De Cock en de onsterfelijke dood by A.C. Baantjer

Why read the book?

One evening a middle-aged man comes to the Warmoesstraat station. He limps because of a road accident that left him in constant pain.

For that pain he had turned to a faith healer on the Brouwersgracht. She eased his pain, and he fell in love with her. Now he reports that she has suddenly vanished. The woman, mother of three grown daughters who worked in her practice, may be dead.

The man suspects her own daughters. Vledder does not see a case here, but De Cock thinks otherwise, and the strange affair proves him right. The woman had claimed of herself that she was immortal.

Favourite quote

What I Loved

The setup is unusual, with a faith healer who said she was immortal and a heartbroken patient who reports her gone. The split between Vledder, who shrugs, and De Cock, who trusts his instinct, is well drawn.

De Cock's quiet certainty against his assistant's doubt is the engine of the book, and the Amsterdam canal setting grounds it.

Key Takeaway

De Cock trusts his instinct over his assistant's doubt, and a vanished faith healer turns into a real case.

Note

This book is only available in Dutch

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