It took me 31 years to finish Janwillem van de Wetering's "The Corpse on the Dike". It was the first book that I started reading when I landed in the U.S. in 1982. I could not get past the first 20 pages at that time, and the book had to wait until now. Well, it could have waited longer - it is not that interesting.A rich recluse is found shot on an Amsterdam dike. Adjutant-Detective Grijpstra, Sergeant de Grier, and their boss, the commissaris from the Amsterdam Municipal Police, are trying to find the killer. We meet colorful crowd of strange characters living on the dike. We also meet seamy characters: thieves, pimps, and stolen good dealers. The plot is quite complex and seems to constantly veer in different directions.I began reading this book in 1982 because of Nicolas Freeling's Van der Valk novels whose plots were also located in Amsterdam. Mr. Freeling's books are masterpieces of detective fiction, full of literary sophistication and acute psychological and sociological observations. Alas, "The Corpse on the Dike" is just a run-of-the-mill crime story, with little depth and little redeeming literary value. Not even close to Freeling's class.Yes, there are some good fragments in the novel. For example the bit about events following de Grier's interview of Ursula or the story of the Landsburger dike firefight are hilarious. But that's not enough to save the novel from mediocrity. I am unable to believe that de Grier, Grijpstra, and the commissaris are real people.Two stars.
The Amsterdam Cop series, now branded as Grijpstra and de Gier Mysteries, by Janwillem van de Wetering are an excellent set of police procedurals that take place in 1970s Amsterdam, and The Corpse on the Dike lives up to that reputation. Amsterdam is portrayed as a quite city where no one ever gets murdered, but occasionally, when the unthinkable does happen, Grijpstra and de Gier are assigned the case. Through careful, clever interviews of suspects, thorough examination of evidence, and a deep understanding of human nature, they inevitably put all the pieces of the puzzle together and find the culprit. Here a recluse living along a dike is shot dead between the eyes while standing at his window, and the shooter had to be at least 30 feet away. Such marksmanship is rare in the Netherlands, but a next door neighbor is a shooting champion. However, she doesn't seem to have a great motive, although she certainly had opportunity. Grijpstra and de Gier are unsatisfied and a later shooting along the dike, sends them off in a different direction following stolen merchandise and an amateur crime ring. But this crime ring seems to have nothing to do with the original victim. Following Grijpstra and de Gier through this maze of conflicting motives is very enjoyable as the story reaches a sound and satisfying conclusion.
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van de Wetering was an extremely clever likeable writer with an interest in Zen who created offbeat three-dimensional characters that were the main attractions of his police procedurals set in Amsterdam. I've read several of his books and found them vastly entertaining. Though the plotting can be at times slightly shaky, the books nevertheless hold the reader's attention from start to finish. I found this book as enjoyable as the others and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good murder mystery.
—Frank McAdam
I am trying to remember why I put this title on my "to read list," and memory fails me. This is an early title in a series of "Amsterdam cops" mysteries, and perhaps I just wanted something offbeat. Apparently each novel features a pair of cops named De Gier and Grijpstra (who play a flute and a snare drum) and is rich in description of Dutch cities. The novel is slim and written in straightforward prose, with a minimum of gore or explicit sexual content. The plot here involves a mysterious shooting of a reclusive man, and the web of circumstances surrounding that death. Detectives learn that the recluse was visited by one man, a dealer in secondhand goods nicknamed The Cat. The investigation proceeds from there. I found the mystery to be perfectly adequate, though I probably will not seek out others in the series.
—Sherry (sethurner)
knew the name from his zen book Empty Mirror, decided to try this work: worth it. clean, simple, direct, in tone, writing, plot. deliberate, understated detectives and police and various criminals and other characters. not an action book, more detection, similar to martin beck series. police working sensibly and as a team. the characters think, rather than beat up suspects. rational, philosophical and psychological insight powers the plot. made me certainly think of zen and philosophy. i will read more of his work.
—the gift
