Join inspector DeKok in his investigations in the DeKok series by Dutch bestselling author Baantjer. Inspectors DeKok and Vledder become involved in a case where death seems almost commonplace... Although at first it seemed to be a case for the narcotics division, this latest crime soon evolves into a series of sinister murders, which seem almost impossible to solve. Never before have inspectors DeKok and Vledder been so involved in a case where murder, drug smuggling, and child prostitution are almost daily occurrences. Blackmail enters the picture, and meanwhile bodies continue to be found. In the past even a single murder used to dominate the front pages of the newspapers for weeks, but now they hardly get attention. Death seems to have become commonplace, but never for DeKok...

A missing corpse turns out to be quite a variation on murder for Inspector DeKok.

"Shrewd, compassionate, and dedicated, DeKok makes a formidable opponent for criminals and a worthwhile competitor for the attention of Simenon's Maigret fans."--Library Journal The trail of a recent crime leads Inspector DeKok to Bloedberg (Blood Mountain), Belgium, a neighborhood in Antwerp. It seems a man was fished from the Scheldt River, and DeKok has been summoned to help with the investigation. At a funeral back in Amsterdam, things are just as murky as the corpse's river when DeKok discovers a man among the mourners who has been officially dead for at least two years. Events further darken DeKok's view of the case when the widow of the recently buried victim files a complaint of forgery; her deceased husband's bank account has been emptied. DeKok soon finds himself drawn back to Bloedberg, amidst one of the most bizarre and cunning crime syndicates the old, gray sleuth has faced yet. 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.

A woman has disappeared without a trace from Hospital South in Amsterdam. Upon investigation, three more women seem to have disappeared in the same mysterious way. For the first time in his career, a hospital means more to DeKok than a place where wounded witnesses and criminals are interrogated.

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 Ca...

Along with such peers as Ed McBain and Georges Simenon, [Baantjer] has created a long-running and uniformly engaging police series. -Mystery Scene..... Inspector DeKok and his partner Vledder are ordered to protect the eccentric Manfred Nettel...

Reviewers agree that this police procedural series is one of the strongest currently being published.