Join inspector DeKok in his investigations in the DeKok series by Dutch bestselling author Baantjer. A clown is found dead, but what does his murder have to do with an antique jewel collection? Without the slightest trace, an antique jewel collection disappears from a house along one of the great canals in Amsterdam. Inspector 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 Vledder are called to the foot of The Criers’ Tower. A clown lies 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, DeKok stumbles upon a connection between the two crimes...

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...

Join inspector DeKok in his investigations in the DeKok series by Dutch bestselling author Baantjer. Women are disappearing from a hospital without a trace. But without a body, does DeKok have a case? Women are checking in to Slotervaart Hospital, but not checking out. According to hospital files, they were never even there. Inspectors DeKok and Vledder are called upon to investigate this alarming disappearing act. Eerily, the people closest to these vanishing women all comment on a change in their faces: they have become listless, fatigued, and seemingly wear a ‘mask of death’. All indications point to foul play, but the bodies have yet to turn up. DeKok is stumped as to how these women are connected, and why an esteemed hospital is playing cover-up...

The first new DeKok mystery in two years by the Netherlands most widely read author.

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.... Death, observes...

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