Scan barcode
A review by ericwelch
The Corpse on the Dike by Janwillem van de Wetering
4.0
John Leonard said of Janwillem van de Wetering, “He is doing what Simenon [author of the wonderful Maigret stories:] might have done if Albert Camus had sublet his skull.” There is a great resemblance to Simenon — high praise, indeed. Wetering, who served in the Amsterdam Reserve Constabulary but now lives in the United States, ensconces his detective stories in Amsterdam. The commisaris, Amsterdam’s chief of detectives, is a wily, philosophical old man who wields subtle techniques to bring out the best in Adjutant Grijpstra and Sergeant De Gier, who suffer from the normal human catastrophes and ensorcellments.
I like police procedurals, and Dutch and Swedish are some of the best. These from Amsterdam are very satisfying. In The Corpse on the Dike , a man is shot dead in his back yard with a bullet between the eyes. The sole suspect, in what otherwise seems a motiveless murder, is the lesbian next door who, they suspect, might have been jealous of her fetching roomer’s interest in the dead man. She was a crack shot, a gun enthusiast and sportswoman in a country where guns are difficult to obtain legally. She vehemently and convincingly denies having committed the crime. The dead man had no apparent friends and was not involved in any crimes. A couple of motorcycle police stumble on the key to the case when they witness several men unloading a truck of stolen goods. Soon it is apparent that the residents of the dike are all involved in some prodigious thievery led by the “Cat,” but the motive for the killing still eludes the authorities — for a while.
Updated 6/19/09
I like police procedurals, and Dutch and Swedish are some of the best. These from Amsterdam are very satisfying. In The Corpse on the Dike , a man is shot dead in his back yard with a bullet between the eyes. The sole suspect, in what otherwise seems a motiveless murder, is the lesbian next door who, they suspect, might have been jealous of her fetching roomer’s interest in the dead man. She was a crack shot, a gun enthusiast and sportswoman in a country where guns are difficult to obtain legally. She vehemently and convincingly denies having committed the crime. The dead man had no apparent friends and was not involved in any crimes. A couple of motorcycle police stumble on the key to the case when they witness several men unloading a truck of stolen goods. Soon it is apparent that the residents of the dike are all involved in some prodigious thievery led by the “Cat,” but the motive for the killing still eludes the authorities — for a while.
Updated 6/19/09