De Cock en de bloedwraak by A.C. Baantjer

Why read the book?

A German tourist in Amsterdam is threatened by a young man holding an infected needle. The police step in and bring the man to the Warmoesstraat station. At first De Cock and Vledder think they have an ordinary crime on their hands.

Things soon grow more complicated. A young woman is found murdered in a run-down building in the heart of the city. She had a relationship with the man under arrest.

The events come quickly after that. The fear of AIDS and threats built on it run through the whole case, and the detectives are sent the wrong way again and again. The answer is sudden and sad, and De Cock keeps part of it back from his superiors and his assistant out of pity.

Favourite quote

What I Loved

This one leans on a fear that marked its time, and it treats that fear as the engine of the plot rather than a label. The Amsterdam setting, from the station to the decaying building, grounds the story.

What stays with you is the ending. De Cock chooses to hide a part of the truth, and that choice tells you more about him than any chase could.

Key Takeaway

Knowing the whole truth and choosing what to do with it are two different things, and mercy can shape the choice.

Note

This book is only available in Dutch

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