After setting my second Alexander Baxby mystery Naming the Dead in 1600s Amsterdam, during the Dutch Golden Age, I was keen to discover other fictional crimes committed amongst the city’s famous canals. Like many, I had watched Amsterdam’s blond detective Van der Valk solve crimes in the televised series. Now it was time to read more.
Anja De Jager’s contemporary A Cold Death in Amsterdam started with promising menace, when female detective Lotte Meerman stopped for fuel alone at night. The resulting encounter leads Lotte to investigate one of her policeman father’s old murders. She is troubled by their relationship and her own behaviour during another high-profile case. This combines to create a compelling introduction to the Lotte Meerman series. However, much of the action is set in the northern city of Alkmaar rather than Amsterdam.
Conversely, the city features strongly in David Hewson’s The
House of Dolls. Retired detective Pieter Vos is viewing the famous Rijksmuseum
dolls house when called back to solve the mystery of a missing teenage girl. Vos
has intimate knowledge of the city and its underworld. The resulting thriller reveals
disturbing corruption and prostitution, set against a colourful backdrop of
houseboats, drawbridges, Rembrandt paintings and the De Wallen red-light
district.
After The House of Dolls, I was pleased to find another
historical crime novel, to bridge the gap between the open, vibrant society depicted
in my 1600s Naming the Dead and grittier contemporary ones. Set during
the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam, The Culture Chamber by Jeffrey Stalk reads
like a true story. When a body is found in the canal, SS, Gestapo, German and
Dutch police, and resistance leaders all have their own reasons for wanting to solve
the crime. Alongside, the story shows the tension between artists and other citizens
who try to maintain time-honoured values, protecting their Jewish neighbours, and
those who collaborate.
And Van der Valk? Yes, I also enjoyed Nicolas Freeling’s first book Love in Amsterdam. Interestingly, this views the blond detective, the city and post-war Dutch society through the eyes of the prime suspect in a murder case.
Karen Haden's second Alexander Baxby Mystery Naming the Dead is free via Kindle Unlimited and to buy at www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FCY3QDT1