“DeKok’s maverick personality certainly makes him a compassionate judge of other outsiders and an astute analyst of antisocial behavior.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Baantjer has created an odd police detective who roams Amsterdam interacting with the widest possible range of antisocial types. This series is the answer to an insomniac’s worst fears.”—The Boston Globe
“Baantjer’s laconic, rapid-fire storytelling has spun out a surprisingly complex web of mysteries.”—Kirkus Reviews
“DeKok is a careful, compassionate policeman in the -tradition of Maigret; crime fans will enjoy this . . .” —Library Journal
“It’s easy to understand the appeal of Amsterdam police detective DeKok.”—The Los Angeles Times
Renowned mystery author A.C. Baantjer brings to life Inspector DeKok in another stirring potboiler full of suspenseful twists and unusual conclusions.
In The Geese of Death, DeKok takes on Igor Stablinsky, a man accused of bludgeoning a wealthy old man and his wife. To DeKok’s unfailing eye the killing urge is visibly present in the suspect during questioning, but did he commit this particular crime?
All signs point to one of the few remaining estates in Holland. The answer lies within a strange family, suspicions of incest, deadly geese and a horrifying mansion. Baantjer’s perceptive style brings to light the essences of his characters, touching his audience with subtle wit and irony.
A.C. Baantjer is one of the most widely read authors in the Netherlands. A former detective inspector of the Amsterdam Police, his fictional characters reflect the depth and personality of individuals encountered during his 38-year career in law enforcement.

DeKok and the Geese of Death

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

BAANTJER, A.C.

Mystery

Fulcrum+ Publishing

''There are touches of the 87th Precinct, Maigret, and Janwillem de Wetering, but Baantjer is in a category all his own.'' - The Globe and Mail..... As has been her habit since the death of her husband, the eccentric Marlies van Haesbergen does nightly rounds in the large office building where she resides. Her husband had been the building superintendent, and an apartment on the top floor came with the job. During one of her nightly tours, Mrs. van Haesbergen encounters Paul Vreeden, managing director of a multi-national dredging company, in the boardroom. Sitting in his chair at the head of the table, she hastily walks up to him. To her horror, she finds him dead. With the switchboard closed at night, Mrs. van Haesbergen rushes up to her apartment to call someone, but who? Deciding it better to return to the boardroom to examine what exactly happened, she finds the man - the dead man - gone. Wrought with confusion, Mrs. van Haesbergen soon learns that Mr. Vreeden is on holiday in the Bahamas. With unbearable visions of the dead Mr. Vreeden, she turns to Inspector DeKok for help. A.C. Baantjer is the most widely read author in the Netherlands. A former detective inspector of the Amsterdam police, his fictional characters reflect the depth and personality of individuals encountered during his thirty-eight-year career in law enforcement. He was recently knighted by the Dutch monarchy.

Dekok and Variations on Murder: Easyread Large Edition

ReadHowYouWant

''Along with such peers as Ed McBain and Georges Simenon, [Baantjer] has created a long-running and uniformly engaging police series. They are smart, suspenseful, and better-crafted than most in the field.'' -Mystery Scene..... This latest installment of the internationally popular Inspector DeKok series finds the gray sleuth dealing with a most gruesome murder. A beautiful, free-spirited young woman, Nanette Bogaard, has gone missing, and those closest to her fear her to be dead. Inspector DeKok is soon called upon to find out her whereabouts. It quickly becomes unveiled that Nanette, known by a scorned paramour as a ''Wild Daisy,'' may have harbored a dark side, one that embraced blackmail, emotional cruelty, and a wicked selfishness. The more DeKok learns of the beguiling Nanette, the more he identifies possible suspects related to her disapperance. DeKok feels it in his gut that he is on the trail of a dead woman. DeKok's suspicions are confirmed with one phone call. The dismembered body of a young woman has been found at the city dump. Now DeKok has to find the bloodied hands responsible for the somber-eyed woman's murder.

Dekok and the Somber Nude: Easyread Large Edition

''There are touches of the 87th Precinct, Maigret and Janwillem de Wetering, but Baantjer is in a category all his own.'' - The Globe and Mail....Without the slightest trace, an antique jewel collection disappears from a house along Gentlemen's Canal in Amsterdam. Detective DeKok feels compelled to help the victim of the theft, unknowingly signing up for a homicide case, as well. Soon after commencing his investigation into the robbery, DeKok and his partner Dick Vledder are called to the foot of The Criers' Tower. A clown lay dead along the canal with a large, shining knife protruding from his back, creating a blossom of blood around the murder weapon. After interviewing the clown's variety troupe members and chatting with his beloved barkeep/informant, Little Lowee, DeKok stumbles upon a connection between the two crimes ... ''butterfly.'' Indeed the crimes are related, but the thread wholly eludes the grey sleuth. Yet something tells him the variety troupe knows more than they're saying.

Dekok and the Death of a Clown: Easyread Large Edition

Literature & Fiction

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

Murder in Amsterdam: Two Books in One (Dekok and the Sunday Strangler and Dekok and the Corpse on Christmas Eve)

Smittenaar, H. G.

Intercontinental Pub Inc

DeKok, a veteran Amsterdam police detective, investigates the mysterious disappearance of a young woman

Dekok and the Somber Nude

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

Murder in Amsterdam

DeKok and the Sorrowing Tomcat

Albert Cornelis Baantjer is the Netherland's most widely read author and his hero DeKok is adored and highly praised. The cases DeKok faces are so real that sometimes he and his creator are thought to be the same person since Baantjer worked as a homicide detective in Amsterdam for twenty-five years. In this latest adventure to make it over seas, DeKok investigates the murder of a young conman with whom he used to deal. On the sand dunes that protect the low lands of the Netherlands, an early morning jogger makes a gruesome discovery-the body of a man with a dagger protruding from his back. The corpse of Peter Geffel, better known as "Cunning" Pete, is identified, but the local police cannot find any clues. When the call goes out to notify other jurisdictions of the discovery, Homicide Detective DeKok feels drawn to the case because he knew the victim. Along with his inseparable side-kick Vledder, DeKok searches the city of Amsterdam for answers. Soon there is another corpse and, unlikely as it may seem, the killing of Cunning Pete is connected to a killing in higher social circles. With his usual laconic style, Baantjer brings readers another sterling entry in the series and paints a fascinating portrait of the Netherlands along the way.

Dekok and the Sorrowing Tomcat

History & Criticism

DeKok watched, flanked by his assistant Vledder, as two men from the coroner's office fished a corpse from the waters of the Brewers Canal. The deceased was a young man with a sympathetic face. Vledder looked on and then remarked: "I don't know, but I have the feeling that this one could cause us a lot of trouble. I don't like that strange wound on his head. He also doesn't seem the type to just walk into the water." Vledder was right. Leon, aka Jacques, or Marcel, was the victim of a crime. It is only the first riddle before the solution can be found.

Dekok and the Disillusioned Corpse

Book by Baantjer, A. C., Smittenaar, H. G.

Dekok and the Careful Killer

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