Outsider in Amsterdam (Amsterdam Cops Book 1) Janwillem Van De Wetering
I’ve read all of Janwillem Van De Wetering’s books and love his style and approach. Outsider in Amsterdam was the first novel in the series and also the first one I read introducing me to his work. He wrote from 1975 to the mid 90’s. Most of his work is out of print now and hard to find but there are copies lying around in used book stores. I just ordered a copy through Thrift Books on Amazon. And you can always read the ebook version - Spencer
About the Author:
Janwillem van de Wetering was particularly noted for his detective fiction, his most popular creations being Grijpstra and de Gier, a pair of Amsterdam police officers who figure in a lengthy series of novels and short stories. Most of the mysteries are rich with images from Amsterdam, where most of them take place; some also feature a cat: in earlier novels, one named Oliver; in later novels, a female named Tabriz. He also wrote stories for children and nonfiction works. He usually wrote in Dutch and then in English; the two versions often differ considerably. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janwillem_van_de_Wetering)
Blurb about the Book: (description via Amazon)
"[Van de Wetering] is doing what Simenon might have done if Albert Camus had sublet his skull." —John Leonard
On a quiet street in downtown Amsterdam, a man is found hanging from the ceiling beam of his bedroom, upstairs from the new religious society he founded: a group that calls itself “Hindist” and supposedly mixes elements of various Eastern traditions. Detective-Adjutant Gripstra and Sergeant de Gier of the Amsterdam police are sent to investigate what looks like a simple suicide, but they are immediately suspicious of the circumstances.
This now-classic novel, first published in 1975, introduces Janwillem van de Wetering’s lovable Amsterdam cop duo of portly, wise Gripstra and handsome, contemplative de Gier. With its unvarnished depiction of the legacy of Dutch colonialism and the darker facets of Amsterdam’s free drug culture, this excellent procedural asks the question of whether a murder may ever be justly committed.
(Amazon Kindle) https://a.co/d/jk59cwY