September was a good and nicely varied reading month. I finished one series and started a new one. I read a fascinating book about the origins of words and customs associated with Christmas, a thriller everybody appears to be raving about, and two Dutch titles. As I said a varied month.

PROBLEM AT POLLENSA BAY AND OTHER STORIES by Agatha Christie (4*)

Two stories each featuring Parker Pine, Hercule Poirot, and Harley Quin as well as two stand-alone stories that aren’t mysteries. A thoroughly enjoyable collection. Having said that, I would advise dog lovers to steer clear of the story titled Next to a Dog.

 WORDS CHRISTMAS GAVE US by Grace Tierney (5*) NF

More than just a Christmas-themed lexicon, Words Christmas Gave Us is also a well-written, easy-to-read, and captivating work of non-fiction. Some words, such as gizzard and the aforementioned salmangundi, were new to me while I also found myself learning more about words and customs I considered myself familiar with. For a longer review please click on the link: https://helenasheat.blogspot.com/2024/09/words-christmas-gave-us-by-grace-tierney.html

 WE SOLVE MURDERS (We Solve Murders #1) by Richard Osman (5+*)

Take one private security officer thriving on danger (Amy Wheeler), a retired cop enjoying a very quiet life (Steve Wheeler), and a best-selling author up for just about anything (Rosie D’Antonio), throw in dead bodies, bags filled with money, and a death-threat or two, and you may well find yourself on a caper taking you from the New Forest to Dubai via South Carolina and Ireland.

Richard Osman has done it again. He’s created another madcap adventure featuring fascinating and captivating MCs and filled it with a lot of heart and some inspiring pearls of wisdom. Now I find myself desperately waiting for both the next Thursday Murder Club book and the sequel to this gem.

 DE COCK IN HET KORT (4 short stories) by A.C. Baantjer (4*)

There are only 46 pages in this bonus publication. What makes them special that they were all written by Baantjer in himself and not by Peter Römer who has taken over de De Cock series twenty titles ago. The four stories are fun and original with the fourth one being extra special since it is a meeting between De Cock and Baantjer, his creator.

 THE COMFORT OF GHOSTS (Maisie Dobbs #18) by Jacqueline Winspear (4+)

The latest and last title in the series set in the immediate aftermath of WW II sees Maisie Dobbs/Scott deal with several of the consequences of that conflict as well as some ghosts from her personal past while also focussing on the future and the way ahead for her and those she loves. Or, to quote the last sentence of the book:

“In that moment, she felt lighter, leaving the past behind, as if Fate had asked her to take one final look across the landscape of years, before turning her head towards the future and the building of a new house.”

 THE ONLY ONE LEFT by Riley Sager (4*)

A severely disabled woman suspected of having murdered her family decades earlier decides to tell her story to her troubled live-in caregiver, one typed letter at a time. As her story and the plot thicken the house where it all happened, Hope’s End, crumbles. A real page-turner but also a reminder of why I’m not a huge fan of thrillers. In order to really enjoy a book, I need to understand the MC(s) and in most thrillers, as in this one, the choices they make and the way in which they behave are too far-fetched for me to become fully invested in the story.

 DE COCK EN DE MOORD OP AFSPRAAK (De Cock #95) by Peter Römer (4*).

The title of this Dutch mystery translates as: De Cock and the Murder By Appointment.

A producer of a popular television programme is murdered in his apartment and a short time later a gossip reporter is strangled in a movie theatre. The two, apparently unconnected, cases bring De Cock face to face with the world of showbiz and for a long time, he’s like a fish out of water. As always a wonderful cozy police procedural set in Amsterdam. What’s not to love?

De Cock en de eenzame dood by Peter Römer

(De Cock and the lonely dead)

De Cock series #89

158 pages

Publisher: Fontein

Publishing Date: August 2021

Own

 

Blurb

De Cock wordt naar de Lindengracht geroepen. Hennie, de vrouw die tientallen jaren de aardappelkraam op de markt bestierde, is in haar bed gesmoord met een kussen. Hennie was geen vriendelijk mens, maar wel rijk: achter de aardappelhandel waaraan ze goed verdiende zaten flink wat investeringen, ook in huizen. Naast zakelijke conflicten, zoals met Dennis, een ontevreden huurder met wie Hennie hooglopende ruzie had, denkt De Cock ook aan een motief in de familie. Want Hennie's zoon Tonnie blijkt ook zo zijn redenen te hebben om niet rouwig te zijn om haar dood...

(Translation:

De Cock is summoned to the Lindengracht. Hennie, the woman who for decades ran the potato stall on the market, has been smothered with a pillow in her bed. Hennie wasn’t a friendly person, but she was rich: the potato trade from which she profited nicely let to numerous investments, including in property. Apart from business conflicts such as the one with Dennis, a dissatisfied lodger with whom Hennie had a heated argument, De Cock is also considering a motive within her family. Because Hennie’s son Tonnie also appears to have reasons for not mourning her death…)

 

Review

A few opening notes before I get to my thoughts about this mystery:

• I read the original Dutch version of this book, but I’ll do the review in English. I’m not sure how many (if any) people who read my reviews understand Dutch, but I am sure that if any Dutch speakers do follow my reviews, they’ll be more than proficient in English.
• Peter Römer, the author of this title is not the creator of De Cock. In fact, the first 75 books in this series were written by A.C. Baantjer.
• At least a few of Baantjer’s titles have been published in English. For obvious reasons the name of the main character underwent a small change during the translation process. English-speaking readers know De Cock as DeKok.

I do have a soft spot for this series of books. I can’t say I’ve read them all, or even that I adhered to the order in which they were published, but I can honestly say that I’ve enjoyed every single De Cock mystery I have ever started. There’s something about our main character and his quiet and calm approach to his investigations and his deep-rooted sense of justice that always works for me. It’s the recognisable descriptions of Amsterdam, and the wonderful way in with the author(s) manage to capture characters with just a few pen strokes. And the mysteries always work and always manage to keep me on my toes.

The mystery in The Cock en de eenzame dood was satisfying. With a universally unliked victim, a few likely suspects, and a lack of definitive clues, I enjoyed the puzzle. I almost found my way to the solution but managed to miss the final twist. For me, that amounts to a rewarding mystery and enjoyable reading experience.

I’m now out of unread De Cock mysteries. I’ll be stocking up next time I find myself visiting the Netherlands.