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The Hollow-Eyed Angel (Grijpstra and de Gier Series #13)

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The Hollow-Eyed Angel (Grijpstra and de Gier Series #13)

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Overview

The thirteenth Amsterdam Cops mystery

The commissaris is about to retire from the Amsterdam police force when volunteer officer Johan Termeer approaches him for help. Johan fears his elderly uncle has been murdered in faraway New York, the corpse found decimated by animals in Central Park. The commissaris agrees to look into the matter since he’s already heading to New York for a law enforcement convention, and brings Sergeant de Gier along with him.

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Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781569478226
Publisher:	Soho Press, Incorporated
Publication date:	07/01/2003
Series:	Grijpstra and de Gier Series , #13
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	803,445
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Janwillem van de Wetering (1931–2008) was born and raised in Rotterdam, but lived most recently in Surry, Maine. He served as a member of the Amsterdam Special Constabulary and was once a Zen Buddhist monk. He is renowned for his detective fiction, including Outsider in Amsterdam; The Corpse on the Dike; The Japanese Corpse; The Maine Massacre, which garnered him the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière; and ten other books in the Amsterdam Cops series.

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Editorial Reviews

The author's 13th mystery involving the Amsterdam cops (Angels), plus two previously out-of-print titles in his darkly humorous series. (July)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Veteran Dutch writer van de Wetering is back with another in his internationally acclaimed series starring the officers of the Amsterdam municipal police, including the aging and never-named "commissaris", Detective-Adjutant Grijpstra, and Detective-Sergeant de Gier. The "commissaris", who is preparing to retire, has been invited to speak at an international police conference in New York City. When an officer in the reserve police force asks him to investigate his uncle's death in Central Park, the "commissaris" sees the chance to solve one last puzzle. The case soon proves to be more than the sickly "commissaris" can handle, and Grijpstra is dispatched to New York to provide assistance. As is frequently the case in van de Wetering's work, the mystery element here is subordinate to the character studies. The "commissaris" is haunted by dreams of a mysterious woman tram driver, the hollow-eyed angel of the title. Grijpstra plays philosophical games with a suspect, while de Gier is forced to do the legwork back in the Netherlands. A most enjoyable addition to a fine series.

George Needham

In another of the author's quirky stories (Just a Corpse at Twilight, 1994, etc.), a long-distance problem is absorbing the time and attention of the Amsterdam commissaris (Chief of Detectives) and a couple of his best men—Sergeant Rinus de Gier and Adjutant Henk Grijpstra. Bert Termeer, a Dutch bookdealer and 20-year resident of New York City, has been found dead in Central Park—dressed in rags, his body half-destroyed by animals. His nephew Jo Termeer, reared by Bert from age eight, has flown to the US, met with the precinct police, and is unsatisfied with findings of probable heart attack. Termeer is a prosperous, 40-ish, gay hairdresser who has worked ably for years in the volunteer wing of the Amsterdam police and now seeks their help in closing the case. The commissaris, verging on retirement, decides to accept an invitation to a weeklong police congress in Manhattan. Once there, although plagued by flu, he meets Detective Sergeant Earl Hurrell, in charge of the case; sets off a wild goose chase back home; is haunted by the specter of an empty-eyed woman tram driver; and finally gets Sergeant de Gier to join him in the city. Together they meet a series of unlikely strangers spouting dizzy philosophies and track down Charlie Perrin, owner and only other occupant of the downtown warehouse where Bert lived and worked. What they find sends them back to Amsterdam, bizarre solution in hand.
Bizarre could also describe the oblique dialogue here—bits of movies; lines of poetry; scraps of teachings from Nietzsche to Zen—most of it having little to do with what's going on. A couple of hefty subplots add substance to an intriguing story often sabotaged by its mannered, antic style.

Kirkus Reviews

Praise for The Hollow-Eyed Angel

"True to form, van de Wetering keeps you guessing, tempers unflinching violence and amoral activities with thoughtful perspectives, and leaves his regular characters plenty of room to grow . . . Engaging."
—Entertainment Weekly

“Van de Wetering has a light touch as he moves his detectives through one interview after another, the evidence mixed always with issues of morality and punishment, intent and act . . . Keep[s] you moving along with a satisfied smile.”
—Washington Book Post World

“First and foremost in the genre is, once again, Janwillem van de Wetering . . . He knows police work and policemen, and he’s as sly as a Zen koan.”
—Men’s Journal

“A welcome addition to a unique series. This is a Dutch treat that is an acquired taste. But it is certainly one worth acquiring.”
—Maine Sunday Telegram

“[A] satisfying mystery along with the extensive character studies. Janwillem van de Wetering knows what he’s about.”
—Trenton Times

“A most enjoyable addition to a fine series.”
—Booklist

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