, but it's rare and none of it feels malicious. If you're not a fan of white-knuckle, 'hard boiled' mystery novels, try de Wetering's 'soft boiled' detectives and see what you think.
marystevens's review
4.0
Excellent and very clever police procedural set in Amsterdam. Detectives De Gier and Grjpstra investigate a hanging at an old mansion now owned by a sect devoted to a unique brand of Eastern philosophy. Is the chief guru a suicide? Why has he shown no signs of depression?
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